• English

• General knowledge of the use of a PC and the Internet

The aim of the lecture is to introduce students to the history of international politics.

• Students will become familiar with the origins and development of the modern international system of states. In particular, they will understand how the structure of the system has shaped the foreign policy of major states since 1815.
• Students will be able to identify and assess different approaches to the history international politics in political science and beyond.
• Students will be encouraged to make use of historical analysis themselves. The lecture will identify how students can produce historical explanations for crucial events, how they can refine analytical concepts, and how historical analysis can be used for developing and testing theories.

The lecture will start with an introduction to the subject from a political science point of view, the focus being on the study of international conflict. The analysis of history will proceed with pre-modern international systems. This will serve as a background for an analysis of the rise of the modern international system in Europe in the 17^th century. After having set the stage, the lecture is going to analyze various phases of the development of the international system, focusing on major inter-state peace treaties and how they have unravelled in subsequent conflicts. The phases analyzed are as follows: Westphalian System (1648-1713); System of Utrecht (1713-1815); The Concert of Europe (1815-1918); The League of Nations (1919-1945); the United Nations I and the Cold War (1945-1990): United Nations II (1990-...). By way of conclusion, the lecture will address the question of whether the international system of states is being displaced by a “new world order”. 

Nye, Joseph S. (2007): Understanding international conflicts. An introduction to theory and history. 6. ed. (or any other) New York: Pearson Longman.

Kissinger, Henry (1994): Diplomacy. New York: Simon & Schuster.

Dieter.Kerwer@ua.ac.be