Handbook

Subject Area: European Studies
This course can also be studied in the following specialisations: German Studies, History

Germany has faced enormous challenges and undergone radical transformations since the end of the Second World War, when it was a defeated, occupied pariah with no central government. For forty years, the country was divided into communist East and capitalist West, until the fall of the Berlin Wall heralded the end of the Cold War. Since then, Germany has arguably become the European Union's leading power. This course explores social, cultural and political developments in Germany since 1945, with a focus on major contemporary and scholarly debates. You will learn about how Germans in the postwar period coped with defeat and occupation and sought a new beginning; and about social, political and generational change in East and West Germany, including the challenge of radical leftwing terrorism since the 1970s. You will also explore the difficulties of uniting East and West Germans since 1990; how Germany has handled the arrival and integration of migrants and refugees; and the country's ongoing quest to define its national identity and its role in Europe and the world.

This course is taught in English and with readings in English.