The Great Courses - Modern History: Utopia and Terror in the 20th Century (Course Number 8313) by The Taching Company (2003-05-04)

From the trenches of World War I to Nazi Germany to Saddam Hussein's Iraq, the 20th century was a time of unprecedented violence. According to best estimates, in that 100-year span more than 200 million people were killed in world wars, government-sponsored persecutions, and genocides. Such monumental violence seems senseless. But it is not inexplicable. And if we can understand its origins, we may prevent even greater horrors in the century to come. This is the premise of Utopia and Terror in the 20th Century. Professor Vejas Gabriel Liulevicius, Lindsay Young Professor of History and Director of the Center for the Study of War and Society at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, traces the violent history of that era, beginning with its early roots in the American and, especially, the French revolutions. With each passing lecture, you will see how the 20th century's violence was the result of specific historical developments that eventually combined, with explosive results. The story of the 20th century is filled with leaders who promised utopia and instead delivered war, genocide, and dictatorship. This provocative and unsettling subject is covered in this 24-lecture series, which will help you understand this seemingly senseless and inexplicable record of inhumanity and how we may prevent it from recurring. Examples of leaders who resisted the century's inhuman trends offer hope for the future.