BA History and Sociology

A Transnational History of Europe in the Short Twentieth Century explores the short twentieth century in Europe and asks how Europeans experienced this rollercoaster century. The course’s chronology is framed by events including the Russian revolution, the emergence of totalitarian dictatorships, the Second World War, post-war reconstruction, the Cold War, European integration and the fall of the Iron Curtain. Instead of simply offering a conventional narrative, the course highlights overarching themes in the history of Europe that cut across national boundaries, including migration, decolonisation, and globalisation. Exploring the close links between political ideas and social developments, the course surveys how changing and conflicting political ideologies – fascism, state socialism or the welfare state – and population movements caused by armed conflict have shaped European society at different times. 

The aims of this course are:

 

To introduce students to a broad range of relevant themes and historiographical debates associated with the political and social history of twentieth century Europe;

To introduce students to critical concepts relating to contemporary social history;

To encourage students to adopt a critical perspective to their own understanding of European political and social history;

Provide students with a range of background knowledge and tools that can be deployed at levels 3 and 4.  

Teaching is delivered via 2 hours of lecture, one hour of seminar instruction, and an additional office hour on a weekly basis. 

All the support materials for the course will be on Canvas, and the written assessment will be submitted and returned via this medium. 

 

 

 

demonstrate an increased capacity to examine and evaluate the interactions between social, political and economic processes  

demonstrate deeper and more accurate comprehension of key events, structures, and processes in the history of twentieth-century Europe 

evaluate the ways in which historians choose and use their sources

hone skills of analysis and critical reasoning via a range of forms of written assessment

understand ways in which theoretical perspectives influence historical research

Analyse the relationship between politics, economics and society in twentieth-century Europe 

extend and apply oral and group skills by participating in and leading seminar discussions

write reflective, considered, and well-structured pieces of assessed work applicable to analytic and persuasive communication in a range of professional venues

Construct an argument in a closed on-campus exam under time pressure 

work independently, both within seminars and through individual research  

experience and training in teamwork, argument and debate, as well as time management 
 

Assessment task	Formative or Summative	Length	Weighting within unit (if summative)
Written assessment	Summative	2,000 words	50%
Unseen on-campus examination	Summative	2 hours	50%
Plan for written assessment (peer-reviewed by students)	formative	1 page max.

 

Feedback method	Formative or Summative
Written feedback and individual discussion (by appointment) for written assessment	Summative
Written feedback for exam	Summative

Fulbrook, Mary, German History Since 1800 (London: Bloomsbury Academic, 2010).

Hobsbawm, Eric, The Age of Extremes: The Short Twentieth Century, 1914–1991 (London: Penguin, 1994).

Jarausch, K. H., Out of Ashes: A New History of Europe in the Twentieth Century (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2015).

Judt, Tony, Postwar: A History of Europe since 1945 (London: Penguin, 2005).  

Kershaw, I., To Hell and Back: Europe 1914-1949 (London: Allen Lane, 2015).

Mazower, M., Dark Continent: Europe’s Twentieth Century (London: Penguin, 1999).

Pedersen, Susan, The Guardians: The League of Nations and the Crisis of Empire (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2015).

 

Tuition fees for home students commencing their studies in September 2027 will be £10,050 per annum. Tuition fees for international students will be £29,200 per annum.

For general information please see the undergraduate finance pages.

All students should normally be able to complete their programme of study without incurring additional study costs over and above the tuition fee for that programme. Any unavoidable additional compulsory costs totalling more than 1% of the annual home undergraduate fee per annum, regardless of whether the programme in question is undergraduate or postgraduate taught, will be made clear to you at the point of application. Further information can be found in the University's Policy on additional costs incurred by students on undergraduate and postgraduate taught programmes (PDF document, 91KB).

We know that student finance can be complicated. The links below provide further information to help guide you.

Learn more about student finance options for UK students .

Learn more about f ees and finance for international students .

As an international student you may be eligible for our Global Futures Scholarships . This is open to students starting their studies in September 2026.