CONTEMPORARY HISTORY 1

The course provides students with a good knowledge of the main dynamics of the history of contemporary international politics. It therefore provides students with the basic elements of knowledge of the methods of historical research and with a thorough knowledge of the fundamental notions of the origins and dynamics of international processes of the 20th century, with basic references to the 19th and with an emphasis on the imperialistic expansion of Europe in the world and the birth of anti-colonial movements, World War I, the Great Crisis, fascism and World War II, US-USSR bipolarism, decolonization, European integration, global economic integration, the crisis and collapse of the Soviet Union, specific regional and local conflicts.

The course contributes to acquisition by the students of the ability to articulate a coherent historical picture of the events that gave rise to the development of the contemporary world, with an emphasis on their international dimension. It contributes to the acquisition by the students of the ability to consciously employ the main historiographical categories of contemporaneity and to initiate autonomous research also in relation to the topic of their thesis.

At the end of the course students will have acquired a good degree of knowledge of the main dynamics of the history of contemporary international politics and of the methods of historical inquiry connected to them. In particular:

a) a good knowledge of the main facts, protagonists and processes of world politics of the 20th century, with basic references to the 19th and with a particular emphasis on the international relations of the period (conflicts, cooperation, exchanges);
b) a basic knowledge of the main interpretative schools relating to the historical processes of world politics of the twentieth century;
c) the fundamental methodological tools for the organization of autonomous research paths in the field of contemporary history;
d) a good linguistic competence aimed at the communication of contemporary history contents.

The course assumes that students possess a basic degree of knowledge of Modern and Contemporary History, as from High School programs.

Basic notions about international relations in the 19th century (interstate politics in Europe and the global expansion of the European empires); the politics of WWI and the Russian revolution; the rise of the US and the USSR; the global economic crisis of the 1930s and the rise of fascism; the politics of WWII and US-Soviet bipolarism; international relations in the second half of the 20th century (US hegemony and dominance, US-Soviet relations, decolonization, third-worldism, European integration, specific regional and local conflicts).

Students attending classes:

1) Antony Best et al., Storia delle relazioni internazionali: il mondo nel XX secolo e oltre, Torino, 2014 (or later editions)

Students who do not attend the classes:

1) Antony Best et al., Storia delle relazioni internazionali: il mondo nel XX secolo e oltre, Torino, 2014 (or later editions)
2) Guido Formigoni, Storia della politica internazionale nell'età contemporanea, Bologna, 2006 (or later editions)

The oral exam, lasting about 30 minutes, focuses on at least two topics covered by the course and aims at a verification of the students' preparation and of their ability to communicate their knowledge (completeness, synthesis, consistency, clarity, precision), as well as his ability to link together, where relevant, different themes among those raised by contemporary international political history.

In carrying out the exam the student must demonstrate a) to be able to give a coherent historical picture of the events that marked the main stages of the development of contemporary international political life; b) to know how to properly frame the origins and dynamics of the main international historical processes of the twentieth century (imperialism, globalization of European capitalism, World War I, rise of the United States and the Soviet Union, economic crisis, rise of fascism and World War II, US-Soviet bipolarism, decolonization and third worldism, European integration, global economic integration, crisis and dissolution of the USSR, regional and local conflicts); c) to have a basic knowledge of the different types of historical research in relation to the kind of historical sources used in historiographic work; d) to know how to use consciously the historiographic categories used in the texts and during the lessons; e) to know how to conduct autonomous reflections on the topics of the course.

Frontal lectures. Questions and critical comments in class are warmly welcome.

Italian

oral

This subject deals with topics related to the macro-area "International cooperation" and contributes to the achievement of one or more goals of U. N. Agenda for Sustainable Development