ΠΙΘ522: Aspects in European and World History

The Module ΠΙΘ522 “Aspects of European and World History” is one of the two required Modules of the second semester of the first year of the MA "PNYX: Political History, Theory and Practice". The aim of the Module ΠΙΘ522 is to acquaint students with selected subjects of modern European and international history. In this context, the course ΠΙΘ522 is not a conventional modern history course. Rather, it aims to emphasize those his­torical aspects that are related to present developments, paving the way for a comprehensive understanding of current politics. A good knowledge of certain im­portant chapters of European and international history is a critical stepping-stone for an active en­gagement with modern politics. The reason is that Cyprus and Greece are part of a complex international environment, which exerts great influ­ence upon them in almost every aspect. The comprehensive study of certain cru­cial as­pects of European and world history is also a necessary prerequisite for a proper understanding of the in­ternational relations and interconnections. In this context, systematic knowledge especially in relation to major global conflicts and their historical devel­opment is equally essential. The opportu­nity to conduct re­search and biblio­graphic study in historical topics such as the political ide­ologies, the Cold War, the chal­lenge of European integration and certain major interna­tional disputes, such as the Palestinian Question, significantly broadens the hori­zons of politi­cal knowledge. In addition, it paves the way for the students to posi­tively contribute to current po­litical debates regarding the position of Cyprus and Greece in the international system.

The Module ΠΙΘ522 is di­vided in four Parts:

• 1st Part: Political ideologies, nations and nationalism
• 2nd Part: The Cold War and the Greek Civil War
• 3rd Part: The path to European Union and the European institutions
• 4th Part: Decolonisation and the Arab–Israeli Dispute