CONTEMPORARY HISTORY 1

The present course is one of the basic courses for a degree in Languages, Civilization and the Science of Language. It aims to provide students with the first methodological tools in contemporary history. Objectives of the course are to develop a capacity for reflection on contemporary European history and to provide basic methodological tools for the historical analysis of the present and for the comparison of national histories. Achieving these goals allows the student to acquire the basic knowledge for the historical understanding of present Europe, and to reflect on its conditions independently.

The course has the following learning objectives:
a) knowledge of a chronological grid of important events and a basic understanding of the main political, social and cultural trends in European history in the contemporary age; knowledge of the historiographical debate around key concepts such as, for example, “nation” and “Europe”.
b) the ability to apply this knowledge to the understanding and interpretation of the contemporary world; in particular, the ability to understand in a historical-critical way recurring terms in political language, such as, for example, “nation” and “Europe”.
c) the refinement of the ability to independently evaluate alternative historiographical interpretations through the reading of different sources on the same topic and their discussion in the classroom;
d) the improvement of oral communication skills by offering students the opportunity to propose presentations in the classroom on selected topics on a voluntary basis, and through the collective discussion of these topics;
e) the development and consolidation of the ability to select bibliographic sources and electronic resources in the field of historical literature, and to apply the skills to the subsequent phases of study of history envisaged in the study plan.

Knowledge of the general frame of modern and contemporary history acquired through secondary-school teachings.

The course, in addition to providing basic knowledge of events and periods of European contemporary political history between the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, will put the accent on the formation of the concepts of nation and Europe. Some of these aspects can be explored through reading and discussion in the classroom of various sources and other material. Among the topics addressed:
- On the concept of Europe: origins and present uses
- The French Revolution and the Napoleonic age
- Revolution and reaction: Sources
- From the Restoration to the revolution of 1848
- On the concept of Nation
- Nation States after 1850
- The creation of national identities
- Origins and events of World War I
- The nineteen twenties and thirties
- Communism and capitalism, 1917-89
- From EEC to EU, 1957-2007
- The Welfare State in Europe, 1919-2019
- Nation, region, and globalization in Europe

Compulsory readings:
M. MIONI: Coesione sociale e scelte geopolitiche, in: L'Europa a cent'anni dalla Prima guerra mondiale, a cura di R.Petri e M.L. Picchio Forlati, Torino, Giappichelli, 2020, pp. 57-75;
R. PETRI: Meanings of Europe and Meanings in History, in: “History: The Journal of the Historical Association” 103 (2018), n. 356, pp. 401-417;
R. PETRI: The Resurgence of the Region in the Context of European Integration, in Arndt Bauerkämper, Hartmut Kaelble, Gesellschaft in der europäischen Integration seit den 1950er Jahren, Stuttgart, Franz Steiner Verlag, 2012, pp. 159-171 (download from the Moodle page related to this course);
A. M. THIESSE: La creazione delle identità nazionali in Europa, Bologna, Mulino, 2004, pp. 19-125.

Textbook: Storia contemporanea. Dal Congresso di Vienna ai giorni nostri, Edizioni Simone, Napoli,
edition 2015: pages 5-71, 73, 86-96, 104-180, 192-202, 205-207, 212-214;
edition 2018: pages 5-100, 102-104, 122-132, 141-230, 249-264, 268-271, 278-281;
edition 2025: pages 5-142, 145-146, 172-181, 201-322, 344-357, 385-388.

The proficiency test consists of two parts:
1) the first parts consists of a knowledge check regarding the events and data of European history between 1814 and 2006; it should demonstrate basic chronological knowledge of European history;
2) the second part consists of short paper on a topic that will be communicated at the moment of the exam, based on the compulsory readings in the readings list.

written

The lecturer has a duty to ensure that the rules regarding the authenticity and originality of exam tests and papers are respected. Therefore, if there is suspicion of irregular conduct, an additional assessment may be conducted, which could differ from the original exam description.

The final exam uses a score of up to 30. The minimum passing grade is 18. The overall grade indicates sufficient (18-23), fair (23-26) or excellent (27-30) knowledge. In particular, the following can be obtained:
1) up to 15 points for the ability to correctly identify chronologically and geographically important events of European history from 1814 to 2006;
2) up to 15 points for the ability to understand and discuss in a historical-critical way the theses of the referral texts regarding concepts such as “nation”, “Europe” and “welfare state”.
Honors can be obtained for a particularly brilliant performance.

The prevailing teaching method is frontal lecturing, with an offer to students to prepare presentations to the class of additional sources.