HIS-20113 - Module Specification
School of Humanities
Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences

Programme/Approved Electives for 2024/25

Available as a Free Standing Elective

Co-requisites

None

Prerequisites

None

Barred Combinations

None

Description for 2024/25

Fascism defined the history of the period between the two world wars, first in Europe and then across the world. From Italy to Brazil and from Germany to Japan, fascists challenged and sought to destroy the orthodoxies of the post-WW1 new liberal order. The 'era of fascism' was marked by turmoil and violence, by dictatorship and terror, in the end by genocide and total war.
In this module you will investigate the causes and drivers of the rise of fascism, as well as its intellectual roots. You will also analyse the reasons behind its spectacular success in so many (but not all) countries and its dizzying international diffusion; and compare the different fascist experiences on a global scale. At the heart of this module is this most troubling question: why did something as extreme as fascism gain so many adherents and support in so many places in the 1920s and 1930s?
The module will encourage you to work both as an independent researcher and as part of a project group, using a variety of innovative digital skills and tools to produce interactive research-based, curiosity-driven knowledge.
Through a combination of seminars and collaborative workshops you will gain a deeper knowledge of the global history of the first half of the 20th century and develop your analytical, digital, and project-management skills.

The module aims to introduce students to the history of fascism in the interwar period by comparing the ideas, discourses, and practices of fascist movements and radical dictatorial regimes in the 1920s and 1930s.
The module also aims to strengthen the diversity and international/global coverage of the History Programme by inviting students to engage with the political, intellectual, and cultural history of radical nationalism in the first half of the 20th century across the world.
Finally, the module aims to introduce students to the history of the world between the two World Wars as a period in its own right, and not just as the prehistory of World War II.

Intended Learning Outcomes

explain the historical and historiographical issues relating to the 'crisis' of the interwar period: 1,2
investigate the dynamics of fascism's inter- and trans-national diffusion in the 1920s and 1930s: 1,2
explore the historical context in which fascist movements emerged in the post-WW1 period: 1,2
investigate the reasons behind the authoritarian/dictatorial wave in the 1920s and 1930s: 1,2
shed light on the crisis of liberal democratic politics that affected large part of the world and investigate the role of fascism in this: 1,2
engage with the long-term intellectual roots of interwar fascism: 1,2
analyse the reasons why fascist movements/regimes proved more successful in some countries than in others: 1,2
use inter-disciplinary methodologies to analyse the rise of fascism in interwar Europe, by focusing on ideas, discourses, and practices: 1,2
use a broad range of digital tools that encourage collaboration and presentation of individual research: 2
work both individually and collaboratively in the context of managing their own resources as part of a group project: 2

Study hours

150 hours of which:
12 hrs seminars
24 hrs workshops
48 hrs independent study
54 hrs coursework/exam preparation
12 hrs asynchronous and synchronous collaborative work

School Rules

Pass at level one, or appropriate alternative qualifications for visiting students

Description of Module Assessment