HSY2440 - The Rise and Fall of Nazi Germany

Leader: Michael Hau

Offered

Clayton First semester 2007 (Day)

Synopsis

The unit examines the course of German history from 1918 to 1945, focusing on the development, policies, course and implications of National Socialism as movement and regime. It explores the development, nature and decline of the Weimar Republic, the intellectual origins and rise of National Socialism, the development, course and nature of National Socialist domination, National Socialist policies of political killing and genocide, support for and opposition to National Socialism, and the impact and consequences of National Socialism for Germany and the world.

Objectives

Upon successful completion of this unit students will:

1. Be able to identify the major causes for the failure of the Weimar Republic.
2. Recognise the complexity of social developments that characterised the Weimar and Nazi periods.
3. Develop their own views on the relationship between modernity and Nazism.
4. Know how to critically assess the works of other historians.
5. Have developed strategies for the interpretation of primary source materials.

Assessment

Essay (2000 words): 40%
Examination (2 hours): 40%
Class participation: 10%
Tutorial exercises (500 words): 10%

Contact hours

3 hours (2 lectures and 1 tutorial) per week

Prerequisites

A first-year sequence in History or permission

Prohibitions

HSY2510, HSY2520, HSY3440