HIST234 - Decades of Extremes: Protectionism, Fascism, Imperialism, 1917-1945

The rise of Fascism in Italy, the Russian Revolution, anti-colonial struggles in India, the New Deal in the United States, the Spanish Civil War, and the emergence of populist Juan Perón in Argentina. These events – as distinct as they are – all responded to the crisis of the global economy following World War I. These were decades of ideological extremes: liberal democracy pitted against fascism, socialism versus capitalism, imperialist expansion in some parts of the world and struggles for self-determination in others. What did the world look like in 1917, and why did it give rise to such revolutionary politics? This course studies the ideological conflicts and economic crises of the interwar decades (1917-1945) through firsthand accounts produced by intellectuals, economists, dictators, and ordinary citizens. We will read from the 1917 Soviet Constitution, George Orwell’s personal account of the Spanish Civil War, and Mussolini’s writings to understand the revolutionary visions at stake. We will debate alongside John M. Keynes and Friedrich Hayek to engage one of the driving questions to arise in these years: what is the role of the state in economic life? We explore the policy experimentation that arose in response to this crippling economic situation, from the New Deal in the United States to the rise of populism in Latin America. Finally, we consider how these interwar struggles explain the outbreak of World War II, an extreme experience of totalitarianism, destruction, and genocide. The key concepts we explore – fascism, imperialism, protectionism, capitalism, socialism, authoritarianism, liberalism – are of enduring relevance. What lessons – if any – can we learn from these interwar decades of extremes?