Syllabus
1. Introduction
2. Stalin's Death and the "New Course" in Eastern Germany
3. The Uprising of the 17th of June 1953 in the GDR
4. 1956 -Destalinization and Unrest in Central Europe
5. The Hungarian Revolution of 1956
6. Mass Escape and Consolidation in Hungary
7. The "Prague Spring"- Prelude and First Stage
8. The "Prague Spring" 1968 - Reforms and the Warsaw Treaty
9. Aftermath of the Czechoslovak Reform Experiment
10. Solidarność - Independent Labour Union and Social Movement in Poland
11. Solidarność in the Long Run - From Resistance to Transformation
12. Summary - Similarities, Differences and Influences Between the Crises
Annotation
The course will treat political crises and reform during Cold War Central Europe. We will analyse and discuss the 4 most prominent attempts to establish more liberal and humane conditions within the "real" socialist systems.
While looking at the different contexts of these cases, we will be looking for common causes and mutual influences between these crises.