Social and Political History

Course content

This course examines the political developments between the French Revolution, 1789, and the Great War, 1918. During these two centuries the political scene of Europe was transformed drastically. The 19th century witnessed the destruction of the ancient regime which was under continuous pressure from the emerging capitalism and the bourgeoisie class. The age of revolution was followed by the rise of nationalism, which created a new European state system. The evolving political events, finally led to the WWI, which caused the collapse of three empires in Europe and to the expansion of the European nation state system. In this course, our purpose is to analyze the new cultural forms expressing these changes and the major economic dynamics that influenced this period.