International Relations Theory and History: Europe 1919 - 1939

(3 Credit Hours) · Undergraduate

Few experiences have exerted more influence on our understanding of international politics than those of crisis-ridden Europe between the two World Wars. Academics, policymakers, and laypeople alike frequently point to the failure of the League of Nations, Hitler's expansionist hypernationalism, or the "appeasement" crises of the 1930s when debating how to identify, understand, and respond to some of the most pressing international challenges of our time. This course offers an overview of European interwar history through the lense of international relations theory and debates several purported lessons of the period for policymakers today. Students thus engage a series of topics within international relations, ranging from the role of institutions in international politics to the causes of war and the interaction of economic and security policy. In the process, students familiarize themselves with key events of the interwar years, including the Occupation of the Ruhr, the Abyssinia Crisis, and the Munich Agreement.