HIST 258 - Postwar Europe

This course traces the history of European politics, culture, and society from the end of the Second World War to the present. We will explore topics such as postwar reconstruction and memory, the creation of the European Union, the Cold War, the disintegration of Europe’s overseas empires, the collapse of communism in Eastern Europe, and the ongoing challenges of responding to an increasingly diverse cultural landscape in Europe today. Throughout the course we will ask: In what ways is the history of postwar Europe a story of recovery, integration, and unification, and in what ways is it a story of a continent haunted by growing divisions between different cultures, political systems, and values? In order to answer these questions and to situate Europe within a broader global framework, we will explore a wide range of sources including films, art, memoirs, news, political speeches, and government documents. Our shared reading will focus on three texts that explore underrepresented perspectives in contemporary European history, complemented by historian Tony Judt’s “magisterial” book: Postwar. Class time will be devoted to short lectures, student-led news briefings, film screenings, in-depth discussion, and a range of hands-on activities-including some history detective work! Your writing for this class will take the form of three collaborative in-class History Lab projects and one in-class exam at the end of the semester. All students are welcome in this course, including first-year students and folks without previous history experience. For History majors, this course meets the post-1800 requirement and can count towards the following fields: “Colonization and Empire” or “Europe” or “Law and Social Justice” or “Race and Indigeneity.” Every other Spring (4 Credits)