War and Peace in the 20th Century

This unit seeks to provide students with an understanding of the evolution of global history and politics since World War II and the background to contemporary issues. Central to this aim is the emphasis devoted in the unit to the international roles played by the USA and the USSR during the Cold War. The unit begins at the end of World War II and concludes with a postscript on the legacies of the Cold War: the invasion and occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan. In doing so, it highlights the role that ideology plays in shaping international relations and visions of modernity.


Students who successfully complete this unit will be able to:
5. Interrogate the global role of the USSR and the USA during the Cold War;
6. Locate, interrogate, and integrate primary and secondary source documents in the development of an argument;
7. Critically analyse and interpret key historiographical debates in the Cold War;
8. Reflect on historical trends and ideologies in the twentieth century that have shaped contemporary society.