As a complete contrast (just for amusement) I had a class in “Twentieth Century Europe” in the 1970s.
So much to cover: WWI, Great Depression, Rise of the Nazis, WWII, Cold War, Suez, etc.
Now, as the teacher explained, to understand the 20th century, you need some background. He went all the way back to 1492 and Columbus. You need to understand the impact of the New World on Europe. The teacher did a thorough job of explaining European history leading up to the 20th century.
By the end of the semester, when the class ended, we had made it up to 1914 and the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand. Our “Twentieth Century Europe” class didn’t discuss WWI or later events. Just didn’t have enough time.
Gotta love those government schools.
The Belle Epoque, the Edwardian Era, the late days of Victoria’s reign... the high point of European civilization. Then came WWI and thirty years of upheaval, then for Eastern Europe almost fifty years under the Soviet boot.