Euro100 Week 11 Lecture Notes

Overview

• Focus: Europe's history in the 20th century.
• Progression from post-WWI, through WWII, the Cold War, and into the 21st century.

Conceptual Framework

• Proposition: View the 20th-century wars as one "long war."
  • Analogous to historical wars like the Hundred Years War.
• Wars Considered:
  1. World War I
  2. World War II
  3. Cold War
  4. Ongoing conflicts, such as Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Key Phases and Ukraine's Role

World War I

• Imperial Competition: Land empires dissolved (Austro-Hungarian, German, Russian, Ottoman).
• Ukraine in WWI: Divided between influences (west with Poland, east with Russia), absorbed by Soviet Union post WWI.

World War II

• Re-Emergence of Empires: Germany as a land empire, Soviet Union's contiguous expansion.
• Ukraine in WWII:
  • Central to conflict: Suffered invasions from both Germany and Russia.
  • Known as part of the "Bloodlands", heavily affected by Holocaust and Soviet policies.

Cold War

• Nature: Non-conventional "war" based on nuclear deterrence.
• Ukraine's Significance:
  • Integral to Soviet Union due to strategic assets like Black Sea Fleet and nuclear silos.
  • Strong Ukrainian nationalism, especially in the west.

Post-Cold War and Modern Era

Fall of the USSR

• Ukraine's Independence: Declared after the Soviet collapse in 1991.
• Key Events:
  • 2004 Orange Revolution
  • 2014 Euromaidan Revolution
  • Annexation of Crimea by Russia in 2014

Current Conflicts: Ukraine

• War in Ukraine: Continues to be central in European conflicts.
• Nuclear Weapons: Ukraine disarmed under guarantees from the US, UK, and Russia.

European Political Landscape

Post-WWI

• League of Nations: Established post-WWI to maintain peace, largely ineffective.
• Esperanto: Proposed as a universal diplomatic language.

Post-WWII

• Division of Germany into East and West.
• Nuremberg Trials: Held to prosecute Nazi war crimes.
• Establishment of the UN: Aimed at preventing further global conflicts.
• Marshall Plan: US aid to rebuild Europe, a missed opportunity for post-Soviet Russia.

Cold War Dynamics

• NATO and Warsaw Pact: Formed as opposing military alliances.
• Decolonization: European empires lost colonies, primarily post-WWII.

Rise of Authoritarianism

• Concerns over modern authoritarian leaders in Europe.
• Historical parallels to past dictatorships, focus on undermining institutions.

Closing Remarks

• The European landscape remains dynamic with ongoing issues such as Ukraine's conflict.
• Predictions are uncertain: The future of Ukraine's war is unpredictable.
• Historical Trends: Colonial powers, including Russia, historically lose power eventually.