In 1936 Berkeley students volunteered to fight in Spain. No war in modern times has stirred the passions of people world-wide in the way that the Spanish Civil War did. The clash of ideologies that defined World War II began not in 1941 or 1939 but in 1936 with the formation of the French and Spanish Popular Fronts and the outbreak of the civil war. This seminar looks at the contrasting French and Spanish experiences of the upheavals of these years: civil war and its impact on the coming of World War II, the role of anarchism and fascism , France's collapse in June 1940 followed by occupation, collaboration and resistance. The "dark years" of Vichy France, are one of the most controversial episodes in twentieth century European history.

Requirements
Brief oral presentations and two 7 page papers .
Final grade: combination of class participation (30%), oral reports (30%), written papers
(40%).Complete attendance required: more than two absences, for whatever reason, may mean withdrawal

Required Reading: (Moffitt 2 Hour Reserve)

Course Reader, Copy Central, Bancroft Way
Andrew Shennan, The Fall of France 1940
Nicholas Atkin, The French at War, 1934-1944
Adrian Schubert, and George Esenwein, Spain at War
Joseph Joffo, A Bag of Marbles
Marc Bloch, Strange Defeat
Ernest Hemingway, For Whom the Bell Tolls
George Orwell, Homage to Catalonia

Class Schedule