Europe After the Cold War

Harvard FAS

Contemporary Europe is a continent of contrasts: it’s home to some of the most peaceful, prosperous societies on earth, while continuing to be marred by war, economic stagnation, and division. This course explores how we got to the Europe of today’s headlines. We begin by investigating the apparent triumph of Western liberalism in the aftermath of the Cold War—what political scientist Francis Fukuyama dubbed “the end of history.” How did this supposed victory of Western values confront new…