We will explore what are perhaps the two most tumultuous decades in European political and cultural history—the period after World War I and before World War II. We will examine how the first world war contributed to the second, focusing on the consequences of the Treaty of Versailles for Germany, France, and the United Kingdom. We will also learn about the economic collapse of Weimar, the so-called “Weimar Decadence”, the “Golden Era” of Gustav Stresemann, Hitler’s rise to and consolidation of power, the organization of the Nazi state. We will study the reasons for Mussolini’s rise to power in Italy, and the rapid political developments in Spain leading to the Spanish Civil War in 1936. Throughout the course, we will analyze political cartoons, paintings, literature, and music from the era that will help us to better understand the cultural climate of the interwar years in Europe.