05515 - History of International Relations

Learning outcomes

The course in History of International Relations is aimed at understanding the evolution of the international scenario from the Congress of Vienna to the breakdown of USSR. Students will be able to manage historical diplomatic case-studies and analyze new crisis for an autonomous comprehension. History of International Relations is a basic course of international studies and for diplomacy.

Course contents

History of International Relations focuses on the evolution of international scenarios and actors, mainly through diplomatic practice and agreements as first tool of behaviour in foreign affairs and crisis resolution.

 I Part: Subject

Scientific nature of History of International Relations

From Diplomatic History to History of International Relations

Diplomacy and diplomats: tasks and historical evolution

Geopolitics, Idealism, Realism

Sources: treaties and other documents

Research methodology of History of International Relations

 

 II Part: Concert of Europe and German rise 

Congress of Vienna

Diplomacy by Conferences and Crimean War

Italian international position

Bismarck and his power system

 

 III Part: Europe towards disaster

Power policy and colonial struggles

Birth of defensive alliances

Italy and the Alliance

First World War

Italy from neutrality to Entente

Internationationalism against war: United States, Russia, Holy See

 

 IV Part: Birth and failure of collective security

Heritage of First World War

Peace treaties and League of Nations

Debts and war reparations

German and Soviet isolation

Fascism and foreign policy

Locarno treaties

Economic crisis of  1929 and international consequences

Weimar and Nazism rise

Manchuran crisis

Ethiopian war

Spanish civil war

Mussolini and Hitler

Appeasement

Anschluss

Munich conference

Pact of Steel

Ribbentrop-Molotov Pact

Second World War

Allied War conferences

Yalta and Potsdam

End of European power and beginning of atomic power

  

 V Part: Bipolar World

United Nations

Bretton Woods

Peace treaties

Superpowers

Great Western alliance: Containment, Marshall Plan, North Atlantic Treaty

European integration process and Cold War

Italy: from defeat to Western community

Birth of Israel and Palestinian question

Corean War

German question and Warsaw Pact

Destalinization

Hungarian crisis

Suez crisis

Bandung conference and the beginning of decolonization process

Decolonization of Congo

Decolonization of Algeria

Cuban crisis

Six Days War

Czech crisis

Nuclear Non Proliferation Treaty

Vietnam War

Triangular Diplomacy

Yom Kippur war and oil shock

Strategic Agreements between Superpowers

Detente, Ostpolitk, CSCE

Second Cold War: Iran, Afghanistan, Euromissiles

Slow Soviet decline

Gorbachev's reforms and Soviet breakdown

German reunification and the Birth of European Monetary Union

 

 VI Part: Multipolarism and Globalization

After Bipolarism: American Unilateralism

Postbipolar crisis: Somalia, breakdown of Jugoslavia, Kosovo

Larger West: European Union and NATO Enlargment

Crisis and Rise of Russia

Rise of China

September 11 and International Terrorism

American Reaction: Afghanistan and Iraq

Obama and the End of American Unilateralism

"Arab Springs" and Destabilization of Middle East

Globalization: End of World Order?

 

Readings/Bibliography

 

First Part:

Massimo De Leonardis, Storia dei Trattati e Politica Internazionale, EduCatt, Milano 2011 (till p. 86)

 

Second and Third Part:

Guido Formigoni, Storia della politica internazionale nell'eta' contemporanea, il Mulino, Bologna 2006 (chapters 2, 3 and 4)

Fourth, Fifth and Sixth Part:

Antonio Varsori, Storia Internazionale. Dal 1919 a oggi, il Mulino, Bologna 2015 (the entire book)

 

Readings (one):

- Antonio Badini, The Changing Process of Globalization, Luiss University Press, Rome 2016;

- Stefano Baldi, Un ricordo di Pietro Quaroni, UNAPRESS, Ministero Affari Esteri, Roma 2014 http://baldi.diplomacy.edu/italy/Pietro_Quaroni_Ricordo.pdf ;

