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.

(Re)discover France's complex politics during the Fourth and Fifth Republics, and the social challenges and tensions the country faced both at times of growth and modernisation and of crisis and doubts.

In this taster explore how the French Revolution opened up opportunities for female political engagement and action. Through an overview and case studies we will try to answer why the significant social and political gains made by French women in the revolutionary era were to prove transitory.

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.

The decline of the Ottoman Empire shaped the relations with and between the Great Powers, giving birth to new



countries and spheres of influence, the legacy of which is still felt to this day.

The defeat of Germany, Austria-Hungary, the Ottoman Empire and Bulgaria in 1918 had profound territorial, political and economic consequences on the future of these countries, some of which are still felt today.

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.

Explore the growth and expansion of post-plague Europe that witnessed not only the splendour of Burgundy, the rise of printing, unification of Spain and the Renaissance, but also the Age of Exploration that led to colonialism and slavery.

Miscarriage of justice, anti-Semitism, reason of state and ultimately triumph of justice. There is more to the Dreyfus Affair though, an event that polarised French society like few before and is at the heart of modern France.

Explore reasons for the fall of Rome and the emergence of the ‘barbarian’ kingdoms of western Europe. Was it really ‘the Dark Ages’? Were the Vikings simply long-haired tourists who occasionally beat up the natives?

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.

The course offers a broad survey of the history of the German lands under the Holy Roman Empire



(800 to c. 1800).