00932 - Contemporary History (A-L)

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course the student will acquire an outline of modern history, with a special attention to the social, cultural and political transformations, and the awareness of the complexity and problematic nature of the periodization principles. The student will also acquire a good knowledge of an important theme of the modern era, especially in relation to the historiography debate and the multiplicity of the sources. The student is able to analyze in an autonomous way documents, sources, and authors belonging to the contemporary World.

Course contents

European transitions between the 19th and 20th centuries

The course will deal with the main junctions of contemporary history, from which geographies, balances of power, but also collective experiences, lifestyles and cultural representations take shape, composing between the 19th and 20th centuries different ideas of Europe in a context of global history.

The main transformations of the continent will be addressed in a transnational perspective, without neglecting the specificity and richness of national and territorial frameworks.

Subjects of the lectures will be the following topics:

 

module 1

Introduction to Contemporary History

Origins of capitalism

French Revolution

Profiles of citizenship: gender, class, race

The revolutions of 1848

New states and new nations

Colonial empires

Workers' movement and socialism

The Great War

Russian Revolution and International Communism

The European Civil War

Rise and development of fascism

Crisis of the Thirties

New European order and new Mediterranean order

Antifascist Europe

 

module 2

The post-war period

Geographies of the Cold War

Long sixty and social revolution

Decolonization

Season of movements and political violence

Transitions to democracy in Southern Europe

Neoliberal turn

Collapse of the Soviet system and revolutions in the East

Balkan wars and fragmentation

The new Europe and its origins

 

The module 2 proposes a path through the transitions of European history in the 20th century

and will be divided into the following themes:

- The category of transition

- 1945 and the Postwar period

- The 70s

- 1989 the collapse of the socialist model

- Transitional justice as a model of analysis

Readings/Bibliography

The list is intended as reference for the topic that will be addressed in class:

M. Bloch, Apologia della storia o Mestiere di storico, Einaudi 2009

F. Braudel, Storia, misura del mondo, Bologna, il Mulino, 1998

L. Hunt, La rivoluzione francese, Bologna, Il Mulino, 2007

R. Price, Le rivoluzioni del 1848, Bologna, Il Mulino, 2004

B. Anderson, Comunità immaginate. Origini e fortuna dei nazionalismi, Laterza, 2018

E.J. Hobsbawm, Nazioni e nazionalismi dal 1870. Programma, mito, realtà, Torino, Einaudi, 2002

S. Lupo, Il passato del nostro presente. Il lungo Ottocento 1776-1913, Bari, Laterza, 2010

R. J. Evans, Alla conquista del potere. Europa 1815-1914, Laterza 2020

A. Gibelli, La grande guerra degli italiani 1915-1918, Bur, 2007;

E. Leed, Terra di nessuno. Esperienza bellica e identità personale nella prima guerra mondiale, Bologna, Il Mulino, 2014

G.L. Mosse, Le guerre mondiali. Dalla tragedia al mito dei caduti, Laterza 2018

E. Traverso, A ferro e a fuoco: la guerra civile europea 1914-1945, Bologna, il Mulino, 2007

J. Chapoutot, Controllare e distruggere. Fascismo, nazismo e regimi autoritari in Europa (1918-1945), Einaudi 2015

G. L. Mosse, La nazionalizzazione delle masse, Bologna, Il Mulino, 2009

C. Pavone, Una guerra civile. Saggio storico sulla moralità nella Resistenza, Torino, Bollati Boringhieri 2006

F. Romero, Storia della guerra fredda, Torino, Einaudi, 2009

S. Pons, La rivoluzione globale. Storia del comunismo internazionale, Torino, Einaudi, 2012

B. Bagnato, L' Europa e il mondo. Origini, sviluppo e crisi dell'imperialismo coloniale, Mondadori education-Le Monnier 2006

R. Betts, La decolonizzazione, Bologna, Il Mulino, 2007

T. Judt, Postwar. La nostra storia 1945-2005, Laterza 2020

M. Mazower, Le ombre dell'Europa. Democrazia e totalitarismi nel XX secolo, Garzanti, 2005

Teaching methods

The course will interchange classical lecture to seminar moments, with practical exercises on the analysis of sources. In order to stimulate a lively debate and active participation, students will be invited to prepare readings that will be provided through the "materiali didattici" linked to the course.

