The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers in the Modern World

After completing this course students are able to:

1. Acquire insight into the main forces that shaped the history of the great powers in the modern world. 
2. Understand the central importance of great power rivalry for the course of modern history.
3. Understand the major debates concerning the nature of power in international affairs, understand the different manifestations of power and the impact this has had on the history of individual great powers.

This course has as its subject Paul Kennedy’s stimulating thesis on the rise and fall of the great powers and the extensive criticism which arose. The focus will be on the history of the great powers - their strengths and weaknesses - since 1500: the Habsburg Empire, the France of Louis XIV and of Napoleon, the British Empire, the German bid for mastery in the 20th century, the fate of Japan, the rise and demise of the Soviet Union, and the fall and subsequent rise of China in the 19th and 20th centuries. Special attention will be paid to the United States, which played a crucial role in the history of the twentieth century and was after 1991 the only remaining superpower. Since the publication of Kennedy’s study the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, the rise of China and the seeming decline of the United States have given the debate a sense of immediacy. In addition, the conflicts among the great powers – such as the Napoleonic wars, the world wars and the Cold War - have fundamentally changed the course of history. The rivalry among great powers often also functioned as a powerful dynamo that spurred development and modernization.

Format:
Mostly debates in class on discussion topics, lectures, presentations, documentaries.