TAR 204 - History of Europe-II

Europe has played an important role in the structuring of today's world. During this course, the students will study the early modern period and the modern age of European history. The main political, social, economic and cultural developments of this period will be discussed in order to interpret the contemporary Europe. Various topics ranging from the formation of capitalism in England to the Protestant reform movement in Germany, from the so-called age of discoveries to the history of colonialism, from the French revolution to the First World War. However, this course aims to present a critical approach and interpretation of modern European past that goes beyond the misleading Eurocentric writing of history.

In this course, the predominant political, social and economic changes during the early modern and modern history of Europe will be discussed. For instance, colonialism marked the western violent domination of the non-western world. This episode will be studied in order to understand how European colonialism has undermined the social, economic and political fabric of the various societies in Asia, Africa and America. The similarities and differences between French, English, Spanish, Portuguese and Dutch colonial systems and their intellectual motives (racism, etc.) will also be discussed. Another topic is the capitalist world-economy that began to emerge during the 16th century in England. The Industrial Revolution gave European economy an impetus to expand and to dominate the world.The Enlightenment accompanied by the French Revolution was a result of modern intellectual and political developments. The formation of nation-states in Europe, the unification of Germany and Italy, the emergence of modern and secular ideologies, the establishment of the international political system under western hegemony, the balance of powers and imperial rivalry that led to the First World War will be discussed.