- Ottavio Barie', Dalla guerra fredda alla grande crisi. Il nuovo mondo delle relazioni internazionali, il Mulino, Bologna 2013;

- Italia e Libia. Un secolo di relazioni controverse, a cura di Massimo Borgogni e Paolo Soave, Aracne, Roma 2015;

- Italy and Tito's Yugoslavia in the Age of International Detente, a cura di Massimo Bucarelli, Luciano Monzali, Luca Micheletta, Luca Riccardi, Peter Lang, Bruxelles 2016;

- Massimo De Leonardis, Alla ricerca della rotta transatlantica dopo l'11 settembre. Le relazioni tra Europa e Stati Uniti durante la presidenza di George W. Bush, EDUCatt, Milano 2016;

- Massimo De Leonardis, Guerra fredda e interessi nazionali. L'Italia nella politica internazionale del secondo dopoguerra, Rubbettino, Soveria Mannelli 2014;

- Ennio Di Nolfo, Il mondo atlantico e la globalizzazione. Europa e Stati Uniti: storia, economia e politica, Mondadori Universita', Milano 2014;

- Nixon, Kissinger e il Medio Oriente (1969-1973), a cura di Antonio Donno e Giuliana Iurlano, Le Lettere, Firenze 2010;

- Henry Kissinger, L'arte della diplomazia, Sperling & Kupfer, Milano 2014;

- Valentine Lomellini, La grande "paura rossa". L'Italia delle spie bolsceviche (1917-1922), Angeli, Milano 2015;

- Lorenzo Medici, Dalla propaganda alla cooperazione. La diplomazia culturale italiana nel secondo dopoguerra (1944-1950), Cedam, Padova 2009;

- Carla Meneguzzi Rostagni, Guido Samarani (a cura di), La Cina di Mao, l'Italia e l'Europa negli anni della Guerra fredda, il Mulino, Bologna 2014;

- Leopoldo Nuti, La sfida nucleare. La politica estera italiana e le armi atomiche 1945-1991, il Mulino, Bologna 2007;

- Bruno Pierri, Giganti petroliferi e grandi consumatori. Gli Stati Uniti, la Gran Bretagna e la rivoluzione petrolifera, Studium, Roma 2015;

- Luca Riccardi, L'ultima politica estera. L'Italia e il Medio Oriente alla fine della Prima Repubblica, Rubbettino, Soveria Mannelli 2014;

- Enrico Serra, La diplomazia. Strumenti e metodi, Le Lettere, Firenze 2009;

- Paolo Soave, La democrazia allo specchio. L'Italia e il regime militare ellenico (1967-1974), Rubbettino, Soveria Mannelli 2014;

- Antonio Varsori, Radioso Maggio. Come l'Italia entro' in guerra, il Mulino, Bologna 2015;

- Antonio Varsori, L' Italia e la fine della guerra fredda. La politica estera dei governi Andreotti (1989-1992), il Mulino, Bologna 2013;

- Odd Arne Westad, La guerra fredda globale. Gli Stati Uniti, l'Unione Sovietica e il mondo. Le relazioni internazionali del XX secolo, il Saggiatore, Milano 2015.

Teaching methods

Two hours lectures.

Assessment methods

During the course and before oral examination regularly attending students (the presence will be verified) will take two progressive written tests. Each test lasts 45 minutes and includes open questions. It will be evaluated  up to 30, contributing to the average of written tests. In case of absence (to justify) to a test, or negative evaluation, the part of program will be brought to the final oral examination. For those who have passed all tests, oral examination will permit to evaluate analytical capacity, general understanding of the course and of the reading. Final grade will be the average between written tests average and oral grade. Not attending students must take the exam orally, reading included.

Teaching tools

Text of main international treaties, historical documentaries, other online sources and some lectures of highly qualified scholars.

Office hours

See the website of Paolo Soave