The Twentieth Century began with European nations at the apex of their global power. It ended with their world dominance in ruins. Two World Wars, the rise of Nazism, and communist revolutions had left Europe in the shadow of the United States. Examining European history from the birth of the automobile to the fall of the Berlin Wall, we explore the political, social and cultural forces that made the twentieth century the bloodiest epoch in world history. Course meets the History requirement for Group II.