Module manager: Professor Holger Afflerbach
Email: h.h.w.afflerbach@leeds.ac.uk
Taught: Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun) View Timetable
Year running 2026/27
This module is not approved as a discovery module
The module uses the concept of ‘absolute warfare, as defined by Carl v. Clausewitz in On War, to make the explosion of violence in both world wars understandable. This will be achieved by presenting the political, military, and social aspects of the war, including its gender-related issues. The variety of arguments requires a corresponding range of primary and secondary sources, which will be presented and utilised in this module. It is a key objective to demonstrate the value of various primary sources, including archival material, war letters, autobiographical narratives, oral history, photographs, and films, for the historian who seeks to analyse and explain the radicalisation of warfare from 1914 to 1945. War is presented as a combination of military, political, social, cultural, and technical developments, and it also focuses on the individual experiences of soldiers and civilians. A further objective is also to show the connections between war, violence, and genocide. Please note this is an optional module and runs subject to enrolments. If a low number of students choose this module, then the module may not run and you may be asked to choose another module.
The module is based on the concept of “total” or “absolute” war. It covers ideas of modern war before 1914, analyses the outbreak of the First World War and explores continuities and discontinuities in pre-1914 European Political Culture regarding the question of war & peace.
You will analyse the political and diplomatic reasons for the outbreak of war, as well as the reaction of the European people. You will use a variety of different sources (primary sources such as archival files from governments, memoirs, letters, newspapers, photos, and secondary sources) to explore these issues. You will examine pre-war military planning and the reasons for its failures in 1914. You will use the battles of Gallipoli (1915), Verdun (1916) or the Somme (1916) as examples to illustrate the reasons why a military offensive was initiated and how the objectives evolved and changed. You will analyse if and how the historiography was significantly influenced by key actors, such as Winston Churchill. You will use war letters to gain insight into how soldiers experienced the fighting. You will discover how the war radicalised, and why. Belgian atrocities and unlimited submarine Warfare are some examples, as are the development of war aims and the failures of peace initiatives. Also, you will discuss the concept and methods of a war of attrition. You will read war novels and think about their influence on public understanding of what the soldiers went through; you will read sources which inform you about the events on the home front, the role of women, and the experiences of children. You will discuss the connections between the First and Second World Wars, as well as the question of whether the Second World War was merely a continuation of the First. You will analyse the outbreak of war in 1939, Nazi politics, political reactions and the mood of European populations. You will deal with turning points of the war, like the Battle of Britain, the German war of extermination in the East, and the link between the war and the Holocaust. You will analyse the radicalisation of the war, Stalingrad, air warfare, the impact of war on civilians and especially women. You will also evaluate the role of literature in the broader understanding of the war and its experiences. Special attention will be given to Nazi Germany’s final defeat and surrender.
Key aspects of this module include the multifaceted nature of modern warfare, the radicalisation of violence, and the diverse range of sources and approaches historians must employ to adequately cover the various aspects of global conflicts.
On successful completion of the module you will have demonstrated the following learning outcomes relevant to the subject:
1. Analyse the concepts of ‘absolute’ war, as defined by Clausewitz, and of ‘total’ war, as the term developed during both World Wars.
2. Critically analyse the specialist historiography.
3. Assess the value of different kinds of primary sources - archival material, war letters, autobiographical narratives, oral history, photos, films.
Skills Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of the module you will have demonstrated the following skills learning outcomes:
4. Locate, handle and synthesise large amounts of information.
5. Express complex ideas effectively.
Details of the syllabus will be provided on the Minerva organisation (or equivalent) for the module.
| Delivery type | Number | Length hours | Student hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Workshop | 4 | 1 | 4 |
| Supervision | 2 | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| Seminar | 20 | 2 | 40 |
| Private study hours | 355.6 | ||
| Total Contact hours | 44.4 | ||
| Total hours (100hr per 10 credits) | 400 | ||
In semester one, students will have the opportunity to discuss their essay plans and ideas with the module tutor. In semester two, students will receive appropriate formative feedback in their preparations for the exam, including written feedback of at least two sample gobbet answers.
Students will also receive feedback on two further formative assignments: a short in-class presentation and a book review, which will assist towards producing the essay and the OTLA.
| Assessment type | Notes | % of formal assessment |
|---|---|---|
| Coursework | Essay | 50 |
| Total percentage (Assessment Coursework) | 50 | |
Normally resits will be assessed by the same methodology as the first attempt, unless otherwise stated
| Exam type | Exam duration | % of formal assessment |
|---|---|---|
| Online Time-Limited assessment | 48.0 Hrs 0 Mins | 50 |
| Total percentage (Assessment Exams) | 50 | |
Normally resits will be assessed by the same methodology as the first attempt, unless otherwise stated
Check the module area in Minerva for your reading list
Last updated: 20/04/2026
Errors, omissions, failed links etc should be notified to the Catalogue Team