Study European History
Courses Online & In London

This course explores the transformative period of Russian history from 1860 to 1924, encompassing the autocratic rule of the Tsars, the revolutionary upheavals of 1905 and 1917, the chaos of the civil war, and the consolidation of the Bolshevik regime. Students will examine key events, figures, and ideologies that shaped modern Russia, delving into the complexities of political, social, and economic changes during this era.



Please note: this course includes much of the material covered in previous Russian Revolution courses at the City Lit. Moreover this course is taught at an introductory level. Tutor: Zoe Quinn.

The cities of Trieste and Gorizia, on today's Italian North-Eastern border, had a very complicated history in the 19th and 20th century. In this session you will discover the key historical events that marked these lands. From the divisions caused by the two world wars to the choice of Gorizia/Nova Gorica as EU's Capital of Culture 2025.

Throughout the 1920s, Europe struggled with political and economic (re)construction and stabilisation. If some progress was made in part of the continent, wartime promises of a better and democratic Europe were shattered by the Great Depression.

The First World War didn’t erupt overnight—it was the result of decades of tensions, miscalculations, and fatal decisions. This course explores the long-term rivalries, shifting alliances, and short-term crises that led Europe to the brink in 1914. How did political ambitions, military strategies, and diplomatic failures push the world into an unprecedented conflict? Join us as we unravel the complex path to war and ask: was the catastrophe inevitable, or could history have taken a different turn?

This course offers a broad survey of Nazi Germany, its leaders and its population, its racial ideology, political ambitions and structures of rule, its opponents and its victims, and its ultimate descent into world war and genocide.

This course focuses on the Soviet experience of the Second World War, dating from the diplomacy of the late 1930s to the defeat of Germany and Japan in 1945.