EVSb1002 Europe in the 20th Century

Faculty of Social Studies
Autumn 2023
Extent and Intensity
2/0/0. 7 credit(s). Type of Completion: zk (examination).
Teacher(s)
prof. PhDr. Vít Hloušek, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Mgr. Lenka Martínková (seminar tutor)
Mgr. Romana Burianová (seminar tutor)
Guaranteed by
prof. PhDr. Vít Hloušek, Ph.D.
Department of International Relations and European Studies – Faculty of Social Studies
Contact Person: Olga Cídlová, DiS.
Supplier department: Department of International Relations and European Studies – Faculty of Social Studies
Timetable
Tue 16:00–17:40 AVC
Prerequisites (in Czech)
! EVS101 Modern Pol. History of Europe && !NOW( EVS101 Modern Pol. History of Europe )
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is only offered to the students of the study fields the course is directly associated with.
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
Course objectives
The course aims at introducing into political, societal, and economic history of 20th century Europe. The main goal of the course within the pre-graduate program is to set a sound knowledge base for the following course on European contemporary politics in general and European Integration in particular. The course consists of twelve topics covering European history, from the First World War to the break-up of Soviet rule in Central and Eastern Europe. Main attention is paid to the political history of Europe after the Second World War, and the course offers a balanced focus both on the development of Western liberal democracies and East-Central European communist countries. The concept of the course combines the traditional approach of political history aimed at the presentation of key historical events with a social-sciences-based comparative assessment of long- and medium-term processes of economic and social history.
Learning outcomes
upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:
Demonstrate comprehensive knowledge of the history of Europe in the 20th century.
Understand relations among political, economic, and social-historical processes.
Compare trajectories of political development of Post-War Western and East-Central Europe.
Evaluate the impact of 20th-century historical developments on present European politics.
Analyse secondary historical sources.
Demonstrate academic writing skills.
Syllabus
  • 1) What is Europe and what is contemporary history
  • 2) European way to modernity
  • 3) Ups and downs of European politics in the period between two World Wars
  • 4) Totalitarianism and the Second World War
  • 5) „Zero Hour“ and the Division of Europe
  • 6) Post-war in Western Europe
  • 7) Emerging socialist regimes in Central and Eastern Europe
  • 8) Western Europe in the period of troubles (1968-1978)
  • 9) Crises of socialist regimes before and after 1968
  • 10) Emerging neo-liberal Western Europe
  • 11) Transition to democracy in Central and Eastern Europe
Literature
    required literature
  • JUDT, Tony. Poválečná Evropa : historie po roce 1945. Translated by Dalibor Výborný. V Praze: Slovart, 2008, xiii, 986. ISBN 9788073910259. info
  • VINEN, Richard. Evropa dvacátého století. Translated by Monika Vosková - Vladimír Novák. Vyd. 1. Praha: Vyšehrad, 2007, 556 s. ISBN 9788070217351. info
  • GILBERT, Felix and David Clay LARGE. Konec evropské éry : dějiny Evropy 1890-1990. 1. vyd. Praha: Mladá fronta, 2003, 654 s. ISBN 8020408878. info
  • WEGS, J. Robert and Robert LADRECH. Evropa po roce 1945. Translated by Radka Edererová. Vydání první. Praha: Vyšehrad, 2002, 371 stran. ISBN 8070215070. info
  • DAVIES, Norman. Evropa : dějiny jednoho kontinentu. Translated by Kateřina Keilová. V českém jazyce vyd. 1. Praha: Prostor, 2000, 1365 s. ISBN 8024201704. info
Teaching methods
The course consists of lectures. Part of the workload is writing of term paper (circa 3500-4000 words plus a list of references) aiming at interpretation of a selected problem issue of modern European history.
Assessment methods
The course is concluded with a written exam. The overall assessment comprises the exam result (60 points) and seminar paper (40 points). At least 60 points are needed for completion of the course.
Language of instruction
Czech
Further Comments
The course is taught annually.
Listed among pre-requisites of other courses
The course is also listed under the following terms Autumn 2019, Autumn 2020, Autumn 2021, Autumn 2022, Autumn 2024.
  • Enrolment Statistics (Autumn 2023, recent)
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