Code 08716
Level of study First Year
Credit value 10
Semester Every year 1
Pre-requisite modules None
Other pre-requisites None
You will study some of the principal problems of the twentieth century in an international context. At the start of the course, we consider the positions of the Great Powers as a prelude to the First World War. We then look at the war's course and outcomes, especially the rise of communism and fascism, and review the nature of the totalitarian state in relation to Nazi Germany and Stalinist Russia. The debate on the origins of the Second World War, and especially the pursuit of appeasement lead up to the final theme: the Second World War and the rise of the superpowers. We conclude with a consideration of the Cuban Missile Crisis.