HSY1070

Contemporary Europe: origins

David Garrioch, Barbara Caine, Eleanor Hancock and others

6 points
* Two lectures and one tutorial per week
* First semester
* Clayton
* Prohibitions: EUR1010, HSY1910

Objectives Students completing this subject should have a general overview of Europe's cultural, social, economic and political development from the late nineteenth century through to the Second World War. They should have developed skills of historiographical analysis, and be aware of the major interpretations of European history relative to this period. They should be able to analyse an essay question of a historical kind.

Synopsis This subject introduces key concepts and themes which are crucial to any understanding of modern Europe. It covers the history, politics, culture and society of Europe from about 1870 to the Second World War. The focus is on the ideologies that transformed Europe during this time - racism, nationalism, imperialism, feminism, socialism, communism, and fascism - and on the political and economic forces that shaped these ideologies. Particular attention will be given to the construction of identities, based on nation, race (including Jewish identity), and gender. The development of mass politics, urbanisation and secularisation, the transformation of the European and global economies, and the international balance of power will all be major themes. Attention will be given to the causes and effects of the First World War and the Russian revolutions, and to the polarisation of European politics in the interwar period. Students intending to major in Jewish studies will have the opportunity to choose an essay topic in this area.

Assessment Two essays (1200 words each): 70%
* Short exercises (900 words): 10%
* Document exercise or test (1 hour): 15%
* Tutorial preparation: 5%

Recommended texts

Hayes P Themes in modern European history 1890- 1945 Routledge, 1992
Hobsbawm E J The age of empire Weidenfeld and Nicolson, 1987
Joll J Europe since 1870 Penguin, 1990
Tipton, F B and Aldrich R An economic and social history of Europe, 1890- 1939 Macmillan, 1987