CORE159 Two World Wars: The Intertwined Conflict and its Legacy

Faculty of Social Studies
Spring 2025
Extent and Intensity
2/0/0. 3 credit(s). Type of Completion: k (colloquium).
In-person direct teaching
Teacher(s)
PhDr. Vladimír Černý, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Guaranteed by
PhDr. Vladimír Černý, Ph.D.
Department of International Relations and European Studies – Faculty of Social Studies
Contact Person: doc. Mgr. et Mgr. Adéla Souralová, Ph.D.
Supplier department: Department of International Relations and European Studies – Faculty of Social Studies
Prerequisites (in Czech)
!TYP_STUDIA(ND) && !PROGRAM(B-MV) && !PROGRAM(B-EVS) && !(PROGRAM(B-HI_) || OBOR(FBHIpV))
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is offered to students of any study field.
The capacity limit for the course is 100 student(s).
Current registration and enrolment status: enrolled: 0/100, only registered: 0/100, only registered with preference (fields directly associated with the programme): 0/100
Course objectives
The course will highlight the interconnectedness of lesser-known aspects of both world conflicts. The World Wars have profoundly influenced the shape of the contemporary world, and humanity is still dealing with the consequences of these wars. The course will present them as interrelated conflicts with temporary pauses accompanied by revolutions and ethnic clashes leading to the devastation of large world areas. In the ruins of Europe, the threat of the totalitarian ideologies of communism, fascism, Nazism and other extreme ideas then awoke. The world wars also significantly impacted the collapse of colonial empires and sowed instability in the Middle East and many other regions. For these reasons, knowledge of the subject is crucial to a better understanding the contemporary world.
Learning outcomes
The course aims to present the two world wars as an interconnected phenomenon that fundamentally influenced the history of mankind. It will consist of eleven thematic units. In general, the course will focus on the political, social and, to some extent, economic developments between 1914 and 1945 and their overlaps up to the present day. The main aim is to highlight the close interconnectedness of the two world conflicts and their legacy, which is still reflected in many areas of life today. In its conception, the course combines traditional political history approaches focused on knowledge of key historical events with social science, emphasising understanding and comparative analysis of medium- and long-term economic and social history processes. Upon completing the course, the student will be able to work with a comprehensive knowledge of the causes, course, and consequences of world wars and understand the relationships among the political, economic, and social processes that shaped them. In addition, the student will be able to assess the impact of the two world wars on the contemporary world.
Syllabus
  • 1. Introduction to the issue, familiarising students with sources and literature.
  • 2. The golden period? The Concert of the Great Powers and the Causes of the First World War.
  • 3. Soldiers and politicians. Difficult cooperation between politicians and general staffs of the two warring blocs of the First World, Allied international conferences (Chantilly and others).
  • 4. Social revolution? Social changes resulted from the First World (women's suffrage and the rise of left-wing parties in Europe).
  • 5 It doesn't end with November 1918: the Russian Civil War, the Greco-Turkish War and other conflicts.
  • 6 The twilight of the colonial powers. The British Mandate in Palestine exemplifies the Versailles system and the problem of empires.
  • 7. The crisis of democracy. Fears of Bolshevism and the rise of Fascism and Nazism.
  • 8. Enemies or allies? German-Soviet cooperation in 1922-1941.
  • 9. To fall for the Fatherland is an honour: propaganda and the war effort of the Great Powers.
  • 10. Is war worth fighting? Economic aspects of world conflicts.
  • 11. Between the millstones. Small European states and war.
  • 12. How coalitions are formed. The lights and shadows of the British-Soviet-American alliance and the roots of the Cold War.
  • 13. Summary of the issues and final discussion.
Teaching methods
The course will take the form of interactive lectures emphasising dialogue with students. This dialogue will be enhanced through an online discussion forum, allowing students to discuss various issues and ask questions anytime. Throughout the semester, students will be tasked with watching several pre-selected documentary films (foreign and Czech) related to both world conflicts. They will then continuously evaluate these films in the course forum. They will also have access to an interactive curriculum, in which they will find a presentation by the teacher on a given topic each week.
Assessment methods
Online answer sheets will be used to prepare a quiz to test their knowledge three times during the semester in a fun way. The course ends with a colloquium. During the course, students will take a multiple-choice test, and successful completion of this test will result in the granting of a colloquium.
Language of instruction
Czech
Further Comments
The course is taught annually.
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