Course Title：Europe and the world since 1900: from global leadership to periphery?

Course concentrates on changing role of Europe in a global area from 1900 to present. Massive shift occurred in this era from supremacy of European colonial powers prior to WWI and decline of it all in its aftermath. Whole set of processes led to decomposition of Old Continent’s dominant position in the world. It will be analyzed how these processes developed from perspectives of different European political powers as well as how former exploited territories worked on dwindling Europe’s influence. European reflections of retreat from the World leader no. One to an almost peripheral player in confrontation to rising powers of the 20th and 21st centuries will be discussed too. Course focuses on four main periods: 1. Beginning of the 20th; 2. Two World Wars and their impact on Europe’s retreat from global dominance; 3. Europe in the shadow of bipolar supremacy; 4. Multipolar world of present.