SOCS 639
A History of Europe Since 1945

Greene,Nathanael

06/29/2009 - 07/31/2009
Monday & Wednesday 09:00 AM - 12:00 PM

Public Affairs Center 421

Europe in 1945 was a scene of human and material devastation, after six years of relentless and merciless combat. Demoted in world affairs and faced with staggering economic costs of recovery, Europe's challenges also included construction of new politics and social orders. Yet within a decade, "Europe Ascendant" and "A New Europe" had become commonly shared descriptions of remarkable changes. Despite intervals of pessimism, Europe's nations then moved forward to the creation of the European Union and the assertion of a common destiny. This remarkable resurgence of Europe has been punctuated by commanding events and personalities. In addition to exploring a survey of Europe since 1945, this course will be devoted to examination of six major topics: (1) Liberation, the reconstruction of Western Europe, and the origins of the Cold War; (2) Charles de Gaulle, the end of empire, and the Fifth French Republic; (3) Germany, from defeat to reunification; (4) Italy and Spain, from dictatorship to democracy; (5) the construction of the European Community; and (6) the collapse of the Soviet Union.

The major text for this course will be Tony Judt, Postwar: A History of Europe Since 1945.

Course tuition: $2022

A syllabus for this course is available at:
Course Syllabus

Nathanael Greene (B.A. Brown University; M.A., Ph.D. Harvard University) is professor of history. He is author of Crisis and Decline: The French Socialist Party in the Popular Front Era (Cornell University Press); From Versailles to Vichy: The Third French Republic, 1919-1940 (Crowell); and is editor of Fascism: An Anthology (Crowell); and European Socialism Since World War I (Quadrangle Books). Click here for more information about Nathanael Greene.

ENROLLMENT INFORMATION

Consent of Instructor Required: No

Format: Seminar

Level: GLSP

Credits: 3

Enrollment Limit: 18

Texts to purchase for this course:
Tom Buchanan, EUROPE'S TROUBLED PEACE, 1945-2000 (Blackwell), Paperback

Mary Fulbrook, A HISTORY OF GERMANY, 1918-2000 (Blackwell), Paperback

John Hooper, THE NEW SPANIARDS (Penguin), Paperback

Optional texts for this course:

Paul Ginsborg, A HISTORY OF CONTEMPORARY ITALY (Palgrave), Paperback

Tony Judt, POSTWAR (Penguin), Paperback

Martin Malia, THE SOVIET TRAGEDY (Free Press), Paperback

Charles Williams, THE LAST GREAT FRENCHMAN (Wiley), Paperback

READING MATERIALS ARE AVAILABLE AT BROAD STREET BOOKS, 45 BROAD STREET, MIDDLETOWN, 860-685-7323 Order your books online

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