HIST 102: Western Civilization 1715 to the Present

Citrus College Course Outline of Record

Citrus College Course Outline of Record
Heading Value
Effective Term: Fall 2024
Credits: 3
Total Contact Hours: 54
Lecture Hours : 54
Lab Hours: 0
Hours Arranged: 0
Outside of Class Hours: 108
Total Student Learning Hours: 162
Strongly Recommended: ENGL 101.
District General Education: D1. History and Political Science
Transferable to CSU: Yes
Transferable to UC: Yes - Approved
Grading Method: Standard Letter, Pass/No Pass

Catalog Course Description

Survey of European History from 1715. Course includes the Enlightenment, Scientific Revolution, European Revolutions, Napoleonic Empire and Wars, Western Imperialism, two World Wars, Cold War and the political, social, and economic consequences of each. 54 lecture hours.

Course Objectives

  • Define the term Enlightenment, list its contributors and characteristics, outline the key philosophical concepts, and analyze its impact on 18th century Europe.
  • Explain the historical context of the French Revolution, list the major causes of the Revolution, and analyze the impact of the Revolution, including Napoleon's role, on France and Western Europe
  • Summarize the character, discoveries, and effects of the Scientific Revolution, noting the key contributors involved.
  • Discuss the significance of the Congress of Vienna and the impact of its provisions on 19th century Europe.
  • Describe the alignment of nations in Europe and outline the efforts to keep the peace after Napoleon.
  • Trace the major intellectual, scientific, political, and economic movements, including evolution, liberalism, and the growth of commerce and industry.
  • Describe western imperialism and outline the effects and responses to imperialism.
  • Analyze the impact of the major intellectual, scientific, economic, and political movements on society, noting particularly the effects of industrialization and urbanization on the family and gender roles.
  • Outline the causes of the First World War, the provisions of the Treaty of Versailles, and discuss the postwar reactions to both, including the rise of fascism and communism.
  • Trace the causes of World War Two, the origins of the Cold War, the revival of Europe after the war, the rise of the welfare states, the end of the Cold War and recent developments in Europe, including the role and influence of the United States where appropriate.

Major Course Content

  1. Absolutism in Eastern Europe to 1740
    1. Lords and Peasants in Eastern Europe
    2. The Rise of Austria and Prussia
    3. The Development of Russia
    4. Absolutism and Baroque
  2. Toward a New World-View
    1. The Scientific Revolution
    2. The Enlightenment
    3. The Evolution of Absolutism
  3. The Expansion of Europe in the Eighteenth Century
    1. Agriculture and the Land
    2. The Beginning of the Population Explosion
    3. The Growth of Cottage Industry
    4. Building the Atlantic Economy
  4. The Life of the People
    1. Marriage and the Family
    2. Women and Children
    3. The European's Food
    4. Medical Science and the Sick
    5. Religion and Christian Churches
  5. The Revolution in Politics, 1775-1815
    1. Liberty and Equality
    2. The American Revolution, 1775-1789
    3. The French Revolution, 1789-1791
    4. World War and Republican France, 1791-1799
    5. The Napoleonic Era, 1799-1815
  6. The Revolution in Energy and Industry
    1. The Industrial Revolution in England
    2. The Spread of the Industrial Revolution
    3. Capital and Labor
    4. The Alternative to Industrialization
  7. Ideologies and Upheavals,1815-1850
    1. The Peace Settlement: Congress of Vienna
    2. Radical Ideas and Early Socialism
    3. The Romantic Movement
    4. Reforms and Revolutions
    5. The Revolution of 1848
  8. Life in Urban Society
    1. Taming the City
    2. Rich and Poor in Between
    3. The Family
    4. Science and Thought
  9. The Age of Nationalism,1815-1914
    1. Napoleon III in France
    2. Nation Building in Italy and Germany
    3. The Modernization of Russia
    4. The Responsive National State,1871-1914
    5. Marxism and the Socialist Movement
  10. The West and the World
    1. Building a World Economy
    2. The Great Migration
    3. Western Imperialism
    4. Responses to Western Imperialism
  11. The Great Break: War and Revolution
    1. The First World War
    2. The Home Front
    3. The Russian Revolution
    4. The Peace Settlement at Versailles
  12. The Age of Anxiety
    1. Uncertainty in Modern Thought
    2. Modern Art and Music
    3. Movies and Radio
    4. The Search for Peace and Political Stability
    5. The Great Depression, 1929-1939
  13. Dictatorships and the Second World War
    1. Authoritarian and Totalitarian States
    2. Stalin's Russia
    3. Mussolini's Italy
    4. Nazi Expansion and the Second World War
  14. The Recovery of Europe and the Americas
    1. Allied Victory and the Cold War, 1942-1950
    2. The Western European Renaissance
    3. Soviet Eastern Europe
    4. The Western Hemisphere
  15. Life in the Postwar Era
    1. Science and Technology
    2. Toward a New Society
    3. Women and the Family
  16. The Recent Past, 1968 to the Present
    1. The Troubled Economy
    2. The Atlantic Alliance
    3. The Soviet Bloc, Before and After 1989
    4. Post-Cold War Globalization
    5. The Future in Perspective
    6. Post-Cold War Globalization

Suggested Reading Other Than Required Textbook

Karl Marx, The Communist Manifesto Mary Wollstonecraft, Vindication of the Rights of Woman Aimee Cesaire, Discourse on Colonialism

Examples of Required Writing Assignments

Students will write a 3-5 page paper that analyzes a critique presented in supplement readings of a major development in Modern European history.

Examples of Outside Assignments

Students will evaluate primary source documents and present analysis in small group discussion designed to foster consideration of multiple perspectives on historical events.

Instruction Type(s)

Lecture, Online Education Lecture

IGETC Area 3: Arts and Humanities

3B. Humanities

IGETC Area 4: Social and Behavioral Sciences

4. Social and Behavioral Sciences