The Heritage Of World War One

The tragedy of the First World War was a sharp reminder of the limits of the idea of progress in the modern world of the twenties century.  Beyond tremendous casualties, it resulted in the destruction of empires, the creation of nations within and beyond Europe, the rise to power of extreme ideologies and the origins of another, even more destructive world war.  It was truly a worldwide war, the impact of which resonates to this day. The course will deal with more than military, political, and economic interpretations. It will include discussions of the culture, literature, art, and music influenced by the war.  A recommended book is The First World War by Hew Strachan (Penguin, 2003).

Joseph Boudreau is Professor Emeritus of History. He has taught at San Jose State University since 1966. In his career, which began at the University of British Columbia, he has taught British, American, Canadian and Military history. Dr. Boudreau, who earned his Ph.D. degree in British Imperial History at U.C.L.A., is the author of Alberta, Aberhart and Social Credit, has contributed to books and journals and has written over one hundred reviews of scholarly books. He has been a fellow at the U.S. Military Academy, West Point, and Yale University (National Endowment for the Humanities seminar on comparative fascism) and has participated in seminars in the United States, Canada, Germany, the United  Kingdom, and the Czech Republic. In 2008, he traveled to the battlefields of World War I.