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

The course presents the main trends in contemporary history with a global outlook, and in-depth analysis of the Italian and European cases, focusing chronologically on the period between the last decades of the 19th century and the beginning of the 21st century.

The course combines a reconstruction of the general historical framework with in-depth lessons on specific turning points, events, and processes, including the two world wars, fascisms, and the Cold War, with the aim of offering interpretative keys to the evolution of the main conflicts of the 20th century and the elements that characterize transitions and memory.

The course is organized in thematic clusters and will address the following topics:

Concepts, roots, periodizations
· Contemporary history: definitions, interpretations, periodizations
· The second industrial revolution
· Mass society
· Imperialism and nationalism

World wars and totalitarianism
· The Great War
· The Bolshevik Revolution
· Fascism/fascisms
· The crisis of the 1930s: totalitarianism and democracy
· World War II
· Resistance movements

The divided world of the Cold War
· 1945 and the transition
· Definition of the bipolar world
· Cold War and hot crises

The 1960s and 1970s: new protagonists, conflicts, and crises
· Decolonization processes and Third Worldism
· The global '68
· The Cold War between détente and conflict
· The crises of the 1970s: political violence, economic crisis, wars, and coups d'état

Towards 1989 and beyond
· The 1980s and neoliberalism
· The end of the Cold War and the turning point of 1989
· The transition between fragmentation and integration
· Globalization and new forms of conflict in the 2000s

Readings/Bibliography

Both attending and non-attending students are required to have a thorough knowledge of the handbook:

A. Vittoria, Il Novecento. Dall’età dell’imperialismo alla globalizzazione, Carocci, 2019

In addition to the handbook, attending students are requested to study a pair of texts from list A.

In addition to the handbook, non-attending students are requested to study two pairs of texts from list A.

Students who attend at least 75% of the lessons are considered to be attending.

 

Lista A

Each pair of texts consists in 1 monograph and 1 narrative text (literary source or historical writing in subjective perspective) or 1 critical reflection.

· G. Mosse, Le guerre mondiali. Dalla tragedia al mito di caduti, Laterza, 2002 (or. ed. 1990) + E.M. Remarque, La via del ritorno, Neri Pozza, 2014 (or. ed. 1931) or M. Bloch, La guerra e le false notizie. Ricordi (1914-1915) e riflessioni (1921), Donzelli, 2004 (or. ed. 1921)

· J. Chapoutot, Controllare e distruggere. Fascismo, nazismo e regimi autoritari in Europa (1918-1945), Einaudi, 2015 (or. ed. 2013) + E. Lussu, Marcia su Roma e dintorni, Einaudi, 2002 (1st ed. 1931; 1945) or S. Haffner, Storia di un tedesco, Garzanti, 2003 (or. ed. 2000)

· G. De Luna, Il corpo del nemico ucciso. Violenza e morte nella guerra contemporanea, Einaudi, 2006 + B. Fenoglio, Una questione privata, Einaudi, 2022 (1st ed. 1963) or C. Pavone, Una guerra civile. Saggio storico sulla moralità nella Resistenza, Bollati Boringhieri, 1991: chapter 7 La violenza

· F. Romero, Storia della guerra fredda. L'ultimo conflitto per l'Europa, Einaudi 2009 + B. Reimann, Fratelli, Neri Pozza, 2024 (new complete ed.; or. ed. 1963) oppure R. Bradbury, Fahrenheit 451, Mondadori, 2023 (new ed.; or. ed. 1953)

· A. Colombo, La disunità del mondo. Dopo il secolo globale, Feltrinelli, 2009 + T. Judt, Postwar. La nostra storia 1945-2005, Laterza, 2017 (or. ed. 2005): Introduction + chapter I L'eredita della guerra + Epilogue Dalla casa dei morti. Un saggio sulla memoria dell'Europa moderna + T. Judt The Past is Another Country. Myth and Memory in Post-War Europe, in «Daedalus», 121, 4, 1992 (https://www.jstor.org/stable/20027138 - scaricabile via Proxy Server Unibo)

· Bruna Bagnato, L’ Europa e il mondo. Origini, sviluppo e crisi dell’imperialismo coloniale, Mondadori Education-Le Monnier, 2006 + E. Flaiano, Tempo di uccidere, Adelphi, 2020 (1st ed. 1947) or F. Fanon, I dannati della terra, Einaudi, 2007 (ed. or. 1961)

Teaching methods

Lectures and discussions. In order to stimulate active participation, students will be invited to prepare presentations on specific themes and readings.

Assessment methods

Oral exam.

In order to pass the exam, the student will have to demonstrate to:

• know the main events of contemporary history between the 19th and 20th centuries
• recognize the essential characteristics of transitions in contemporary history
• be able to compare historical witnessing in different spatial and temporal contexts, identifying characteristics and specific relevance.

  
  The final grade will reflect the student’s:

• Mastery of subject content
• Ability to deal with the required topics in a cross-cutting and critical way
• Correctness, clarity, synthesis and fluency of expression
• Appropriate use of the specific language of the discipline, themes and authors
• Capacity of autonomous and personal re-elaboration of contents

Assessment criteria:

30-30 cum laude: excellent, complete and solid knowledge, excellent expression ability, complete understanding of concepts and contents.

27-29: good, adequate knowledge, correct and well-articulated expression, good understanding of concepts and topics.

23-26: fair, technically correct preparation, expression not particularly articulate and appropriate, fair understanding of concepts and topics.

18-22: sufficient; preparation has gaps in terms of content, lack of clarity in presentation, limited ability to understand concepts and topics.

 

Students with SLDs or temporary or permanent disabilities: we suggest that you contact the relevant university office (https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/en [https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/en] and your professor immediately to work together to find the most effective strategies for attending classes and/or preparing for exams.

Any requests for accommodations must be made at least 15 days before the date of the exam, by sending an email to the lecturer and copying (Cc) the email address disabilita@unibo.it (in case of disability) or dsa@unibo.it (for students with Specific Learning Difficulties).

 

Teaching tools

PPT-presentations; selected readings.

The lecture slides will be uploaded to Virtuale during the class.

Office hours: send and e-mail to arrange an appointment.

Office hours

See the website of Roberta Mira