In this post-cold war age in the West, when liberal democracy can be heralded to represent "the end of history," in the sense that liberal democratic political and economic forms represent the apogee of human organization, and when politics have seemingly become even more "non-ideological," it is easy to assume the inevitability of the rise of liberal democracy in Europe. But especially in the first half of the twentieth century, above all in the interwar years, the predominance of liberal democracy appeared anything but assured. Indeed, many saw it as a spent force: an archaic set of ideas and principles belonging to the previous century. In a number of countries, what appeared most vibrant, innovative, modern-able to transcend the perceived political, social, economic and cultural malaise-were above all Marxism and fascism. Drawing on primary as well as secondary sources, and using an initial examination of both the ideals and the practices of liberal democracy in interwar Europe as a base, this course will explore the political and social ideas and concepts that gave rise to Marxist and fascist ideologies in the early twentieth-century Europe, the social and cultural visions projected by their respective proponents, and the societies that they created in practice. Format: lecture/discussion. Evaluation will be based on class participation, several short papers, and a final exam. No enrollment limit. Group B

Hour: LATCHAM