History of Modern Europe

The course will start with an introduction to political, economic, and social concepts that laid the foundations of modern Europe in the nineteenth century. The initial sessions cover the issues of political representation and legitimacy, of class, of nation and nationalism; the issues of the role of science and economic thought, of industrialization and of capitalism; and the issues of social structure, of education and literacy, of social and spatial mobility. These topics will be applied to European history in four time spans. The first two time spans cover the period 1890 to 1945 (first half of course). Topics will be the Wilsonian concept of self-determination creating nation-states after the Great War (and replacing multinational ones like the Habsburg Empire) and the end of democratic rule coinciding with revisionism, the rise of authoritarian rule and political extremism. The second two time spans cover the period 1945 to present (second half of course). It starts with the decisive role of the United States and the Soviet Union in establishing a distinct political and economic order in post war and Cold War Europe. It introduces major political forces in Western Europe and questions the legitimacy of one party rule in East Central Europe. It deals with the economic policies and integration of Western Europe pre 1989, the end of communist rule in Eastern Europe, and the political integration efforts of a continent that is no more divided within the framework of the European Union.

Corvinus University of Budapest awards credits based on the ECTS system (2 ECTS credits equals 1 U.S. credit therefore, 6 ECTS credits is equivalent to 3 U.S. credits). At Corvinus University of Budapest, all classes meet for a minimum of 180 minutes per week. Contact hours are calculated through a combination of lecture hours and outside activities which can include (workshops, seminars, fieldwork activities, guest lectures, and independent work) therefore, contact hours may vary on syllabi