This course introduces students to the history of Eastern Europe and the Balkans in the twentieth century, from World War I to the present. Understood in the broadest sense, politics and culture form the twin focal points of the investigation. The course addresses the turbulent political events that have shaped the region in the twentieth century--the passing of four empires, two world wars, the rise of indigenous fascist and other authoritarian movements, the Holocaust, and the great power involvements in East European affairs. But, the course also explores the development of indigenous East European national cultures, including works by two of their great writers, Jaroslav Hašek and Czeslaw Milosz.
Assigned Reading