HIST 124 - Transnational Origins of the Welfare State

Upper Division

Prerequisites
Students must have sophomore standing to enroll in upper-division courses.

The European welfare state of the post-World War II era has been praised as the hallmark of post-war socio- economic recovery and stability, generous state-funded systems of education, health-care, and social safety nets, and models of social justice and human equity. Yet, critics see a system plagued by inefficiency, bloated government bureaucracies, discredited forms of socialism, and ongoing threats to individual liberty. This course will explore the origins and development of European social welfare out of the early industrialized economies of Great Britain, the United States, and Germany, and modern debates over the ideal level of government intervention and obligations to its citizens and non-citizens.

Term Offered
Offered in alternate years.

Course credits: 1