Reconstruction of Europe 1943-1956

• Credit value: 30 credits at Level 7
• Convenor: Professor Jessica Reinisch
• Assessment: one essay of 5000-5500 words (100%)

In this course we will examine reconstruction programmes and policies in Europe after the end of WWII, with reference to broader issues of continuity and discontinuity in European history. Throughout the course we will be looking at issues surrounding the physical reconstruction of material life in the aftermath of WWII, as well as aspects of the political, social, cultural and moral reconstruction of Europe. We will examine the new historiography of the Cold War, and look at concepts of Europe and the European Community which were developed after 1945.

Overall, you will be introduced to a range of themes which draw upon political, economic, cultural and social history of post-war Europe, and will examine issues which pertain to both Eastern and Western Europe. This thematic approach will be complemented by a series of seminars on individual European countries' post-war experiences.