Martin Beisswenger International Relations in the Twentieth Century

Transcription

1 Martin Beisswenger International Relations in the Twentieth Century

2 Course description: This course examines the international relations of Europe, Russia (the Soviet Union) and the United States in the twentieth century. It focuses on the main foreign policy events, such as World War I, the Paris Peace Conference, the establishment of the League of Nations, the Munich Agreement, World War II, the Yalta Conference, the establishment of the United Nations, the Cold War, and the emergence of the European Union. The course explores how states used different means to achieve their foreign policy goals and how these means changed over time. We will also pay attention to the biographies of the political and diplomatic actors and try to determine to what degree their personalities and individual decisions (rather than political circumstances) shaped and determined international relations. While the lectures will present a general outline of the main foreign policy events of the twentieth century, in seminars we will discuss the various and often conflicting interpretations of these events by historians. Course aims and learning objectives: to introduce students to the international history of twentieth-century Europe and the world to gain knowledge about the main trends in twentieth-century international relations, important foreign policy events and international institutions to familiarize students with key historiographical debates about twentieth-century international history to develop skills in close reading, critical evaluation and analysis of primary documents and relevant secondary literature to enable students further to explore the topic of twentieth-century international history and to relate it to their own research interests to enhance students foreign language skills and apply them to individual research and presentations Assignments, tests and grades: In order to receive a passing grade in this course you will have to: participate regularly in class discussions, do all the required readings, write one book review (2-3 pages) on a monograph of your choice (and in consultation with the instructor) related to the topic of our course, pass a final test ( zachet ). Participation in class and the book review will count for 30% of your final grade each, while the final test determines the remaining 40% of your grade. Attendance: This is a lecture and discussion course. You will be expected to have done the reading assignments and participate in class discussions. Attendance is mandatory, and you must be on time and prepared. You can have two unexcused absence throughout the course. More absences may lower your course grade. More than four unexcused absences may result in a failing grade for the course. Arriving more than 15 minutes late in class counts as an unexcused absence as well. It is your responsibility to make up missed work, or to meet with the instructor to go over lectures or assignments that were covered while you were absent. Academic Integrity: As in all university courses, students are required to maintain the personal integrity of their work at all times. In this class, any instances of major plagiarism on any assignment may result in a failing grade in the course and in referral to the Faculty s Dean s Office. Plagiarism includes submitting a paper written or significantly revised by someone else, lifting ideas or words from sources without giving credit, quoting without the use of quotation marks, or any other borrowing of materials or

3 writing skills without appropriate acknowledgement. Please come and see me if you are ever unclear about what constitutes plagiarism or how to avoid it. See also: Course program: WEEK ONE: Introduction [Lecture 1] WEEK TWO: World War I and the Search for Peace [L2] WEEK THREE: The Paris Peace Conference and the Treaty of Versailles [Seminar 1] WEEK FOUR: The League of Nations [S2] WEEK FIVE: International Relations in the 1920s [L3] WEEK SIX: The Treaty of Rapallo [S3] WEEK SEVEN: International Relations in the 1930s [L4] WEEK EIGHT: The Munich Agreement [S4] WEEK NINE: World War II and After [L5] WEEK TEN: The Yalta Conference [S5] WEEK ELEVEN: The United Nations [S6] WEEK TWELVE: The Cold War [L6] WEEK THIRTEEN: The Vienna Summit [S7] WEEK FOURTEEN: The Non-European World: Latin America and the Middle East [L7] WEEK FIFTEEN: The Camp David Accords [S8] WEEK SIXTEEN: The End of the Cold War [L8] WEEK SEVENTEEN: The Geneva Summit [S9] WEEK EIGHTEEN: The Unification of Europe and the World [L9] WEEK NINETEEN: The European Union in International Relations [S10] WEEK TWENTY: International Relations at the End of the Twentieth and in the Twenty-First Centuries [L10] Topic Total hours Contact hours Lectur es Semin ars Selfstudy 1 Introduction 2 World War I and the Search for Peace 3 The Paris Peace Conference and the Treaty of Versailles 4 The League of Nations 5 International Relations in the 1920s 6 The Treaty of Rapallo 7 International Relations in the 1930s 8 The Munich Agreement 9 World War II and After 10 The Yalta Conference

