922-102 LaTrobe-Greece & the Balkans in 20thC

Students of this subject will study the rise of nation-states in the Balkans and the ways in which political conflict and modernisation in the 20th century have exacerbated ethnic tensions. They will explore the interplay of domestic and international factors in the construction/manipulation of modern, aggressive national ideologies. The focus is on both high politics and their effects on people's lives. Topics include the impact of the Balkan Wars and of World War I; the failure of democracy in the interwar years; Nazi occupation; civil war in Greece and Yugoslavia in the 1940s; the Communist regimes of Yugoslavia and Bulgaria; the Greek junta; the 'Macedonian Question'; and the wars in Yugoslavia in the 1990s. We conclude by evaluating the prospect for democratisation and 'Europeanisation' of the Balkans.

A web site review of 500 words, a book review of 1000 words, a research essay of 2000 words, tutorial participation and exercises. Students have the option of taking a 2-hour final exam instead of writing a 2000-word research essay.

• T W Simons, Eastern Europe in the Postwar World. St Martin's Press, 1991.
• V Coufoudakis, H J Psomiades & A Gerolymatos, Greece and the New Balkans: Challenge and Opportunities. Pella Pub Co, 1999.
• K Dawisha & B Parrot (eds), Politics, Power, and the Struggle for Democracy in South-East Europe. CUP, 1997.
• I Banac, The National Question in Yugoslavia: Origins, History, Politics. Cornell University Press, 1984.