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Texts:

Available for sale at the University Bookstore and on reserve in the Main Library:

Brower, Daniel R. The World since 1945: A Brief History. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 2005.

Singh, Khushwant. Train to Pakistan. New York, 1981 [1956].

Feraoun, Mouloud. Journal, 1955-1962: Reflections on the French-Algerian War. Lincoln, NE, 2000.

Khalifeh, Sahar. Wild Thorns. New York, 1976.

Mandela, Nelson. Long Walk to Freedom. New York, 1995.

Additional readings, as per the course schedule

 

Study Questions:

Unit 1: 1945-53

Unit 3: 1965-75

Unit 5: 1985-present

Unit 2: 1953-65

Unit 4: 1975-85

 

 

UNIT ONE

WEEK 2: Kennan; Novikov

  • What does Kennan consider to be the outstanding characteristics of Russia’s past?
  • How, according to Kennan, has this past affected the policies and views of the Soviet government since 1917?
  • What strengths and weaknesses does the USSR bring to the anticipated conflict with the US?
  • What, in Kennan’s view, are the implications of his analysis for US foreign and domestic policy?  What must be done to counter the Soviet threat?

  • What specific evidence does Novikov cite to prove his assertion that the ultimate goal of US foreign policy is world domination?
  • What does Novikov see as the the US’s strengths and weaknesses?
  • How does Novikov’s assessment of US foreign policy compare with Kennan’s assessment of Soviet goals?

[questions adapted from James H. Overfield, Sources of Twentieth-Century Global History (New York, 2002): 268, 272.]

 

WEEK 3: UN Charter

  • In what ways does the UN charter bear the imprint of the two world wars?

·        What are the benefits and obligations of membership in the UN?

·        How does the charter balance international law with internal, national laws?

·        How does the UN balance the power of large and small nations?

  • In what ways does the UN seek not just to mediate conflict, but to create a certain kind of world?
  • How does the UN charter deal with territories that are not independent, such as colonies?  Does the charter condone imperialism?
  • Given what you know about the history of the late-twentieth century, do you think these two documents have lived up to their promise?  If so, in what ways?  If not, why not?

 

WEEK 4: Singh, Train to Pakistan

  • how does this novel explain the spread of communal violence among people who were just days before neighbors and friends?
  • The story establishes Iqbal and Jugguh as parallel characters.  With whom lies hope for India’s future and why?  In other words, what characteristics does the author believe will save India?
  • How do we see the impact of British imperialism in these characters and their lives?  In what ways is it absent?  What meaning does decolonization have?
  • Besides the people, there are two other characters in the book: the trains and the weather.  What role do they play in the rhythem of daily life in Mano Majra and how is 1947 “not like any other?”
  • What is the author’s view of the government? Its role in the massacre?
  • Do some digging and see if you can find out what “kalyug” means.  What is the significance of this and other chapter titles?
  • What is the value of reading novels as an historical source?  What questions must we ask of this work in order to interpret it?

 

UNIT TWO

WEEK 5: Khrushchev’s Secret Speech; Sixteen Political, Economic, and Ideological Points: Hungary, 1956

  • What responsibilities does Khrushchev lay at Stalin’s feet?
  • Where does he give Stalin credit for accomplishments and/or shy away from criticism?
  • How do you assess Khrushchev’s motives?  Is he an idealist or an opportunist?  Does it matter?
  • Did Khrushchev have an alternative to his denunciation of Stalin?
  • What purpose did it serve the state to reveal Stalin’s misdeeds?  Did writers and artists who took this moment as an opportunity to express their views have another purpose, perhaps potentially at odds with the state?

  • How does this document articulate cooperation between workers and students?  What other classes/social groups do the authors perceive to be in solidarity with them?
  • How do the demands of the authors transcend national concerns?  What are the political implications of forging the kinds of transnational links that this document suggests?
  • In what way do students seek to redefine Hungary’s relationship to the USSR?  Are students rejecting communism, Soviet domination, or both?
  • How would you describe the way in which the students represent themselves and their demands in this resolution?
  • Given the contents of this document and information from the textbook and lecture, do you think that the Soviet Union had any course other than to invade Hungary in response to student unrest?

 

WEEK 6: Nasser, “Denouncement of the Proposal for a Canal Users’ Assocation” 1956

  • To research: The document describes Nasser as President of the “United Arab Republic.” What is that?  The text refers to a man named Eden.  Who is that? Suggestion: click on the “resources” page of the course website and use one of the encyclopedic sources to find the answer.
  • How does Nasser’s description of the position of “small nations” fit within the context of Cold War politics?
  • What is merely understood and not elaborated on in Nasser’s speech about imperialism and its role in history?  What can you infer his view is of nationalism?  How are these two notions in dialogue with one another?  How can the Suez Crisis be seen as a flashpoint of conflict between these two concepts?
  • We generally think of nationalism as a positive thing (thing of the 4th of July, cheering on Lance Armstrong, etc.). In what ways does Nasser’s speech, especially the last paragraph, point to the dangers of nationalism?  Where is the line between patriotism and nationalism?