4 11 The United Nations 12 The Cold War 13 The Vienna Summit 14 The Non-European World: Latin America and the Middle East 15 The Camp David Accords 16 The End of the Cold War 17 The Geneva Summit 18 The Unification of Europe and the World 19 The European Union in International Relations 20 International Relations at the End of the Twentieth and in the Twenty-First Centuries TOTAL WEEK ONE: Introduction Keylor, William R. The Twentieth-Century World and Beyond: An International History Since th ed. New York: Oxford University Press, 2011: 1-39 (Prologue: The Global Context of International Relations at the Beginning of the Twentieth Century ). WEEK TWO: World War I and the Search for Peace Keylor: (ch.:1 Germany s Bid for European Dominance ( ) and ch.2: The Peace of Paris and the New International Order ). WEEK THREE: The Paris Peace Conference and the Treaty of Versailles MacMillan, Margaret. Peacemakers. London: John Murray, 2003 [excerpts]. Boemeke, Manfred (ed.). The Treaty of Versailles: A Reassessment after 75 Years. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1998 [excerpts]. WEEK FOUR: The League of Nations Housden, Martyn. The League of Nations and the Organisation of Peace. London: Longman, 2012 [excerpts]. Pedersen, Susan. Back to the League of Nations. American Historical Review Vol.112. No. 4 (2007): WEEK FIVE: International Relations in the 1920s Keylor: (ch.3: The Western World in the Twenties: The Era of Illusions )

5 WEEK SIX: The Treaty of Rapallo Fink, Carole et al. (ed.). Genoa, Rapallo, and European Reconstruction in Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1991 [excerpts]. WEEK SEVEN: International Relations in the 1930s Keylor: (ch.4: The Western World in the Thirties: The Illusions Dispelled ). WEEK EIGHT: The Munich Agreement Reynolds, David. Summits: Six Meetings that Shaped the Twentieth Century. London: Allan Lane, 2007: (ch.2: Munich 1938: Chamberlain and Hitler ). Faber, David. Munich, 1938: Appeasement and World War II. New York, 2009 [excerpts]. WEEK NINE: World War II and After Keylor: and (ch.5: Germany s Second Bid for European Dominance ( ) and ch.8: The Formation of the Bipolar World in the Truman-Stalin Era ( ) ) WEEK TEN: The Yalta Conference Reynolds: (ch.3: Yalta 1945: Churchill, Roosevelt and Stalin ). WEEK ELEVEN: The United Nations Mazower, Mark. No Enchanted Palace: The End of Empire and the Ideological Origins of the United Nations. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2009 [excerpts]. Amrith, Sunil and Glenda Sluga. New Histories of the United Nations. Journal of World History. Vol.19. No.3 (2008): WEEK TWELVE: The Cold War Keylor: (ch.9: Coexistence and Confrontation ( ) and ch.10: Détente and Multipolarity ( ) ). WEEK THIRTEEN: The Vienna Summit Reynolds: (ch.4: Vienna 1961: Kennedy and Khrushchev ). WEEK FOURTEEN: The Non-European World: Latin America and the Middle East Keylor: (ch.12: The Resurgence of East-West Tensions ( ) and ch.13: Latin America s Quest for Development and Independence. ) WEEK FIFTEEN: The Camp David Accords Reynolds: (ch.6: Camp David 1978: Begin, Carter and Sadat ). WEEK SIXTEEN: The End of the Cold War

6 Keylor: (ch.16: Moscow, Washington, and the End of the Soviet Empire ) WEEK SEVENTEEN: The Geneva Summit Reynolds: (ch.7: Geneva 1985: Gorbachev and Reagan ). WEEK EIGHTEEN: The Unification of Europe and the World Keylor: (ch.17: Europe: Integration and Disintegration ). WEEK NINETEEN: The European Union in International Relations Dinan, Desmond. Ever Closer Union: An Introduction to European Integration. 4 th ed. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2010 [excerpts]. WEEK TWENTY: International Relations at the End of the Twentieth and in the Twenty- First Centuries (Conclusion) Keylor: (ch.22: From the Old to the New Century ). Recommended literature: Leffler, Melvyn P. and Odd Arne Westad (ed.). The Cambridge History of the Cold War. 3 Vols. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, Roberts, Geoffrey. The Cold War as History. International Affairs. Vol. 87. No.6 (2011): Weitz, Eric. From the Vienna to the Paris System: International Politics and the Entangled Histories of Human Rights, Forced Deportations and Civilizing Missions. American Historical Review 113, no. 5 (Dec. 2008): Williamson, Samuel R. Jr. and Ernest R. May. An Identity of Opinion: Historians and July The Journal of Modern History. Vol. 79, No. 2 (June 2007):