CONTEMPORARY EUROPEAN HISTORY

Critical knowledge and interpretation of the main political, cultural, socio-economic, and existential issues of postwar European history; critical evaluation of the relevant historiographical debate; analysis and interpretation of primary and secondary sources; development of skills in written and oral communication.

Basic knowledge of twentieth century European history. Desire to participate to discussion to class activities.

At the end of the course, the students will be able to identify and critically reconstruct the main processes of post-war European history, using conceptualization and periodization. They will be able to select, analyze and critically interpret primary and secondary sources, and to use specialist language and oral and written communication. Finally, they will be able to link the past with the present, and thus with the most relevant debates in today's world.

How did European societies go about rebuilding—culturally, politically, and socially—the fabric of daily life and national belonging in the wake of unparalleled death and destruction? What accounts for the success stories of the welfare state and consumerism in western Europe, and how did these help to cement the legitimacy of postwar capitalist regimes? In eastern Europe, what did it mean to live behind the Iron Curtain, and what were the limits of authoritarianism there? Why did the Cold War end peacefully? Finally, how should we view the origins and present condition of the European Union in light of postwar European history? We will address all of these questions and more in this course that will explore European history with the aim of overcoming the traditional ideological boundaries between East and West, North and South, modern and backward countries. While such divisions make for tidy storytelling, they also distort the fluidity of intellectual and cultural boundaries, as well as those of political, social and economic developments. In making connections between political, economic and social changes, on the one hand, and intellectual and conceptual transformations, on the other, we will ask such questions as: Is there such a thing as Europe? And, if so, who is a European? Who has defined what these terms have meant at different points during the twentieth century? How have different historical actors and collectivities defined progress and backwardness? Prosperity versus poverty, male versus female and insider versus outsider? How have the answers to these questions dictated the shape of twentieth-century Europe?

1)A selection of chapters from Tony Judt, Postwar: La nostra storia, 1945-2005 (Roma-Bari, 2019) (Selected parts/chapters will be indicated for each session) 2) A review of one of the following books a) Timothy Garton Ash, 1989. Storia della primavera europea (Garzanti 2019) b) Timothy Garton Ash, The File (Atlantic Books 2009)

Lectures, seminars, workshops, case-studies, teamwork This methodological premise of this course is that the teacher is an instructor, whose main task is to facilitate the debates and the interactions between students.

Active participation in classroom A Book review Teamwork on a selected topics. Each teamwork will use a film as a primary resource Final oral exam

Interests for the topics of the classes Active participation to discussion The proposed subject must original