Mar 13, 2026  
2025-2026 Undergraduate Catalog 
    
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2025-2026 Undergraduate Catalog

HS 355 The World at War, 1914 to 1945

(4 Credits)
This course examines the origins, impact, and legacy of the multiple wars from World War I to World  War II. It focuses on: World War I; the communist idea of revolutionary class warfare to force-march modernization, as applied in the Soviet Union; the rise of Fascism/Nazism and the idea of war as national rejuvenation and empire-building; Japanese imperialism and Japan’s attempt to take control of Asia and the Pacific region; World War II, including the Holocaust as Hitler’s war against the Jews; and, finally the aftermath and legacy of this uniquely destructive age of warfare. We pay attention not only to the elites who launched and led the wars but also to their impact on the lives of ordinary people called to fight and bear the costs.