History of Europe is usually presented as a story of international politics or a sequence of general themes. This course takes a different approach and looks at European history in the comparative perspective. Selected themes in modern social, political and cultural history of Europe, such as state building and nation formation, revolutions, political systems, social structure, urbanization, or changes in culture are discussed in regard to similarities and differences in various parts of the continent. The course will cover the period from 1450 to 1918. The main objective of the course is to broaden the knowledge of European history and to provide a more complex and differentiated view of European development that is not reduced to Western European pattern.
The course is designed mainly for the bachelor students of Erasmus program. A profound knowledge of European history is therefore not required.
But at least the indermediate knowledge of English is highly recommended.
Preliminary structure of the course: 01 Introduction 02 Renaissance and reformation 03 Early modern urbanization 04 State formation and absolutism 05 Enlightenment and romanticism 06 Revolutions and reforms 07 Old and new social structure 08 Political systems and citizenship 09 Formation of nation states (big nations) 10 National movements (small nations) 11 Modern European urbanization 12 Varieties of economic development 13 Final test