This course is a chronological and thematic introduction to the history of Western interactions with the wider world from the late 1800s to the present, emphasizing the
following events: the rise of nationalism in Europe and the race for empire in the late 19th
century, the First World War, the interwar years, the Second World War, the Cold War, the
post-Cold War world and the effects of globalization. It explores how the United State
engaged with the Soviet Union via proxy wars and spheres of infuence via third parties in
Europe, Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Middle East. It shows students the cultural, socialand political background and implications of this important period in history.
