5:45 – 7:45 pm
We will explore the politics, society, and culture of Germany from the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire in 1806 to the end of the First World War. Topics to be treated will include the rise of nationalism, Bismarck’s Realpolitik, the unification of Germany in 1871 under Prussian leadership, the new empire’s rapid industrialization and resulting social tensions, the underlying causes of the First World War, and the collapse of the empire in the war’s aftermath.
Frank Biletz holds a PhD in history from the University of Chicago, with a primary specialization in modern British and Irish history. He is currently Lecturer in History at Loyola University Chicago.
- Edgar Feuchtwanger, Imperial Germany 1850-1918 (London and New York: Routledge, 2001). ISBN# 978-0415207898. Note: the Newberry Bookstore is unable to stock this text.
- Theodore Fontane, Effi Briest (London and New York: Penguin Books, 2001). ISBN# 978-0140447668. Note: the Newberry Bookstore is unable to stock this text.
- A. J. P. Taylor, Bismarck: The Man and the Statesman (Vintage Books, 1967), ISBN # 978-0394703879
CPDU credit for this course is available for Illinois teachers seeking recertification.
This class is part of the Newberry’s Adult Education Seminars Program.
Ten sessions, $240.