This course begins by examining tribal migrations and settlements in Eastern Europe during the early medieval period. Attention is given to the religions that coexisted and at times competed, in this region: paganism, Roman Catholicism, Orthodox Christianity and Islam, with emphasis on the long-lasting legacy of the Holy Roman Empire (the First Reich). Students also study the fate of diverse ethnic and religious groups under the control of many traditional empires, the Third Reich and the Soviet Empire. The course concludes by surveying Eastern European revolutions and attempts at ethnic cleansing in the late twentieth century.