"Whoever wishes to foresee the future must consult the past; for human events ever resemble those of preceding times. This arises from the fact that they are produced by men who ever have been, and ever shall be, animated by the same passions, and thus they necessarily have the same results."
(Machiavelli)
"History is a set of lies agreed upon."
(Napoleon Bonaparte)
It is no understatement to say that the modern state is a European invention. The strength of European states allowed Europe to dominate the world until the end of the Second World War and up until now Europe is still a major player in international developments. This class aims at introducing the mayor developments of European Diplomacy from the late Middle Ages until our current times. But a history of European Diplomacy can not be told without focusing on the development of the modern nation-state and in recent history on the attempt to overcome the shortcomings of exactly this nation-state by maybe creating the structure to overcome it, called European Union.
A history of European diplomacy can also not neglect philosophical, social, economical and technical developments that shaped the perceptions of the European people and had a mayor effect on shaping European Diplomacy. Given this, the class will focus on giving a broad background on European historical developments with a focus on the field of diplomacy and international relations.
A further aim is to point out the importance of knowledge of European history to understand recent and current developments in international relations.
