Sciences and techniques of social work

The course will tackle the main political, social, economic and cultural transformations that marked the twentieth century. Lessons will address the main historiographical issues concerning the contemporary age. In particular, the course will be divided into the following modules: A) 1. The legacy of the long nineteenth century 2. The age of imperialisms 3. Europe and colonial violence 4. Racism: a global history 5. The Fin-de-Siecle crisis 6. The Russo-Japanese War B) 1. The origins of the First World War 2. War of attrition, war of position, total war 3. The October Revolution 4. The Russian Civil War 5. The legacy of the Great War 6. Revolution and counter-revolution C) 1. The birth of fascism 2. The conquest of power 3. Fascism as a model 4. The rise of the National Socialist movement 5. The crisis of the Weimar Republic 6. Democracy under attack D) 1. The great Depression 2. The consolidation of the Nazi regime 3. The fascist regime in Italy 4. Stalinism 5. Japanese imperialism 6. The Spanish Civil War E) 1. The outbreak of the Second World War 2. The conflict in Europe 3. The Shoah 4. The global war 5. The long post-war period and the birth of the Cold War 6. The Chinese Revolution and the Korean War F) 1. Cold War Phases 2. Decolonization and the Third World 3. Les Trente Glorieuses 4. The crisis of communism and the fall of the USSR 5. A new international order 6. The processes of globalization

The course requires knowledge of 20th century history

Readings/Bibliography The bibliography will be completed by the study of essays and documents previously uploaded via internet during each lesson. The student will have to prepare two mandatory readings and one essay among the further readings. Non-attending students will choose two of the books from those indicated in the further readings. Mandatory readings: 1. G. Sabbatucci, V. Vidotto, Storia contemporanea. Dalla Grande Guerra a oggi, Laterza, Roma-Bari 2019. 2. E. J. Hobsbawm, Il secolo breve. 1914-1991, Rizzoli, Milano 2014. Further readings: 1. Karl Dietrich Bracher, Il Novecento. Secolo delle ideologie, Laterza, Roma-Bari 2008. 2. Mark Mazower, Le ombre dell’Europa. Democrazie e totalitarismi nel XX secolo, Garzanti, Milano 2005. 3. Tony Judt, Postwar. La nostra storia 1945-2005, Laterza, Roma-Bari 2021.

Optional

The exam will take place in two distinct moments: a written test and an oral interview. 1) the written part, the same for both attending and non-attending students, consists in a multiple choice quiz 2) The oral interview focuses on the mandatory readings, on one of the further reading and on the topics covered in the course. For attending students, active participation in the course will be taken into account. Non-attending students must prepare two of the volumes included in further reading list. The average between the evaluation of the written test and the oral interview contributes to the formulation of the final grade.

Each lesson includes a frontal presentation and a part dedicated to the discussion of texts, audiovisual materials and archival documents made available by the teacher. At the end of the course, students will acquire the skills to interpret the main issues concerning the t the twentieth century history, through the analysis of archival documents and other sources; the comparison with historiography and the interdisciplinary approach will also help him to develop the synthesis and critical re-elaboration of the readings; the active participation in collective discussions, finally, will strengthen his capacity for argumentation and exposition. Teaching support tools Video projector, PC Audio-visual material, films, documentaries and other sources will be used to carry out lessons