6TH SEM HONS. SYLLABUS
Semester-6
Course – XIII
Modern Europe : From Nationalism to Socialism
Unit-1: The age of Revolutions – the national revolutions (1830-1850) - the liberal revolutions
and the transformation of Russian society - remaking of eastern Europe.
Unit-2: The economic revolutions, consolidation of capitalism and formation of big national
states in Germany and Italy - imperial advances before and after Bismarck – developments in
eastern Europe - the new balance of power in Europe - Europe divided.Unit-3: Politics of democracy - industrial society and its critics - new concept of welfare state
and revolution in medical science - reason, social change and social reform - the new woman -
arts transformed.
Unit-4: The socialist challenge - from utopian to Marxian socialism - the German, French and
Russian variety of socialist politics.
Reading
1. Eric Hobsbawm : The Age of Capital (1848-1875) ; The Age of Empire (1875-1914)
2. Eric Hobsbawm : Industry and Empire ; Nations and Nationalism
3. James Joll : Europe Since 1870
4. T.C.W. Blanning : The Short Oxford History of Europe (nineteenth century), 1989-1914
5. G. Barraclough : An Introduction to Contemporary History
6. Anthony Wood : History of Europe (1815-1960)
7. Andrew Porter : European Imperialism (1870-1914)
8. George Lichtheim : A Short History of Socialism
Course – XIV
Trends in World Politics from the First to the Second World War
Unit-1: Different theories of world politics - the Marxist and non-Marxist approaches.
Unit-2: Roots of European imperialism and the World Wars as the total war - impact of war on
European mind - Peace settlement of 1919 and search for the collective security - the League of
Nations.
Unit-3: Aspects of the war economy in the inter-war period - the depression and new theories of
mixed economy - the collapse of the Weimer state in Germany and the rise of the Nazis to power
- fascism in Italy.
Unit-4: The World after 1945 - theories of the Cold War and the division of Europe - the
emergence of the American and Soviet spheres of influence - various military and economic
alliances - regional conflicts in the bi-polar world, Vietnam, Korea, Cuba, the middle east and
Afghanistan.
Reading
1. J.M.Gabriel : Worldviews and Theories of International Relations
2. J.J.Roth ed. : World War 1 – A Turning Point in Modern History
3. Eric Hobsbawm : The Age of Extremes, the Short Twentieth Century
4. A.J.P.Taylor : Origins of the Second World War
5. J. Robert wegs : Europe Since 1945
6. Kanti Bajpai and Harish C. Shukul ; Interpreting World Politics
7. W.C.McWilliams and Harry Piotrowski : The World Since 1945
8. Andreas Wenger and Doron Zimmermann : Internatinal Relations(Cold War to Globalized World)Discipline Specific Elective Course (Any four out of Six)
Semester-5 ( any two out of three)
Course – I
History of China from Tradition to Revolution
Unit-1: Traditional China – sino-centrism - society - social groups and classes - confucian value
system - closed chinese economy - the canton trade.
Unit-2: Confronting the foreigners - Opium Wars - treaties with imperialist powers - foreigners’
struggle for concessions in China - China as an ‘informal colony’ – increasing western pressure -
the open door policy - transformation of China from a feudal society to a semi-colonial and semi
feudal society.
Unit-3: The People’s response – from Taiping to Boxer - self –strengthening movement and
reforms 1860 -1898 and 1901-1908 - revolution of 1911 – from nationalism to comprador-ship,
Sun Yat Sen to Yuan-Shi-Kai - Warlordism since 1916 - revolt of the Chinese working class,
the May Fourth Movement.
Unit-4: Development of Chinese industrial economy and growth of the Chinese proletariat -
spread of communism among the proletariat in between the world wars - Chiang Kai Shek,
Kuomintang and the united front - break with the front and the mature phase of Chinese
communist movement under Mao Tse Tung - the Long March and the Communist Revolution of
China.
Reading
1. Sachindranath Chattopadhyay : Mahachiner Itikatha
2. P.B.Ebrey ed. : Chinese Civilization and Society
3. J.K.Fairbank ed. : The Cambridge History of China
4. J.K.Fairbank et al : East Asia – Modern Transformation
5. Forein Language Press, Peking : The Opium War to The Revolution of 1911, series of 5 vols.
6. Tan Chung : Studies on the 19th Century China and Imperialists China the Brave New World
7. Jean Chesneaux et al : China from 1911 Revolution to Liberation
8. Y. Immanuel Hsu : The Rise of Modern China
Course – II
History of Japan from Meiji Restoration to the Second World War
Unit-1: Tokugawa Baku-han system of Japan– its nature - crisis encounter with the west - Meiji
restoration - processes of modernization – social, military, political and economic.
Unit-2: Popular and democratic movements - Satsuma rebellion; popular rights movement and
Meiji constitution.
Unit-3: Growth of militarism in Japan and her imperialist projects - Sino -Japanese relations;
Anglo-Japanese alliance - Russo-Japanese war - World War I and after - the Manchurian crisis.Unit-4: Rise of political parties in Japan and their failure to sustain democratic system - Japan
and the two World Wars.
Reading
1. The Cambridge History of Japan
2. K.Asakawa : The Early Institutional Life of Japan
3. Richard Storry : A History of Modern Japan
4. J.K.Fairbank et al : East Asia – Modern Transformation
5. G.Beasely : The Modern History of Japan
6. E.H.Norman : Japan’s emergence as a Modern State
7. J.W.Hall : Japan from Pre-history to Modern Times
8. K.B.Pyle : The Making of Modern Japan
Course – III
Issues of the Contemporary World
Unit-1: De–colonization of Asia and Africa - emergence of the Third World - struggle for
survival in Asia and apartheid in Africa.
Unit-2: Crisis in the socialist block – theory and practice - impact of the rise of China as a new
socialist state ; the sino-soviet rift and tensions within the east European Soviet Bloc : Hungary,
Czechoslovakia, and Poland ; glasnost- perestroika and collapse of Soviet socialism - end of the
cold war and German reunification.
Unit-3: Oil politics and the Arabian world : Israel, Palestine, Iran and Iraq - nuclear diplomacy in
the twentieth century world
Unit-4: From Bi-polarism to Uni-polarism - globalization and its impact on culture and society
information revolution and its impact of the present day world.
Reading
1. Robert J.C.Young : Postcolonialism
2. Pramod K. Mishra : South asia – Challenge and Co-operation
3. Walter Lippman : The Cold War and Making of the Modern World
4. Herbert Feis : From Trust to terror-the Onset of the Cold War
5. Julius Braunthal : History of the International-World Socialism,2 Vols.
6. M.R.Gordon and B.F.Trainor : The General’s War-the inside Story of the Conflict in the Gulf
7. W.C.McWilliams and Harry Piotrowski : The World Since 1945
8. C.V.Findley and John Rothay : Twentieth Century World