States and Revolutions
Most powerful modern states trace their origins to some dramatic upheaval in government and society: a revolution. From where did the idea of revolution come, and why has it been so important in the formation of national states and identities? This course will focus particularly on the English tumults of the seventeenth century, on the French Revolution of 1789-94, on the revolutions of 1848 in Europe, and finally on the Russian Revolution and its worldwide consequences. We will consider what these events may have in common, and whether they represent an age of revolutions that has only recently ended. Pre-1800. (Not open to seniors.)