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History of Cold War in Europe 1946-1990. Clash of superpowers and ideologies

General Information
Teacher: 
prof. dr Norbert Kapferer
Room: 
12
ECTS: 
4
Number of Hours: 
30
Thursday 13:15 - 14:45
Preliminary requirements: 
  1. Interest in political history of  Europe and european states  in times of Cold War
  2. Interest in the consequences of the division of Europe in East and West
  3. Interest in the confrontation of  ideologies
Course Description: 

1. Scientific historical and political approach;

2. History of postwar European States;

3. Development of  society and culture in East  and West Europe

Aims of the course: 

W1. Methods of historical interpretation and explanation;

W2. Methods of analysis of  communist and  capitalist systems

W3. Historical and political development of  Europe after 1945

W4. The Berlin crisis 1948,1953, 1958/59, 1961;

W5. The Hungarian Crisis 1956; The CSSR Crisis 1968;

W6. The Crisis in Poland 1979 - 1989

W7. Breakdown of the wall and the end of cold war

U1. Ability to use methods of historical interpretation/explanation and analysis of political systems;

U2. Ability to interpret /explain the reasons of  outbreak of Cold War in Europe;

U3. Ability to interpret/explain the reasons of the division of Germany;

U4. Ability to judge the different political developments and systems of  West- and East  Europe;

U5..Ability to judge the political, militarian and economic organisations in the bloc systems of Cold War (NATO, European  Community, Warsaw Treaty, Comecon);

U6. Ability to judge the change in society and culture in East- and West Europe;

U7. Ability to judge the breakdown of soviet bloc  and the process of  westernization  of the former satellite states:  Hungary, Poland, CSSR, Romania, Bulgaria, Albania

K1. Learning  Responsibility, Fair-play.  Tolerance,  Respect of Diversity;

K2. Ability for Teamwork:

Teaching methods: 
  1. Supervised Seminar with an Introduction/program of the Lecturer followed by  paper- or power-point presentations of students and group discussions about the presentations
Evaluation & Completion: 
  1. Permanent  presence in teaching hours;
  2. Participation in discussions;
  3. Presentation (Paper or Powerpoint) of  one topic ;Time :20 minutes;
  4. Oral Exam on one topic ; Time 20 minutes –  Five Questions;
  5. An  Essay on one topic  (15 pages including front page, index and list of literatur)

Students can decide what they prefare, Oral exam or Essay.

Basic Literature: 

J.Fisher: Disciplining Germany. Youth, Reeducation and Reconstruction after Second World War, 2007;

M.Fulbrook: The two Germanies. Problems of Interpretation, 1992

M. Fulbrook:  Anatomy of a Dictatorship. Inside GDR 1949-1989, (1997)

L. Kettenacker: Germany since 1945, (1997) 

A.Mc. Adams: Germany Divided. From the Wall to Unification, 1993

G. Ritter: Continuitiy and Change in Germany. Political and Social developments after  1945 and 1989/90 (2000)

Additional Literature: 

J. Ausland: Kennedy, Khrushchev and the Berlin-Cuba Crisis 1961-1964, (1996)

J.Arnold (Ed): Cold War. Essential Reference Gulide , 2012

L.Brune: Chronology of Cold War, 2006

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