Europe in a Global Context since 1800

Credits: 15.0
Overlap: None
Prerequisite: None

In the period covered by this module Europe rose to global dominance and then entered a gradual process of
relative decline which is still underway. Any history of Europe in the period must also, therefore, take
account of Europe's interactions - military, economic and intellectual - with the wider world. During the
period of expansion Europeans envisaged themselves as embodying a superior civilisation which exemplified
ideals of modernity and progress. But these ideals also had darker side which resulted in Europeans
perpetrating upon each other and on others, acts of the most extreme violence. In the nineteenth century,
the ideals of nationalism were associated with progress, emancipation and liberalism but in the twentieth
century they became vectors of exclusion, authoritarianism and even genocide. Since 1945 ideas of a united
Europe have taken root, but Cold War, local wars and inter-ethnic conflicts have emerged and some have endured.
These are some of the themes and contradictions that this module will seek to explore.

Assessment: 50.0% Coursework, 50.0% Examination
Level: 4