HIST 219 Communism in Europe, 1798-1989

Why were many people attracted to communism?  This course explores the history of European socialism and communism, both as a political/economic theory and as it was put into practice in the modern era.  We examine the principles of socialism that emerged from the French and Industrial Revolutions, and then explore the evolution of those ideas, including fights over the differences between socialism and communism, and their implementation throughout the nineteenth century.  The last part of the course will consider the Bolshevik Revolution, life inside communist states in Eastern Europe, the Cold War conflict between communism and capitalism, and the internal tensions that led to the collapse of communist systems.  In addition, we will ask why socialism and communism remain attractive to many people today.