The 20th century is a very popular series and includes the following topics:
1. Causes of World War 1
The main causes of the Great War will be examined covering the period from the unification of Germany in 1871 to the assassination of the Archduke Franz Ferdinand in 1914.
2. World War 1 Part 1
World War one will be examined with an emphasis on the European theatre including major battle fronts from the Marne, the 2nd Battle of Ypres and Gallipoli. Included will be a close examination of trench life and all main event until the end of 1915
3. World War 1 Part 2
Starting with Verdun in 1916, this lecture will cover all events up to the November 11th armistice of 1918 including the Somme, Vimy, Passchendaele and others.
4. The Paris Peace Conference
This lecture will focus on the treaties that conclude the First World War in Paris in 1919. The USA’s Wilson, Britain’s Lloyd George and France’s Clemenceau will be analyzed with particular attention paid to the Treaty of Versailles with Germany and their respective attitudes toward peace terms. There will be a PowerPoint presentation and a discussion to follow
5. The Russian Revolution 1905-1917
The Russian Revolution will be assessed covering the period from 1905 to 1917. A close examination of Lenin and the Bolsheviks will be analyzed covering the revolutions of 1917, but also included will be the Russo Japanese war on 1904-05, the Russian revolution of 1905 and the key events which led up to the revolution and communist takeover of November 1917
6. Russia in Turmoil 1918-1924
A close examination of the period covering the civil war between the red army and the white armies will be looked at Included in our study will be the treaty of Brest-Litovsk, War Communism, Allied Intervention and Lenin’s New Economic Policy. The presentation will conclude with the death of Lenin in 1924 and an explanation of what Marxism-Leninism meant and how it developed from Marx’s theories in the 19th century to a form that Lenin contributed to in order to explain the Russian realities
7. Stalin’s Russia 1928 to 1939
This lecture will deal with the rise of Stalin in Soviet Russia with his eventual consolidation of power in 1928 and the introduction of the first Five Year Plan. Analyzed will be the effects on Russia of Collectivization, the Ukraine famine of 1932-33, the Great Purges and the Nazi-Soviet Pact of 1939.
8. Mussolini’s Italy 1922-1945
A survey of the main themes in the development of Fascism in Italy where Mussolini had developed his absolute power in 1922 will be addressed. Examined will be the social conditions which led to Mussolini’s rise as well as the implementation of fascism- a largely improvised ideology. The role of nationalism, militarism and anti-communism are revealed as the forces behind Mussolini’s power and control.
9. The Weimar Republic
The period of Germany between 1919-1933 known as the Weimar Republic will be looked at to formulate some understanding of how this young republic was threatened by elements on the left and the right. Topics covered will be hyperinflation, The Golden Period and the role of the Depression in destabilizing Germany and opening the door the Hitler and the Nazis.
10. A New Germany 1933-1936 Part 1
Picking up where we left off at Weimar Germany, we will examine how Hitler consolidated power in 1933 and the changes he made domestically and in foreign policy until 1936. Main themes will be the rise of a one party state, early signs of anti-Semetism, domestic successes and the slow mobilization of Hitler’s aims and the support of common Germans.
11. A New Germany 1937-1939 Part 2
By 1937 Germany is brimming with a new confidence that leads Hitler toward testing the waters with his neighbours. Diplomatic bluff in the Rhineland, the Naval agreement with Britain and the Munich Pact of 1938 all give Hitler the pretence and confidence he needs to declare war on Poland in 1939
12. The USA 1919-1941
This lecture will focus on the development of a consumer society in the USA after WW1 which resulted in the greatest economic growth in America. Assessed will be the bust of 1929 and steps taken by FDR to offset the effects of the Depression. The New Deal will be a large focus of this lecture and the impact that FDR’s policies had on the fabric of American life.
13. The Spanish Civil War 1936-1939
The forgotten conflict of the years of appeasement with Fascism, the SCW was central to many of the problems of the allies when confronting aggression. Assessed will be the causes of the SCW as well as the contributions of both the Republican forces as well as the Nationalist forces.
