History of Democracy in Europe 4003-212HDE
This course of the History of Democracy in Europe concerns the fundamental changes in the practice and understanding of democracy over the past 250 years. The content will be presented in four parts:
1/. First, the circumstances of the birth of the modern democracy, starting with the series of political revolutions, social, moral and cultural changes in the late eighteenth century; philosophical re-evaluations, brought by the doctrine of the natural law, the Enlightenment, and the new ideologies.
2/. Secondly, the birth of public opinion and parliamentary system; political and ideological contradictions of the second half of the nineteenth century, resulting from the development of nationalism, colonialism, labor movement, secularization and transformation of the church's role in Europe.
3/. Thirdly, the great political, economic and social changes in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century: World War I and related problems, ie.: imperial policy of the sovereign democratic countries, militarism, the Russian Revolution and the communist offensive, the new order, and the birth of fascism and Nazism in Europe.
4/. The last part will concern the consequences of the World War II, the Cold War, de-colonization, european integration, and the new understanding of the democracy as the rule of the "human rights".
Type of course
Mode
Prerequisites (description)
Learning outcomes
The idea of the course is to acquaint students with the basic facts from the history of the european democracy, and fundamental changes in the understanding of its meaning and scope. An important goal of teaching is to identify the most important changes in the way of understanding and practicing democracy.
Assessment criteria
Each student, or a group of 2 - 3 students, must prepare a presentation in Power Point on one of the following topics:
1. Enlightenment and democracy
2. Conservatism towards democracy
3. XIX century Parliamentarism
4. Birth of the national ideology
5. European Nationalism in the second half of the nineteenth century,
6. Colonialism: the policy and doctrine
7. Industrial revolution and the rise of the labor movement
8. Fascism and democracy
9. The Russian Revolution and the new understanding of the democracy
10. The political and ideological consequences of de-colonization
11. Two concepts of democracy: the sovereignty and human rights 12. Democracy and technocracy.
The presentation should be prepared with different sources, including books, articles, publications and internet sources, photos and videos, as well as the materials presented during the lecture.
Practical placement
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Bibliography
1. Sartori, Giovanni, Teoria demokracji [tłum. P. Amsterdamski, D. Grinberg] PWN 1998.
2. Dahl, Robert, Demokracja i jej krytycy [tłum. S. Amsterdamski], ZNAK 1989.
3. Arendt, Hannah. Korzenie Totalitaryzmu [tłum. D. Grinberg, M. Szawiel], Wydawnictwa Akademicki i Profesjonalne 2008.
4. Berlin, Isaiah. Zmysł Rzeczywistości [tłum. M. Filipczuk], Wyd. ZYSK i S-ka 2002.