Handbook

In this course, you will examine key episodes and themes in European history since the end of the Second World War, with a focus on interactions between economic, social and political developments and processes. Issues covered will include the origins, course and end of the Cold War from the partition of Germany to the decline and fall of the communist regimes of Eastern Europe and the USSR; the postwar economic ‘miracle’ in the west and the social consequences of mass prosperity; the rise and decline of social democracy and the welfare state in the west and the achievements and crises of the communist states; the growth of the European Union from its earliest beginnings to Brexit, the rise of neoliberal ‘free market’ ideologies and far right movements across Europe since the cold war, and the multiple economic, social and political crises following the 2008 financial crises and the subsequent Euro crisis. Throughout, we will consider Europe in its global context, including the impact of its complex relationship with the USA and the consequences of decolonisation and migration into and within Europe.