CE5482: 1989: A pivotal year for Europe
| School | Continuing and Professional Education |
| Department Code | LEARN |
| Module Code | CE5482 |
| External Subject Code | 100491 |
| Number of Credits | 10 |
| Level | L4 |
| Language of Delivery | English |
| Module Leader | Mrs Sara Jones |
| Semester | Autumn Semester |
| Academic Year | 2022/3 |
Outline Description of Module
- To give a broad introduction to political, social and economic developments in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) in the late 1980s and early 1990s
- To identify and explain different interpretations of the processes leading to the collapse of communism in CEE
- To explore the legacy of the collapse of communism in CEE for contemporary Europe
On completion of the module a student should be able to
- Identify and evaluate the political, economic and social developments that led to the collapse of communism in CEE
- Identify and evaluate the principal consequences of events in 1989-1991 for contemporary Europe
- Analyse the strengths and weaknesses of competing explanations of the collapse of communism in CEE
- Critically evaluate the differing roles played by civil societies and political elites in achieving the transition processes in CEE countries
- Critically assess the legacy of the different transition experiences with regard to current European affairs
How the module will be delivered
Lectures, seminars and small group teaching
Skills that will be practised and developed
- Comparative analysis of evidence and arguments
- Logical development of arguments
- Oral communication, presentation and defence of arguments
How the module will be assessed
Essay 50%
Document analysis 50%
Assessment Breakdown
| Type | % | Title | Duration(hrs) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Written Assessment | 100 | Coursework | N/A |
Syllabus content
Week
Title & Question
1 Course introduction: The problem of Cold War history (new)
2 Cold War Ideologies
Why did Western and Soviet ideologies collide during the Cold War?
3 How Hot was the Cold War? (new)
How do nuclear weapons explain the level of conflict in the Cold War?
4 Reforming State Socialism: the case of Hungary
Why did it prove so difficult to reform the communist economic system in Hungary?
5 Social movements: Poland’s Road to Revolution
How can social movements help us explain the end of the Cold War?
6 Key Actors: Reagan and Gorbachev
What did the Reykjavik meeting in 1986 achieve?
Deadline First Assessment: Primary Document Analysis
7 Western Europe in the 1980s: between hope and fear
In what ways did Western European attitudes in the 1980s impact upon the Cold War?
8 The End of the German Democratic Republic, Nov 1989
Evaluate: “The fall of the Berlin Wall was inevitable.”
9 Romania, Dec 1989: the cult of the leader
How did leader cults affect the end of communism in Romania?
10 The collapse of the Soviet Union, 1989-1992
How can Gorbachev’s role in the fall of the USSR best be described?
Deadline Second Assessment: Essay