Totalitarian Temptation

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This course is a history course that will study 20th century totalitarianism over a broad front. Attention is paid to both theories on totalitarianism as on totalitarian movements and regimes during the previous century. All the different variants of totalitarianism will be studied: national socialism in Germany, fascism in Italy, as well as communism in the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe. Postwar phenomena such as right-wing extremism, populism, and Apartheid in South Africa will be given attention as well. In each case we will see whether and in how far the different forms of totalitarianism can be understood from the perspective of the different theories about it. Special attention is given to the 'politics of memory' - collective remembrance and historical writing - and problems related to political transformation processes in various countries (Germany, Eastern Europe, South Africa).