This is the second course of Specialisation 2: Political Conflict in Modern Europe (English track History).
Early Exit option (5 ECTS)
Exchange students who are required to return to their home university before January, are allowed to choose an Early Exit option for this course. The Early Exit option means that students can finish the course before Christmas break, receiving 5 ECTS for the course. Students must make arrangements with the course coordinator at the start of the course.
Mussolini, Hitler and Stalin are beyond doubt the most famous dictators of Europe’s violent twentieth century. These three men were able to seize power and maintain it for years, sometimes even decades; they shrewdly invented modern propaganda techniques to generate widespread support; they orchestrated the violent repression of domestic opposition; and were responsible for violence and persecution on a massive scale - in areas conquered by military force and/or at the fringes of their empires.
This course compares these three dictatorships. First, we delve into the question of what comparative historical research actually entails, how it can be applied and what insights it might provide. Then, we compare three dictatorships on four key aspects: the rise of the leaders; the consolidation of their power; the leaders’ relationship with ‘ordinary citizens’; and the radicalisation and brutalisation of their regimes. Finally, during tutorials, we study primary and secondary literature sources. As part of the individual research that forms the conclusion of the course, the students apply the skills they have learned in their own comparative study.
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