 

WEEK 7: Feraoun, Journal 195-1962

  • At what point did the French and Algerian sides seem to become irreconcilable?  What changed?
  • Was there ever an alternative path?
  • In what ways does Feraoun present a human portrait of all sides in this conflict?  Cite and analyze illustrative passages.
  • Who, for Feraoun, are the real victims and who are the perpetrators in this war?
  • How does this conflict come to politicize Algerian Islam?
  • What is the war’s impact on women?
  • Given the Fellagha’s brutality, why do they continue to earn the population’s support?
  • What do you learn from this journal about Feraoun as an individual?
  • Does this journal give you insight into the long-term impact of daily psychological trauma?
  • On p. 65, Feraoun declares “I am as French as you are.”  What does he mean?
  • Does Feraoun’s description of the fighting, disinformation, and mutual misunderstanding change how you see any current world conflicts?

 

UNIT THREE

WEEK 9: Palestinian National Charter

  • What are the dominant concerns in this Charter?
  • Which articles strike you as surprising or controversial? Why?
  • What articles challenge mainstream media representations of the Palestinian cause?
  • Who do you think is the intended audience?
  • How does acceptance of the notion that Palestinians constitute a nationality reframe the Arab-Israeli conflict?
  • Does this document attempt to legitimate terrorism?  To your mind, does it succeed?
  • How does the document represent Zionism? Judaism? To what political benefit?
  • In preparation for the midterm, what do you think the dominant themes of units 1 and 2 have been?  What aspects of those themes does this topic bring forward into the 1960s and 1970s?

 

WEEK 10: Paris 1968: Daniel Singer, “A Revolution Set Alight by Students, Snuffed out by Communists,”

  • How does Singer explain tensions between students and communist officials?
  • What is the relationship between students and workers?
  • What are the consequences of disunity between students and labor?
  • Where do the author’s political sympathies lie?  What can you point to in the text as evidence?
  • What can you say about the historical antecedents from which the students drew inspiration?  You may need to do a little research (in an encyclopedia, for example) to make sense of his references.

WEEK 11: Khalifeh, Wild Thorns

·        Does this book give you insight into what would drive someone to use violence to achieve political goals?

·        What do we learn about the economic reality of this occupation?

·        What does it mean when when Usama says “Palestine’s in the heart, Neruda” (p. 72)?

·        How do class differences and tensions find expression?  Class solidarities? 

·        What kinds of generational tensions are there over how to liberate Palestine?

·        What is the relationship between occupation and disintegration, as Adil repeatedly muses?

·        Do we get any hints of compassion or understanding of the “Other”?  What forces are at work to undermine these insights into the humanity of the enemy?

·        How do the two Adils differ?  Why do you think the author chose to give them the same name, which means “just,” “justice”?

·        What forms can resistance take?  Do you believe the author advocates one over another?  Condemns any paths?

·        How does this book challenge the images we see on TV and read about in newspapers with reference to Muslims? Islam? The Palestinian-Israeli conflict?

 UNIT FOUR

WEEK 13: Mandela, Long Walk to Freedom

  • What factors politicized Nelson Madela?  What makes an individual take on such a struggle?
  • What was daily life like for black Africans under white rule?
  • What impact did WWII have on South Africa?
  • What was the relationship between black nationalists and their white supporters?  Between the ANC and the CPSA?
  • What external personalities and events shaped apartheid in South Africa and the struggle against it?  What role did international pressure play on domestic politics?

 

WEEK 12: The Universal Declaration on Human Rights; Helsinki Final Act, section 4:7

·        What is the purpose (or purposes) of the Universal Declaration on Human Rights?

·        How does this declaration demonstrate the impact of WWII?

·        To the best of your knowledge, in what ways does this document mark a break with pre-WWII attitudes?

·        What linkages do you see between the UDHR and the Helsinki Final Act’s statement on human rights?

·        How might have the Helsinki Final Act empower political dissidents in the USSR?

·        Do you believe that there is any relationship between the human rights movement and the USSR’s collapse in 1991?

·        Does human rights have a place in international politics?

 

UNIT FIVE

WEEK 16: Latin American Debt Crisis

  • What is the “logic of indebtedness?”
  • What changed in the banking industry in 1973 to alter the scope and economic implications of debt in Latin America?
  • What was the “debt crisis”?
  • Given the ways in which Latin American debt was affected by many factors beyond the control of the debtor nations themselves, to what extent are these countries responsible for the fix they found themselves in during the 1980s?
  • What is “structural adjustment,” the IMF’s plan for getting Latin American debtor nations back on their feet financially?  Can you give some examples?  Who bears the brunt of this burden?
  • How does a global perspective on the debt crisis alter our understanding of Latin America’s economic position?  What are some global, systemic problems at the heart of the economic relations between developed and developing nations?
  • Are you persuaded by the solutions the authors offer?  [If you are not, come prepared with counterarguments; it is also a good idea to read the sections between “The Causes of Debt Crisis: (2)” and “Solutions,” as it is there that the authors take apart most conventional arguments against their suggestions]

 

WEEK 16: Benjamin Barber, “Jihad vs. McWorld,”

  • What are “jihad” and “McWorld” shorthand for?
  • Which tendency do you see as more powerful?
  • Are they inherently in conflict?

 

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