HI4315 Germany, Austria-Hungary & Italy in the era of the First World War 1911-1923
Module Organiser: Professor Alan Kramer
Duration: Michaelmas term
Contact hours: 2 hours per week
Weighting: 10 ECTS
Assessment:
20% Essay; 80% Examination
This module is designed to introduce students to the modern history of the First World War in Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy. It will cover military events and also the home front in all its aspects, including politics, economics, society, and culture. While sufficient attention will be paid to major developments in Germany’s war with the western powers, it will go beyond the familiar focus on the western front and enable students to study less well-known aspects such as Germany and Austria-Hungary on the eastern and south-eastern fronts (Russia and the Balkans), and the war in the Alps between Italy and Austria-Hungary and Germany. The topics may include: origins and causes of the war; Italy’s intervention; the problems of ‘national mobilization’ and war enthusiasm; agriculture and industry; intellectuals; propaganda; strategy and war aims; major battles and operations; trench warfare and the war of movement on four fronts; troop morale and combat effectiveness; military innovation; hunger, blockade, food production; crisis, breakdown, and recovery in Italy; crisis, national disintegration and defeat in Austria-Hungary; and crisis, collapse and defeat in Germany. A knowledge of German and/or Italian, although not essential, would be an advantage.
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this module, students should be able to:
- Analyse political and social developments in Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy between 1911 and 1923
- Identify and search for relevant secondary literature
- Engage with relevant theoretical and critical approaches to the history of these countries in this period
- Apply different techniques of evaluation and interpretation to relevant primary sources
- Critique relevant historiography in the light of study of primary sources
- Present and discuss analysis of questions relating to the history of Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy during this period
- Analyse the impact in these countries of different aspects of politics, society and culture.