14. World War 2 Part 1 1939-1942
The main themes of the war will be followed from the invasion of Poland in September 1939 until the North African Campaign. Included will be the Phoney war, the Fall of France, Operation Barbarossa and the Blitz!
15. World War 2 Part 2 1943-1945
This lecture will continue with the Invasion of Russia including Stalingrad and the battle of Kursk, as well as the Sicilian campaign, Battle of the Atlantic, D-Day and the fall of Berlin
16. World War 2 Part 3 The Pacific War 1941-1945
Beginning with the Japanese Invasion of China in 1937 and continuing through to the Invasion of Pearl Harbour in 1941, this lecture will focus on the American effort in the South Pacific including Guadalcanal, Midway, Battle of Coral Seal, Okinawa, Iwo Jima and many others. The conclusion will include a discussion on the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki to end the war.
17. Cold War in Europe 1945-1949
This lecture will focus on the early Cold War with a focus on events in Europe from 1945-1949. Assessed will be the Truman Doctrine and containment, the Marshall Plan, the Berlin Blockade and the formation of NATO.
18. The McCarthy Era
An analysis of the USA on the home front between 1945-1954 and how the emergent Cold War would impact fears of homegrown subversion and communism in the USA. McCarthy will be central to this period but we will also look at the role of the FBI and high profile cases like Alger Hiss, the Blacklist of Hollywood and the Rosenbergs.
19. Khrushchev and the Cold War 1956-1964
This lecture will look at events of the cold War during the leadership of Nikita Khrushchev with a focus on 1956-1964. Events include the Hungarian Revolution, the Space Race, The events surrounding the building of Berlin Wall and the Cuban Missile Crisis.
20. The American Civil Rights Movement 1945-1968
Starting with a brief overview of the American Civil War and the subsequent Jim Crow Laws, we will move right up to the 1950’s and look at key events of the Civil Rights Movement from 1945-1968. Included will be the Brown vs. Board of Education ruling in 1954, the Little rock crisis, the Montgomery Bus Boycott and the rise and fall of Martin Luther King Jr.
21. The Vietnam War 1945-1975
This lesson will look at the personality of Ho Chi Minh as well as an assessment of French rule in Indo-China, the Japanese occupation and how the Americans got involved. The narrative will conclude in 1975 when the communists would seize power in the south.
22. China in the Twentieth Century 1900-1949
Beginning with a brief overview of European colonialism in China with an emphasis on the Opium Wars of 1837 and the Boxer rebellion of 1899, the content will begin with the revolution of 1911 and the leadership of Sun Yixian. The development of the Guomindang or Nationalist party will be traced as well as the birth and growth of the Chinese Communist Party. The conflict and civil war of 1927- 1945 will be discussed, as well as the impact of WW2 on China. This section will end with the Communist takeover in 1949
23. China in the twentieth Century 1949-Present
The focus will be the leadership of Mao Zedong from 1949-1976 with a glimpse at economic development and revolutionary chaos from the Great Leap Forward to the Cultural Revolution. After Mao’s death we will discuss the leadership of Deng Xiaoping until the Tienanmen Square massacre of 1989. Trends in the late twentieth and early twentieth century will also be analyzed
24. Britain and India
Assessed will be the impact of British colonialism in India and how events in the twentieth century would create dissent and anger of British control of the economy. Key points will be the India Mutiny of 1857, Amritsar massacre of 1919 and the role of Gandhi in pushing forward to independence
25. South Africa
Beginning with the Dutch colony in the 17th century, we will look at the impact of British interests in Cape colony and how that would create tension and lead to the Boer War of 1899. Also analyzed will be the economic, social and political ideas of Apartheid and the role of Nelson Mandela in ending racial policy in 1994.
26. The Latter Cold War 1968-1991
The period of detente will be analyzed and the slow but inevitable steps which would lead to the collapse of the USSR in 1991 including the solidarity movement in Poland, the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan and the collapse of communism in Eastern Europe.