HY113     
From Empire to Independence: World History in the Twentieth Century

This information is for the 2023/24 session.

Teacher responsible

Dr Tanya Harmer SAR M.11

Availability

This course is available on the BA in Geography, BA in History, BA in Social Anthropology, BSc in Economic History and Geography, BSc in History and Politics, BSc in International Relations, BSc in International Relations and Chinese, BSc in International Relations and History, BSc in Politics, BSc in Politics and History, BSc in Politics and International Relations and BSc in Social Anthropology. This course is available as an outside option to students on other programmes where regulations permit and to General Course students.

Course content

An introductory survey of world history in the twentieth century, with a particular emphasis on the collapse of the Western colonial empires, the development of relations between the West and the new states within Asia and Africa, revolutionary developments in Latin America, and the rise of non-Western models of political development. The course includes the state of the European empires in the first half of the century; the Japanese challenge to the West; the Chinese revolution; Indian independence; the decolonization process in Asia and Africa; the Japanese developmental state; the rise of the non-aligned movement; the Cuban Revolution; the development of the Arab and non-Arab Middle East; American and Soviet relations with the Third World; post-independence South Asia; modernization and underdevelopment debates; post-independence Africa; China under Mao and Deng; the Iranian Revolution.

Teaching

10 hours of lectures and 9 hours of classes in the AT. 9 hours of lectures and 10 hours of classes in the WT. 1 hour of lectures and 1 hour of classes in the ST.

There will be a reading week in the Autumn and the Winter Terms.

Formative coursework

Students will be asked to write at least three essays and to present a number of brief class reports

Indicative reading

W G Beasley, The Rise of Modern Japan (1990); A Best, J Hanhimaki, J Maiolo and K Schulze, International History of the Twentieth Century (2001); J Darwin, Britain and Decolonization (1988); J P Dunbabin, International Relations since 1945, Vol 1, The Cold War, the Great Powers and their Allies (1994) Vol 2, The Post-Imperial Age, The Great Powers and the Wider World (1994); D Fieldhouse, Black Africa, 1945-1980 (1986); Goldschmidt, A Concise History of the Middle East; R Holland, European Decolonization, 1918-81 (1985); W Keylor, The Twentieth Century World (1984); S Sarkar, Modern India, 1885-1947 (1983); J Spence, The Search for Modern China (1990); M Yapp, The Near East since the First World War (1991); Skidmore and Smith, Modern Latin America (2005).

 

Assessment

Exam (100%, duration: 3 hours) in the spring exam period.

Key facts

Department: International History

Total students 2022/23: 173

Average class size 2022/23: 14

Capped 2022/23: Yes (180)

Lecture capture used 2022/23: Yes (MT & LT)

Value: One Unit

Guidelines for interpreting course guide information

Course selection videos

Some departments have produced short videos to introduce their courses. Please refer to the course selection videos index page for further information.

Personal development skills

  • Leadership
  • Self-management
  • Team working
  • Problem solving
  • Application of information skills
  • Communication
  • Specialist skills