COURSE DESCRIPTION
This
course introduces students to an important, transitional phase in German
history, a time when older, federal forms of political organization yielded to
the modern nation-state, when indeed the very idea of a German “nation”—as a
cohesive political entity defined by a common language and ethnicity, not
merely a geographical expression—first came into being. It is also a period when the Holy Roman
Empire—that vast and unwieldy association of princes, bishops, and cities
assembled under the nominal rule of an Emperor and loosely subject to imperial
laws and courts—crumbled under the onslaught of French revolutionary armies,
leaving an awkward imbalance of central European powers which continues, in
some respects, to the present day. Topically, this course castes a broad net:
among other things, we will examine what some historians have called the
“military revolution” of the mid-seventeenth century; changing patterns in
gender relations and the position of ethnic minorities, especially Jews; the
methods and means of political domination in an age of “absolutism”;
intellectual developments such as “Neostoicism” in the seventeenth century and
“Enlightenment” in the eighteenth; patterns of social and economic development
under mercantilism to “proto-industrialization”; and of course the function and
structure of the Holy Roman Empire and its successors, the Confederation of the
Rhine and the Germanic Confederation.
COURSE POLICIES
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Typically, our meetings will alternate between
lecture and discussion of readings, so it is imperative that you come to class
prepared to ask questions, respond to them, and to discuss the assigned
readings in common. Needless to say,
attendance is required. There will be a mid-term and a comprehensive final
examination. For written work, there
are two assignments. The first is a 4-5 page essay, due February 1, on one of
several topics, based in the readings, which I will distribute to you in
class. The second assignment is another
4-5 page interpretive essay, due at the end of term, for which the choice of a
topic is open. However, I will expect you to consult at least two books or
articles that are not included in the course readings.
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The overall breakdown of evaluation is this:
| Attendance & Classroom
Discussion |
10% |
| Mid-Term Examination |
20% |
| Final Examination |
30% |
| Written Work |
40% |
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Note well that the mid-term and
final examinations will cover all
assigned readings and lectures to date.
All work submitted in this course must be your own and produced
exclusively for this course. The use of
sources (ideas, quotations, and paraphrases) must be properly acknowledged and
documented. For the consequences of
academic dishonesty, refer to the Schedule of Classes published quarterly. Violations will be taken seriously and are
noted on student disciplinary records.
If you are in doubt regarding the requirements for this course, please
do not hesitate to consult me. Finally,
all written work must be submitted on time; late work will be accepted only
with documented medical justification.
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If you have a documented
disability and anticipate needing accommodations in this course, please make
arrangements with me soon. Also, please ask the Counselor for Students with
Disabilities to send me a letter verifying your disability.
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Week 2: Society and Economy
in the Late Seventeenth Century
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Monday, January 11: Rural
Society in Search of Stability |
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Wednesday, January 13: The
Progress of “Proto-Industrialization” |
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Friday, January 15: Urban
Society and Trade in a Stagnant Age
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Read: The Imperial Trade Guilds Edict of 1731 [Readings Packet]
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Week 3: Imperial Politics in
the Shadow of the Sun King (1648-1714)
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Monday, January 18: [No Meeting] |
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Wednesday, January 20: The
Empire as “Incubator” |
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Friday, January 22: Politics in
the Age of Louis XIV |
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Week 4: Culture and
Domination in the Baroque
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Monday, January 25:
“Neo-Stoicism” and the Modern State
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Read: Princeps
in Compendio (1713) [Readings Packet] |
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Wednesday, January 27:
How did Domination Happen?
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Read: “The Practice of Power in
Eighteenth-Century Germany” (1727) [Readings Packet] |
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Friday, January 29:
Being Jewish in Baroque Germany
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Read: The Memoirs of
Glückel of Hameln [excerpts] |
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Week 5:
German
Absolutism in the Age of “Dualism” (I)
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Monday, February 1: The
‘Militarization’ of Social Life in Prussia (First Paper Due!)
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Read: Friedrich Wilhelm I of Prussia, “Instructions and Rules
for the Directorate General” (1722) [Readings Packet] |
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Wednesday, February 3: Frederick
the Great and the Balance of Power |
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Friday, February 5: Mid-Term Examination |
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Week 6: German Absolutism in
the Age of “Dualism” (II)
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Monday, February 8: [No Meeting] |
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Wednesday, February 10:
Tribulations of the Southern Giant
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Read: Maria Theresa, “Political Testament” [Readings Packet] |
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Friday, February 12:
Princes and Estates in the “Third Germany” |
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Week 7: The Society of
Enlightenment
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Monday, February 15: What Was
Enlightenment?
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Read: Immanuel Kant, “What Is
Enlightenment?” [Readings Packet] |
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Wednesday, February 17: Was
There a People’s Enlightenment?
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Read:
Georg Spangenberg, “Report on Medical Abuses in Walkenried District” (1747)
[Readings Packet] |
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Friday, February 20:
“Enlightened Despotism” and the Failure of Josephinism
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Read: The Toleration Patent (1781), The
Edict of Toleration for the Jews of Lower Austria (1782), and the Serfdom
Patent (1781) [Readings Packet] |
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Week 9: Germany during the
‘Vormärz’ (1814-1848)
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Monday, March 1: The
“Germanic Confederation” and the “Concert of Europe”
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Read: Articles of Confederation, 1815; Prince Metternich to
Emperor Franz of Austria, 1 August 1819 [Readings Packet] |
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Wednesday, March 3: Rumbles of
Industrialization
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Read: “Population”, from the Staats-Lexikon (1846) [Readings Packet] |
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Friday, March 5: Political
Culture of the “Vormärz” |
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Week 10: Liberalism,
Nationalism, and Revolution in 1848
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Monday, March 8: Liberal
Revolution |
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Wednesday, March 10: Debâcles
in Baden, Vienna, and Berlin |
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Friday, March 12: Restoration,
Reaction, and the Road Ahead (Second Paper Due!) |
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Final Examination: Friday, March 19, 8:00 am (248
Gerlinger) |
