Learning objectives

The course aims to give students an understanding of the main events of Italian and European history in the years between the Great War and the collapse of communism. It is focused on European political, cultural and social history, which is analyzed from a comparative and transnational perspective. At the end of the course the student must be able to: a) identify the periodizations connected to the different historical periods; b) know the most important events of the different periods connected both to the European contest and to the single national cases; c) to be familiar with the most important political cultures, the economic processes and the social transformations that mark the historical phases considered; d) to use in a critical way the different historiographic interpretations.

Prerequisites and basic notions

Basic knowledge of the fundamental features of 20th century history.

Program

The course will retrace the main stages of 20th-century political history, adopting as global a perspective as possible. The lectures will highlight, among other things, the evolution of political communication throughout the century and in relation to international changes. Some of the course's key themes will be:
- The long agony of traditional empires
- The end of European centrality and attempts at its reinvention
- The rise of dictatorial regimes between the two world wars
- The successes and failures of collective security institutions
- The geopolitical and ideological antagonism of the Cold War
- The roots of the new "globalization" amid old and new inequalities
- The birth of "new empires"?

Bibliography

Didactic methods

Lectures. The summary material shown during the lectures will be made available to students and will facilitate their study of the textbook.

Learning assessment procedures

The exam is written and consists of four open-ended questions: three on various topics from the textbook and one on the book of your choice. The exam lasts two and a half hours.

Evaluation criteria

The assessment will reward synthesis, correct understanding of the questions, and the ability to combine what has been learned in the textbook and during the lessons in the answers.

Criteria for the composition of the final grade

Each answer will be given a maximum score of 7.5 points, for a total of 30/30 for the entire exam.

Exam language

Italiano (gli studenti Erasmus sono esortati a contattare il docente)

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