Syllabus
Syllabus:
Introduction - the Cold War (week 1)
The beginning of the Cold War rivalry
Key concepts, actors and superpower policies
Cold War and decolonization - American and Soviet approach
Cold War in the Third World (week 2 and 3)
The Third World / the Global South and its role in the Cold War
Key events after World War II
The clash of two visions of modernity
Development of superpower foreign policy towards Third World
The role “small players” and African nations
Czechoslovakia in the Third World (week 4 and 5)
The First Czechoslovak republic and the Third World
The communist coup of 1948 and policy towards Africa
Cuban involvement in Africa
Areas of influence - means of penetration, institutions, relations
Development of Czechoslovak policy towards Africa in the 1950’s and 1960’s
Differences between particular Eastern Bloc states
Spreading the socialist model of development (week 6 and 7)
Changes of Soviet policies under Khrushchev
Czechoslovak activities in Sub-Saharan Africa (Ghanaian example)
Forms of economical penetration
Civilian experts and their experience
Student exchanges between African countries and the Eastern Bloc
The failure of Krushchev and the beginning of Brezhnev’s era
A new approach - détente and the Third World (week 8
Ethiopia, Syria, Iraq and Libya
The rise and fall of the détente and the beginning of Reagan-Thatcher era
Czechoslovak policies towards North Africa
Brothers in arms (week 9 and 10)
Military support of newly established regimes and “independence fighters” The goals and achievements of Czechoslovak military support of African movements and regimes
Intelligence and counterintelligence activities in Africa
Gorbachev and the Soviet withdrawal (week 11)
Perestroika and Glasnost - Epilogue of Soviet activities in the Third World
Czechoslovakia in the 1980’s and the pragmatic relations with African states
The collapse of the Eastern Bloc
Conclusions and discussion (week 12)
Assessment of Czechoslovak activities in the Third World
Discussion on the competition between socialist states
Evaluation of the course
Annotation
Course annotation:
The course explores the topic of the Cold War, from its early beginnings to the downfall of the Soviet Bloc in 1989. Through various methodological approaches, such as transnational history or cultural studies, the course examines the Cold War struggle and its role in the Third World, specifically in Africa. We will discuss the process of decolonization and analyze the links between superpower conflict and newly established, independent states of Africa, with the focus on Eastern Bloc activities. The seminar will shed light on some aspects of cooperation between the North and the South, such as economic, military and intelligence collaboration. Special interest will be paid to Czechoslovak activities in Africa, but we will also examine the role of other Eastern Bloc states within the Cold War struggle.