Reading and Writing Workshop
20th-Century European Conflicts and Transformations
Session 1: The Complex Causes and Global Consequences of World Wars
Focus: Understand the underlying causes and far-reaching impacts of World War I and World War II on Europe and the world.
Reading Selections:
Write a cause-and-effect essay tracing one major cause (e.g., nationalism or imperialism) and its long-term consequences through both World Wars.
Session 2: The Rise and Impact of Ideological Regimes
Focus: Explore how communism and fascism rose in the 20th century and their societal effects.
Reading Selections:
Compare and contrast the ideological roots and goals of fascism and communism in Europe. Which social and political conditions allowed these ideologies to gain power?
Session 3: Totalitarianism and Genocide as 20th-Century Phenomena
Focus: Examine how propaganda, repression, and state violence led to atrocities like the Holocaust and the Stalinist purges.
Reading Selections:
Write a reflective narrative from the perspective of someone living under totalitarian rule, using historical details to inform emotional and societal context.
Session 4: The Cold War as a Shaping Force in Postwar Europe
Focus: Analyze the causes, tensions, and key moments of the Cold War, including the division of Europe.
Reading Selections:
Create a simulated debate between an American and Soviet citizen on the benefits and dangers of their respective political systems in 1950.
Session 5: Europe’s Ongoing Transformation in the Post–Cold War Era
Focus: Explore the fall of communism, European integration, and current challenges facing Europe.
Reading Selections:
Write a policy memo recommending how modern Europe should address one ongoing challenge (e.g., migration, nationalism, economic instability), using historical context for support.
Session 1: The Complex Causes and Global Consequences of World Wars
Focus: Understand the underlying causes and far-reaching impacts of World War I and World War II on Europe and the world.
Reading Selections:
- The Economic Consequences of the Peace (1919) by John Maynard Keynes
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/15776 - The Zimmermann Telegram (primary source)
https://avalon.law.yale.edu/20th_century/zimmer.asp - Winston Churchill’s “Blood, Toil, Tears and Sweat” Speech (1940)
https://winstonchurchill.org/resources/speeches/1940-the-finest-hour/blood-toil-tears-and-sweat-2/
Write a cause-and-effect essay tracing one major cause (e.g., nationalism or imperialism) and its long-term consequences through both World Wars.
Session 2: The Rise and Impact of Ideological Regimes
Focus: Explore how communism and fascism rose in the 20th century and their societal effects.
Reading Selections:
- Mein Kampf (excerpts) by Adolf Hitler (Public Domain in US, use for critical analysis only)
https://archive.org/details/meinkampf035176mbp - The Communist Manifesto (1848) by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/61 - Lenin’s “What is to be Done?” (1902)
https://www.marxists.org/archive/lenin/works/1901/witbd/
Compare and contrast the ideological roots and goals of fascism and communism in Europe. Which social and political conditions allowed these ideologies to gain power?
Session 3: Totalitarianism and Genocide as 20th-Century Phenomena
Focus: Examine how propaganda, repression, and state violence led to atrocities like the Holocaust and the Stalinist purges.
Reading Selections:
- Night (excerpts for educational purposes) by Elie Wiesel – Use excerpts or summaries if copyright limits access.
- The Protocols of the Elders of Zion (analyzed as propaganda; not endorsed)
https://archive.org/details/TheProtocolsOfTheEldersOfZion_201303 - The Gulag Archipelago (excerpts, Solzhenitsyn's abridged versions may be limited—use public domain passages)
If needed, use Kolyma Tales by Varlam Shalamov (public domain in some jurisdictions)
https://archive.org/details/KolymaTales
Write a reflective narrative from the perspective of someone living under totalitarian rule, using historical details to inform emotional and societal context.
Session 4: The Cold War as a Shaping Force in Postwar Europe
Focus: Analyze the causes, tensions, and key moments of the Cold War, including the division of Europe.
Reading Selections:
- The Iron Curtain Speech (1946) by Winston Churchill
https://winstonchurchill.org/resources/speeches/1946-1963-elder-statesman/the-sinews-of-peace/ - Truman Doctrine Speech (1947)
https://avalon.law.yale.edu/20th_century/trudoc.asp - NATO Treaty Text (1949)
https://avalon.law.yale.edu/20th_century/nato.asp
Create a simulated debate between an American and Soviet citizen on the benefits and dangers of their respective political systems in 1950.
Session 5: Europe’s Ongoing Transformation in the Post–Cold War Era
Focus: Explore the fall of communism, European integration, and current challenges facing Europe.
Reading Selections:
- Charter of Paris for a New Europe (1990)
https://www.osce.org/mc/39516 - Treaty on European Union (Maastricht Treaty, 1992) (excerpts)
https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A11992M%2FTXT - Pope John Paul II’s Address to the European Parliament (1988)
https://www.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en/speeches/1988/october/documents/hf_jp-ii_spe_19881011_parlamento-europeo.html
Write a policy memo recommending how modern Europe should address one ongoing challenge (e.g., migration, nationalism, economic instability), using historical context for support.