This course examines the factors in the major events that brought irreversible political, social, economic and cultural changes not only to Europe, but also to all other continents. It explores the pervasive consequences of the First War and the ways in which the chain of events triggered by this war contributed to the outbreak of the Second World War. The course provides students with an understanding of the major European states and how these dovetailed into continental diplomacy. It provides the broader context within which some celebrated totalitarian regimes and their key personalities burst onto the European political landscape and the impact of these on European and world politics. The course enables students to draw parallels between totalitarianism in Europe and early independent Africa.