dneill@yorku.ca

The First World War affected virtually every country in the world, set the stage for the Great Influenza, and created the conditions for the collapse of the Ottoman, German, Russian, and Austria-Hungarian empires. It also led to the turbulent 1920s, the rise of fascism, tensions between Japan and China, colonial liberation movements, and World War Two. We first discuss the militarism, economic globalization, nationalism, and imperialism that characterized the pre-war period, and then turn to the 1912-1913 wars in the Balkans and the immediate causes for the outbreak of world war in 1914. We will then assess recruitment, social and cultural responses, and the first battles on the fighting fronts. Subsequent topics focus on the rise of “Total War” mentalities and provide insights into the battle and home fronts in Europe, Africa, the Middle East, North America, Latin America, and Asia. We also explore the history of military medicine, the use of colonial troops, the disasters at Verdun, the crucial importance of the Russian Revolution, the arrival of the Americans, the collapse of Germany, Austria-Hungary and the Ottoman Empire, and the global impact of the Great Influenza. The final part of the course explores the postwar “aftershocks,” including the fallout from the Treaty of Versailles, post-war instability, the spread of anti-colonial resistance, and the beginnings of far-right nationalism, fascism, and Nazism. We will also discuss shifts in gender roles, women’s political rights, and the postwar attempts to deal with cultural, social, and psychological upheavals. We will engage with many diverse sources to understand the war including letters, reports, diaries, artwork, music, podcasts, and memoirs.

*TENTATIVE*

1. Laurence Sondhaus, World War One: The Global Revolution, 2^nd Edition (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2017). (York University Bookstore)
2. Susan R. Grayzel, The First World War: A Brief History with Documents, (This book is available in the Scott Library as an e-book that you can check out, and you can purchase it as an e-book as well for $16.99.
3. Allim Tamari, Year of the Locust: A Soldier’s Diary and the Erasure of Palestine’s Ottoman Past (Oakland: University of California Press, 2015). (York University bookstore)

*TENTATIVE Grade Breakdown*

Participation (attendance/engaged participation) 10%

Diary study: Allim’s Year of the Locust   15%

Two Mini-Quizzes 5% each

Analysis of primary sources at the archives 20%

Podcast review on discussion boards 5%

Final term project (choice of podcast, mini-documentary, or research paper) 25%

Exam  15%

This is an in-person course and students are expected to attend regularly and participate in class discussions. There is a sign-in sheet at each lecture, and lectures are not recorded (slides used in lectures will be available on the e-class site). Our twice-weekly meetings each consist of a lecture and a discussion/tutorial related to course weekly readings. Students are asked to read the assigned weekly readings and come prepared to discuss them in class.

Along with regular lectures, we will also be having guest lectures and special workshops: last year we visited the Archives of Ontario in the fall, and in the winter our class attended a technology workshop at the Scott library which included learning how to record your own podcasts (one of the options for the final project).

1. To learn about the First World War and its impact in a global context;
2. To understand and work with primary sources;
3. To understand and explore existing narratives and critical scholarship about the war and the purpose these narratives serve in the present;
4. To further oral communication skills by engaging in small-group discussions;
5. To further writing and presentation skills, including learning new technical skills (podcasting, video making).