20th and 21st Century Culture, Arts, and Demographics

Pre-WWI and Post-WWI Perspectives on Science

• Pre-WWI: Science seen as a narrative of progress; belief in entering a perfect world.
• Post-WWI: Realization that scientific progress could be destructive (e.g., World Wars).
• Resulted in decreased confidence in science solving all problems.

Philosophical Movements

Existentialism

• Assumed the world is absurd; meaning must be found despite absurdity.
• Friedrich Nietzsche: "God is dead" - life is inherently meaningless.

Post-Modernism

• Emerged in 1950s, asserting that all truth is relative.
• Different cultures have unique truths, no single absolute truth.

Religion in the 20th and 21st Centuries

• Europe became more secular, but religion still played a role.

Responses to Totalitarianism

• Germany: Dietrich Bonhoeffer's Confessing Church criticized Nazi policies.
• Italy: Mussolini recognized Vatican City; Catholicism became official religion.
• Poland: Church opposed Soviet repression; Pope John Paul II supported Solidarity.

Catholic Church Reforms

• Second Vatican Council (1960s): Modernized the Church, allowed vernacular languages in mass.
• Led to increased ecumenical relations and a revival of Catholicism.

Arts and Architecture

• Art movements reflected questioning of objective knowledge.

Art Movements

• Cubism: Nonsensical subjects, 3D objects depicted in 2D (e.g., Picasso).
• Futurism: Focused on the future to escape the past.
• Dadaism: Art devoid of purpose (e.g., Duchamp's "Fountain").
• Surrealism: Chaotic, dream-like art (e.g., Dali's "The Persistence of Memory").

Architecture

• Bauhaus School: Emphasized function over form, steel and glass structures.

Literature

• Challenged conventions with new forms.
• James Joyce: Stream of consciousness writing.
• Franz Kafka: Elegant writing with fantastical elements (e.g., "The Metamorphosis").

Consumerism and Demographics

• Post-WWII: Increased disposable income, consumer products.
• Baby Boom: Governmental support through natalist policies (maternity leave, tax credits).

Civil Rights Movements

Women's Rights

• Covered in separate content.

LGBTQ Rights

• Homosexual Front for Revolutionary Action (France, 1971): Protested anti-LGBTQ policies.
• Varied success across Europe; faced opposition, especially in Eastern Europe.

Counter-Culture Movement

• Critiqued consumerism and inequality.
• 1968 Protests: Students and workers protested against inequality, capitalism, conservatism.
  • Notable event: May 1968, France; led to significant protests and clashes with police.

The lecture concludes the AP Euro curriculum, emphasizing the importance of understanding these historical shifts and their impacts on European society. The speaker offers encouragement for students in their AP exams.