Early Modern History|European History|Russian and East European Languages and Cultural Studies

This course requires students to relate two bodies of primary source material, studied in English translation. The first comprises major texts in the history...

Monarchs and the Enlightenment in Russia and Central Europe I (HIST0481)

This course requires students to relate two bodies of primary source material, studied in English translation. The first comprises major texts in the history of European political ideas, beginning with Montesquieu’s Spirit of the Laws (1748) and encompassing classic works by Beccaria, On Crimes and Punishments (1764), Rousseau, Considerations on the Government of Poland (1772), Voltaire, Diderot and Kant. The second body of sources concerns Enlightened reforms pursued by the five monarchs covered by the course: Catherine the Great of Russia (r. 1762-1796), Stanisław August of Poland-Lithuania (1764-95), Frederick the Great of Prussia (r. 1740-86), and two rulers of the Habsburg or Austrian Monarchy: Maria Theresa (r. 1740-80) and her son Joseph II (r. 1765-90). How far, and in what ways, did these monarchs draw on Enlightened ideas in shaping their reforms? How far is it plausible to think of a unitary model of ‘Enlightened despotism’? The approach throughout is comparative, exploring, in particular, the relationship between crown and nobility, the question of serfdom, favouritism and its critics, religious toleration, and judicial and educational reform.

Russia’s role in the Donald Trump campaign brought ‘fake news’ to the world’s attention. In fact, there are a whole range of techniques...

Undermining Democracy: Political Manipulation in Comparative Perspective (SESS0074)

Russia’s role in the Donald Trump campaign brought ‘fake news’ to the world’s attention. In fact, there are a whole range of techniques for manipulating and undermining democracy. This module looks at how ‘political technology’ was born in and spread out from the post-Communist world and now interacts with other techniques more common in the West. The module will include many case studies of the arts of political manipulation in key countries, and concludes with an analysis of the practical policy implications.