Civilisation GB

Code scolarité : LG20EM30
Twentieth Century Britain:
This course consists of a series of lectures designed to introduce students to the history of the United Kingdom in the twentieth century. At the dawn of the century, the United Kingdom was at the height of its power, its Empire “over which the sun never set” a legacy of the Victorian era; and yet Edwardian Britain was recognisably modern. Though still highly stratified and blighted with inequality, British society was becoming ever more democratic. During the middle of the century, Britain had to grapple not only with two world wars, but also with severe economic crises and, because of decolonisation and the rise of the United States on the international scene, the loss of its status as hegemonic power. However, Britain would emerge from this period as a multi-ethnic society, with a strong welfare state and a vibrant popular culture which exerted an influence out of all proportion to its size. At once modern and conservative, forward-looking and nostalgic for an imperial past, the United Kingdom during the second half of the twentieth century was marked by the struggle for the rights of women, sexual and ethnic minorities, the break-up of the post-war consensus and the quest to redefine its identity in an age of increasing nationalist sentiment (Northern Ireland, Wales, Scotland) and consolidation of what would later become the European Union.
The tutorial course will encourage students to confront their theoretical knowledge of twentieth century Britain to primary source documents of various types. At the end of the course, students will be expected to be able to write a coherent, well-argued analysis of relevant historical documents.

Bibliography
Black, Jeremy. A History of the British Isles. Palgrave, second edition, 2003.
Carnevali, Francesca, et al. Twentieth-Century Britain. Edited by Francesca Carnevali and Julie-Marie Strange. Routl edge, 2007.
Clarke, Peter. Hope and Glory: Brtiain 1900-2000. Penguin, 2004.
Cunningham, Hugh. The Challenge of Democracy: Britain 1832-1918. Longman, 2001.
Marr, Andrew, A History of Modern Britain. Pan Macmillan, 2007.
Marr, Andrew. The Making of Modern Britain. Pan Macmillan, 2010.
Morgan, Kenneth O. The Oxford Illustrated History of Britain. Oxford University Press, 1984.
Morgan, Kenneth O. Britain since 1945. Oxford University Press, 2001.
Sandbrook, Dominic. Never Had It So Good. A History of Britain from Suez to the Beatles. Abacus, 2005.
Sandbrook, Dominic. White Heat. A History of Britain in the Swinging Sixties. Abacus, 2006.
Sandbrook, Dominic. State of Emergency. Britain 1970-1974. Penguin, 2011.
Sandbrook, Dominic. Seasons in the Sun. The Battle for Britain 1974-1979. Penguin, 2013.

Students are strongly encouraged to consult primary sources and academic journals:
- Primary sources: https://eudocs.lib.byu.edu/index.php/History_of_the_United_Kingdom:_Primary_Documents
- Jstor: http://www.jstor.org.scd-rproxy.u-strasbg.fr/
- Periodicals Archive Online: http://pao.chadwyck.co.uk.scd-rproxy.u-strasbg.fr/home.do
- Taylor & Francis online: http:/www.tandfonline.com.scd-rproxy.u-strasbg.fr/
- Wiley Online Library: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com.scd-rproxy.u-strasbg.fr/
 

The objectives of the course are :
- to provide students with a broad knowledge of the main themes in twentieth-century British history, together with a somewhat deeper knowledge of themes examined in the various tutorials.
- to foster the ability to write a critical document analysis which includes historical arguments.
- to enhance the ability to digest, select and organise material to produce a coherent and cogent argument.
- to develop the capacity to work with multiple types of sources, compare and contrast these sources and synthesize the information they provide.

Dans ce cours, les étudiants seront invités à:
- développer une argumentation avec esprit critique.
- analyser et synthétiser des données en vue de leur exploitation.
- travailer sur des supports multiples afin de produire une synthèse commentée d’un ensemble de documents.
- mettre au point une problématique, développée de façon argumentée et articulée.