OVERVIEW

The course deals with the history of international relations during the XX century and in the new millenium, paying particular attention to the origins, the development and the end of the Cold War, as well as to the evolution of the post-Cold War international system.

AIMS AND CONTENT

LEARNING OUTCOMES

The course aims to provide students an adequate knowledge, from the methodological and cultural point of view, of the international system, especially at the European level, focussing in particular on the transition from the international Cold war system to the new international order of the 21st century.

AIMS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES

Provide the students:

1) the ability to understand the dynamics that have characterized the international system in the XX century.

2) the ability to evaluate and interpret the debate on international issues using the knowledge of the historical past as a key to understanding.

3) the ability to develop a critical evaluation of the international dynamics of the XX century .

4) the development of communication skills, both in written  (written test for attending students) and in oral form with an appropriate language (through seminars, paper presentations and class discussions).

5) Learning skills, developed through face to face lessons, classroom discussions and the study of reference books.

6)  

This course contributes to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals of the UN 2030 Agenda.

3. Good Health and Well-being

5. Gender Equality

10. Reduced Inequalities

16. Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

17. Partnerships for the Goals

PREREQUISITES

 None.

TEACHING METHODS

 The course will be provided with lectures in class. 

Attending students can present a short paper, alone or in group, on a specific topic discussed  and agreed with the Professor.

SYLLABUS/CONTENT

 The course deals with the history of the international system from 1900 till the US presidential elections of 2008. The introductory part, devoted to the analysis of continuities and discontinuities from the XIX to the XX century, will be followed by the analysis of the main turning points of the so-called "short Twentieth Century": the end of World War I, the setting up of the Versailles system, the interwas period, the causes and the outbreak of World War II, the various phases of the Cold War, the decolonization process, the origins and development of European integration, the Middle East crisis, the end of the Cold War and the search for a new international order.

RECOMMENDED READING/BIBLIOGRAPHY

For all the students: A. Varsori, Storia internazionale dal 1919 a oggi, Bologna il Mulino, 2019

Erasmus students can study 4 chapters of the book: A. Best, J. Hanhimaki, J. A. Maiolo and K. Schulze, International History of the XX Century and Beyond, London, Routledge, 2015. The choice of the chapters to study must be agreed with the teacher.

TEACHERS AND EXAM BOARD

Exam Board

MARIA ELEONORA GUASCONI (President)

LUCA BARBAINI

GUIDO LEVI (Substitute)

LESSONS

LESSONS START

I Semester: 23 September 2025

Class schedule

HISTORY OF INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

EXAMS

EXAM DESCRIPTION

The exam consists of a 20-minute oral test, covering the entire textbook. 

 Students will have the opportunity to take a written test on the first part of the programme: from the Paris Conference to the birth of the Warsaw Pact in 1955 (pp. 19-192). The mark for the midterm will be averaged with the final mark.

Attending students are invited to make an individual or group presentation in the classroom on a topic covered during the course and agreed with the lecturer, the assessment of which will form part of the final mark.

ASSESSMENT METHODS

The final exam will be oral and  will include questions on the course's program.

Foreign students can take the exam in English.

The Commission is appointed by the Department and chaired by the Professor of the course.

FURTHER INFORMATION

 The Professor will share the slides of the course on aulaweb.