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Accessibility statement
This module gives you an overview of Europe's twentieth-century history. It begins with Europe on the eve of the First World War and ends with the reunification of Germany at the end of the Cold War. As well as analysing political and military developments, it will introduce you to the key themes in Europe’s economic, social, medical and cultural history. A central focus of the module is how historians have studied the period. You'll also be introduced to historical debates and to the vast resources for the study of twentieth-century history that are now available online.
The three key themes of this module are the:
This module will open up the breathtaking variety of electronic resources on twentieth-century history which have transformed our ability to carry out historical research and scholarship wherever we are. It will teach you the skills of independent study through learning about this period, so you are able to see the big pictures more clearly, and know how to find out more for yourself.
Beginning with the First World War, which marked the end of the old order in Europe, you’ll study the war’s causes and the war itself. It was a period of technological advances, but inevitably this total war left its mark on every state in the continent, and destroyed many of them. It also enabled some existing socialist and nationalist movements to gain state power for the first time.
During the first half of the interwar period, it appeared that the crises arising from the First World War would be resolved largely within a framework of liberal democracy and internationalism. In the second half, under the stress of the world economic crisis, political systems buckled, and the era became a consciously 'pre-war' one. Attempts in Italy, Germany and Russia to create fundamentally new societies achieved varying degrees of success at the cost of immense human damage. Despite the economic crises, technical and social changes continued throughout the period. You will gain an impression of these changes, as well as the ability to see their inter-relationships.
You'll learn about the causes of the Second World War with an eye on the way that the historiography has developed over the century, and is not resolved even today. You will examine the relationship between war, society and technology via several case studies, including one on the development of penicillin. The history of medicine features in the module to illustrate wider points about social and technical history. The effects of the war on the post-war order will also be considered.
The Cold War was a total war of another kind, and the 'waging of peace' becomes a key theme in the second half of the module. Broadcasters and religions were mobilised in the struggle, as were more conventional socio-economic factors. Soviet-style Communism attempted to provide a coherent alternative to the liberal-democratic mainstream. The year 1968 was a watershed on both sides of the Iron Curtain. The momentum of both the Western European 'golden age' and the Eastern experiment with autarchic socialism had slowed down. In the final part of the Cold War, the West's (slowing) growth and the more compelling social vision that it embodied brought victory in 1989.
During the post-war period, competing Great Powers were (in theory) replaced by allied and integrating blocs. But was the Great Power rivalry really dead?
This is an OU level 3 module. OU level 3 modules build on study skills and subject knowledge acquired from studies at OU levels 1 and 2. They are intended only for students who have recent experience of higher education in a related subject, preferably at the OU. You should already have some of the skills appropriate to studying history at this OU level.
This module is open to all students who are suitably prepared. If you intend to study for the BA (Honours) History, you must have first successfully completed either Early modern Europe: society and culture c.1500-1780 (A223), The British Isles and the modern world, 1789–1914 (A225), or Exploring history: medieval to modern 1400–1900 (A200) (now discontinued).
If you have any doubt about the suitability of the module, please speak to an adviser.
You may find it helpful to do some background reading of the set book, Mark Mazower, Dark Continent: Europe’s Twentieth Century.
You’ll get help and support from an assigned tutor throughout your module.
They’ll help by:
Online tutorials run throughout the module. While they’re not compulsory, we strongly encourage you to participate. Where possible, we’ll make recordings available.
Course work includes:
You’ll be provided with four printed module books and have access to a module website, which includes:
The OU strives to make all aspects of study accessible to everyone, and this Accessibility Statement outlines what studying A327 involves. You should use this information to inform your study preparations and any discussions with us about how we can meet your needs.
To find out more about what kind of support and adjustments might be available, contact us or visit our Disability support website.
Europe 1914-1989: war, peace, modernity starts once a year – in February.
This page describes the module that will start in February 2026, when we expect it to start for the last time. A replacement module is planned to start in October 2026 and February 2027.
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