This module is not currently running in 2024 to 2025.
The last decades of the nineteenth century witnessed a growing rivalry between the newly formed German state and other so-called Great Powers including Britain, France and Russia. Tensions between these nations would erupt in 1914, and again in 1939, as these powers embarked upon catastrophic conflicts that witnessed the deaths of millions. In Russia, the catastrophe of the First World War led to the birth of a new political regime – the Soviet Union – while Europe also found itself rivalled by the emergence of a new superpower: the USA. Indeed, in the aftermath of the Second World War a new tension arose between the Soviet Union and the Americans, with European nations drawn into their spheres of influence. Europe was divided between east and west by what Winston Churchill had described in 1946 as an 'iron curtain', with Germany at its centre. After decades of tensions, it was perhaps fitting that Berlin was the setting for the fall of a system with its roots in the political machinations of the late nineteenth-century.
This module will challenge develop their understandings of political, economic, social and cultural developments in modern European history, increasing their historical knowledge and engaging with key historiographical debates. Utilising a range of primary and secondary sources, students will be encouraged to discuss complex developments in a structured and critical way. These skills will be introduced to students through the consideration of a number of topics including: the Revolutions of 1848; the rise of Germany as a major European Power; Revolutionary Russia and the rise of the Soviet Union; the European experiences of the First and Second World Wars; the origins of the Cold War; the division of Europe; the European relationship with the USA; European détente; the revolutions of 1989.
Total contact hours: 96
Private study hours: 204
Total Study hours: 300
N/A - there is no core text for this module
Main assessment methods:
Assignment 1 (1000 words) (15%)
In Course Test 1 (45 minutes) (15%)
Assignment 2 (1500 words) (25%)
Seminar participation (5%)
Examination, (2 hours) (40%)
JYA English Plus alternative assessment in lieu of exam:
Written Assignment (1,500 words)
Reassessment methods:
Reassessment Instrument: 100% coursework
• Blanning, T.C.W. (2000). The Oxford History of Modern Europe. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
• Leffler, M. and Westad, O. (eds) (2010). The Cambridge History of the Cold War (3 vols). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
• Smith, H. (ed.) (2011). The Oxford Handbook of Modern German History. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
• Suny, R. (ed) (2006). The Cambridge History of Russia vol. 3. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
• Vinen, R. (2002). A History in Fragments: Europe in the Twentieth Century. London: Abacus.
See the library reading list for this module (Canterbury)
The intended subject specific learning outcomes. On successfully completing the module students will be able to:
Demonstrate an understanding of some of the key historical developments that have shaped modern European society.
Demonstrate an ability to talk and write critically and analytically through knowledge of the broader historical context.
Form own arguments on themes in history and integrate these appropriately with source material in written form.
Demonstrate an understanding of historiography, and to recognise the importance of primary versus secondary historical source material.
The intended generic learning outcomes. On successfully completing the module students will be able to:
Apply improved study skills and academic English to help them cope with the demands of their future undergraduate programmes, such as giving presentations, seminar discussion, supporting arguments, reading, note-taking, research, essay writing and referencing
Demonstrate a sense of responsibility in seminars towards their peer group.
Improve their skills of time management, project management and individual responsibility towards learning.
Use available facilities (library, IT, etc.).
Demonstrate skills in appropriately evaluating and understanding academic source materials on offer without plagiarising.
Demonstrate analytical and critical thinking skills relevant to conventions of academic discourse.
Understand the structure and workings of British universities.
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