Revolution and war: Central and Eastern Europe, 1917 to the present

Core Course

This subject will introduce students to the turbulent history of Central and Eastern Europe, with a focus on nations lying between Germany and Russia: the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia and

Ukraine. We will start with the Russian Revolution of 1917, which marked the beginning of a century of ideological confrontation, and end with the present times shaped by the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

We will study the emergence of communism and its demise both at the level of ideas and as a political system. While the primary focus will be on Central Europe, the unit is relevant to Europe at large. In fact, Central Europe ‘as an idea, a state of mind, a worldview’ (Konrad) should not be reduced to a

geographic notion and is better understood as a cultural and political project. We will study different formulations of this project, and see how the ideals of dissident intellectuals, such as Václav Havel, shaped political developments. The non-violent revolutions of 1989 in Central Europe, for example, inspired the protagonists of the Ukrainian ‘Orange Revolution’ in 2004 and ‘Euromaidan Revolution’ of 2013-2014. In addition to a set of essential reading, students will be encouraged to study literary works, films and TV-documentaries.

Non-permissible combination: EUST2022

[Note to students admitted in 2023-24 and before: Students who have successfully completed “EUST2022. European transitions – Germany and Central Europe after the Second World War” are not allowed to take this course. For those who have not yet done so, they can take GLAS2118 to fulfil the relevant requirement in the academic year 2024-25 and thereafter.]"