Assessment methods

The exam is oral.

In order to pass the exam, both attending and non-attending students are required to carefully study the following chapters of Banti's books:

A. Banti, L'età contemporanea: dalle rivoluzioni settecentesche all'imperialismo, Laterza

capp. 1, 3, 4, 5, 9, 11, 12, 17, 18, 20, 21, 24

A. Banti, L'età contemporanea: dalla Grande guerra a oggi, Laterza

capp. 1, 2, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14

 

In addition, attending students will have to choose:

one text from A list

one text from B list

a couple of texts from C list

Otherwise, in place of the texts in C list, attending students will have the possibility to present a paper (min. 15,000 - max 20,000 characters) on one of the main topics of the history of the 20th century proposed in list C. The text must present an original critical reflection on the relationship between history and literary sources, starting from the analysis of a historical volume associated with a literary volume, agreed upon with the teacher. The paper must be presented in class and discussed during the exam.

 

In addition, non-attending students should study:

M. Bloch, Apologia della storia o Mestiere di storico, Einaudi 2009

F. Braudel, Storia, misura del mondo, Bologna, il Mulino, 1998

M. Marzower, Le ombre dell'Europa. Democrazie e totalitarismi del XX Secolo, Garzanti, 2009

+ one text from B list

 

A list

• M. Bloch, Apologia della storia o Mestiere di storico, Einaudi 2009
• F. Braudel, Storia, misura del mondo, Bologna, il Mulino, 1998

 

B list

• L. Hunt, La rivoluzione francese, Bologna, Il Mulino, 2007
• R. Price, Le rivoluzioni del 1848, Bologna, Il Mulino, 2004
• B. Anderson, Comunità immaginate. Origini e fortuna dei nazionalismi, Laterza, 2018
• E. J. Hobsbawm, Nazioni e nazionalismi dal 1780. Programma, mito, realtà, Einaudi 2002
• G. L. Mosse, La nazionalizzazione delle masse, Bologna, Il Mulino, 2009

 

C list

• E. Leed, Terra di nessuno. Esperienza bellica e identità personale nella prima guerra mondiale, Bologna, Il Mulino, 2014 +H. Barbusse, Il fuoco, Eliot 2015
• E. Traverso, A ferro e a fuoco: la guerra civile europea 1914-1945, Bologna, il Mulino, 2007+J.P. Sartre, Parigi occupata, Il melangolo 2020
• J. Chapoutot, Controllare e distruggere. Fascismo, nazismo e regimi autoritari in Europa (1918-1945), Einaudi 2015 + J. Cercas, Soldati di Salamina, Guanda 2012
• C. Pavone, Una guerra civile. Saggio storico sulla moralità nella Resistenza, Torino, Bollati Boringhieri 2006 + M. Calegari, La sega di Hitler, Selene 2004
• F. Romero, Storia della guerra fredda, Torino, Einaudi, 2009 + P. Roth, Ho sposato un comunista, Einaudi 2000
• S. Pons, La rivoluzione globale. Storia del comunismo internazionale, Torino, Einaudi, 2012 + Vasilij Grossman, Tutto scorre..., Adelphi, 2010
• R. Betts, La decolonizzazione, Bologna, Il Mulino, 2007 + F. Fanon, I dannati della terra, Einaudi 2007
• T. Judt, Postwar. La nostra storia 1945-2005, Parte III - Intervallo 1971-1989, Laterza 2020 + G. Grass, Da una Germania all’altra. Diario, Einaudi 2012
  

 

In order to pass the exam, the student must demonstrate that he/she:

- know the main events through which contemporary history develops in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries

- recognize the essential characteristics of transitions in European history

- be able to compare phases of change located in different spatial and temporal contexts, identifying characteristics and specific relevance in the process of construction of the current European model.

 

Contribute to the final grade:

- Mastery of subject contents

- Ability to deal with the required topics in a cross-cutting and critical way.

- Correctness, clarity, synthesis and fluency of exposition

- Appropriate use of the specific language of the discipline, themes and authors

- Ability to re-elaborate contents autonomously and personally

Teaching tools

Use of written, literary, iconographic sources and movies in order to present some subjects and have a discussion with students.

Office hours

See the website of Toni Rovatti