POL324H1F L0101
Themes in European Politics
Themes
Europe is where the twentieth century was. Two world wars, the second of which cost the lives of 60 million people (mostly civilians), genocide on a hitherto unimaginable scale, the Cold War, unprecedented postwar prosperity, the creation and consolidation of the modern welfare state, the crumbling of Communist totalitarianism, all occurred within Europe.
Designed largely for students with some background in European politics and history (but above all for those fascinated by Europe), the course adopts a thematic and (broadly) chronological approach to explore a set of issues that have defined Europe’s institutions, culture, and identity. The focus is on Europe’s ‘big three,’ with particular focus on Germany, the country that defined in all possible manners Europe’s last century.
Beginning with the major World War II leaders’ (and the German resisters’) visions for a post-victory Europe, the course will focus on and account for the origins, nature, and implications of defining moments in postwar Europe: the morality of war, denazification, the start of the cold war, democratization in West Germany, resistance, collaboration and postwar France, British imperialism and the death of empire, British welfare and British
Texts
Gerhard Weinberg, Visions of Victory (Cambridge University Press, 2005/2007), Tony Judt, Postwar: A History of Europe since 1945 (Penguin, 2005). You may, as well, purchase John L. Gaddis’s Cold War: A New History, Nial Ferguson’s Empire and Hugo Young’s One of US. In addition to these readings, it is recommended that students subscribe to the weekly magazine The Economist and read the sections on Europe. Among the dailies, the Financial Times (London) has the best English-language coverage of events in Europe, followed by the New York Times.
Format and Requirements
Mid-term (20%), a 3000 word major research paper (60%), and in class test (20%)
Prerequisites
EUR200Y1Y or 1.0 POL credit