History of Central Europe


Learning objectives:  This course explores the many attempts to find political stability in Central Europe and the Balkans, beginning with the events which ultimately delegitimated the monarchical principle: the French Revolution.  This course traces nationalism and socialism, as philosophies of the ideal state, through reform and world war to the catastrophes of national socialism and soviet communism.  The course ends with a theoretical discussion of nationalism as a historical phenomenon.  After successfully completing this course, students will understand:

1)       Essential Central European Political Geography

2)       The importance of the French Revolution in inspiring nationalism and socialism

3)       How nineteenth century monarchies attempted to curb nationalism

4)       The significance of Nazi Germany and Soviet Russia in Central European nationalism

5)       Detailed knowledge of Hungary, Czechoslovakia, and Macedonia as case studies

6)       Basic historical theories of nationalism

7)       Why contemporary political theorists stress multi-culturalism

Students must also think about the questions posed on the syllabus, and write a brief response paper (1 page hand-written) using information from the documents.  This is graded on a pass/fail basis, and is the main variable in the attendance grade.

 Once a semester, each student will also be expected to present her or his thoughts on the weekly question before the class in a brief (~10 minute) presentation.  ONE WEEK after the presentation, students must hand in a six-page written version of their answer, not counting a bibliography. (Students who present the second week have two weeks to write their papers, this is the bonus for going early. Students who present the last week of class will hand in their papers the same day as their presentation; this is the penalty for being late.)

 If a student so desires, this six page paper can be replaced by a 10-page research paper on a topic chosen by the student and the instructor jointly.  This research paper requires significant extra work, and is intended for especially dedicated and self-motivated students.  Note: the ten page paper option is NOT available to students who complete the six page paper and are not happy with their grades.


As a distance-learning syllabus, students must write a 2500 word essay for every class period on one of the questions listed at the bottom of the page. Students will recieve feedback from the instructor each week.

Grading Criteria

25% – Attendance (including response papers)
25% – Presentation/six page paper
25% – Midterm (fill in the blank ID questions)
25% – Final exam (fill in the blank ID questions)

 ______________    What ideological justification did Brezhnev give for the Soviet intervention?

______________    Comment on the Anti-German sentiment of the Dikobraz pamphlet.

 

Week 9 – Monday - Conflicting Nationalist claims: the case of Macedonia

Nationalists throughout central Europe make incompatible claims. This class explores the various claims to Macedonia made by Greeks, Bulgarians, and (Slavic) Macedonians.

Intro to Macedonian questions               http://www.bulgaria.com/VMRO/pirinsko.htm
Map                                                        http://www.macedonian-heritage.gr/Maps/MapRegionToday.html
Greek sources                                         http://www.macedonia.info/FALLACIESANDFACTS.htm
Macedon. source (read conclusion)        http://www.makedonija.info/ancient.html#Ethnic
Bulgarian source                                      http://www.bulgaria.com/VMRO/document.htm
Petition of Macedonian Refugees           http://www.gate.net/~mango/Egej_petition1.htm
Description of legal conflict                    http://www.mhrmc.ca/news/98/rainbow2.html
“Real Macedonia” (Greek) arguments    http://truth.macedonia.gr/arguments.html              

                OPTIONAL READING:         http://www.historyofmacedonia.org/AncientMacedonia/badian.html

 
______________    What ideas do the Greek, Macedonian and Bulgarian histories have in common?
______________    How are the historical arguments of “Real Macedonia” relevant to the “Rainbow Party” court case?

 
Week 9 – Wednesday - Yugoslav Ethnic Cleansing

After the collapse of Communism, Yugoslavia collapsed in a series of civil wars, providing the world with the term “ethnic cleansing” to describe an activity practiced almost a century earlier during the collapse of the Ottoman empire.  The great powers have changed their attitude toward what was once called “the exchange of populations.”

Preece on Ethnic Cleansing                     - http://www.ippu.purdue.edu/failed_states/2000/papers/jacksonpreece.html
Dayton Peace Plan § 7                            - http://www.nato.int/ifor/gfa/gfa-an7.htm
 
______________ The Dayton plan calls for the return of populations, previous international agreements did not. Why?
______________ Is the Dayton plan essentially similar to Wilson’s 14 points, or essentially different?

Week 10 – Monday - Habsburg Nostalgia?

Nationalist conflict has proved so destructive that some scholars have started looking back with nostalgia to the large, multi-ethnic states of the nineteenth century.

Belo Kardos (in 1969)                            - http://www.hungary.com/corvinus/lib/wagner/wagner24.htm
Charles Ingrao (a distinguished American Historian)
                http://www2.h-net.msu.edu/~habsweb/occasionalpapers/untaughtlessons.html#lesson%20one

 ______________    Does the EU meet the Federalist Critera Kardos proposes?
______________    Do you think Ingrao’s proposals would be effective? 

 
Week 10 – Wednesday – Theories of Nationalism

What causes nationalism in the first place?  Primordial or modern? Objective or subjective?
Hobsbawm, Hroch, Anderson, Renan    - http://www.nationalismproject.org/what.htm

 ______________    Hroch and Hobsbawm disagree. Who do you think is more convincing, and why?
______________    Is Renan’s description consistent with Anderson’s? Why or why not?