HIS4320 – Coming to Terms with a Nightmare: World War II, Axis Occupation, and Historians after 1945

Course content

For many countries in Western Europe, World War II and Axis occupation marked the greatest crisis in twentieth century history. Taking the example of France, Norway, and Denmark, the course will show that defeat and occupation, collaboration and resistance, survival and compromise were some of the central categories of experience during those years. Different coping strategies evolved as the French and their European neighbours sought to deal with the changing circumstances they faced between 1939 and 1945. The legacy of the war was understandably divisive so that the historiography of the subject since 1945 has been written against a changing backdrop of political conflict, official commemoration, social change and the uncomfortable emergence of repressed memories. This makes the topic an ideal one for exploring the relationship of professional history-writing with political and ideological history formation and with questions of memory and commemoration. How independent historians are from such processes and whether they may be inspired or compromised by them will be key issues for study. The shifting relationship between collective memory and collective amnesia in France, Norway, and Denmark will also be central to our analysis of the different works of academic and popular history which will be studied. Most of the key works have been written in English or translated that no knowledge of French, Norwegian and Danish is necessary.

Learning outcome

On successful completion of this course, you should be able

  • to identify the main features of the history of World War Two in France, Norway and Denmark
  • to think about the different ways in which professional historians have approached the subject since 1945 and why such differences have come about
  • to analyse the principal debates between different schools of historical thought on France, Norway and Denmark in World War Two
  • to reflect on the public nature and applications of history as shown through official and unofficial memory, the refusal or acceptance by the state for past events, the impact of social groups lobbying for recognition of the past in new ways
  • to think about the role of the law and trials as instruments for confronting history
  • to supply an individual synthesis based on critical reading of the secondary literature and the historical or artistic works dealing with France, Norway, Denmark and World War Two
  • to write essays defending such a synthesis

Admission to the course

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30 credits in humanities or social sciences.

A good ability to read, write and understand English is required for this course.