Political and Cultural Wars in Cold War Europe:
Art, Literature, Public Media (Film and Radio)
and intellectual debates as Expressions of
Cold War Rivalry, 1946-1989.
Spring Term, 2015 T/R, 5-6,6
University of Florida
Dr. George Esenwein
204 Flint Hall
Office hours: T: 9:30-11:30, R: 10:00-11:00
Telephone: 352-273-3369
e-mail: gesenwei@ufl.edu
website: clas.ufl.edu/users/gesenwei
This course assumes that, though it is not possible to measure precisely the
influence of political and cultural activities, the study of the relationship between
artistic, literary, and media (film and radio) to actual historical events can yield
useful insights into the broader political, social, and economic rivalry which
divided Europe for over four decades. The course will be concerned with
questions such as: “How did art and literature (both popular and formal) reflect
the underlying values and beliefs of the systems competing against one another
for cultural supremacy? What impact did Cold War events – the Berlin Airlift
and the Hungarian Revolution, for example – have on cultural developments on
both sides of the “Iron Curtain”? How accurately did films like the popular
“James Bond” series reflect Cold War “realities”? To what extent were the
printed word (literature, propaganda, and academic scholarship) and the media
(both film and radio) employed by the rival systems as tools of persuasion?
The focus of the course throughout the term will be on Europe, though,
whenever an understanding of European-centered events demands a wider
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perspective, the global dimensions of this conflict will be discussed. We shall
begin by studying the origins of the Cold War. Here we shall review diplomatic,
political, and military developments during the last stages of the Second World
War which set the stage for the post-war division of Europe into mutually
hostile camps. Next, we shall survey the political landscape of Europe in the
immediate aftermath of the war, paying close attention to the impact of events
like the Greek Civil War, the rise of Tito in Yugoslavia, and the resurrection of
democratic regimes in Western Europe . The ways in which the ideological
rivalry between the forces of liberalism (capitalism) on the one side and Stalinism
(communism) on the other was intensified by the implementation of the Marshall
Plan and the Truman doctrine, and the formation of pro-Soviet regimes in the
east will also be examined. Parallel to these developments we will be examining
the defining features of the cultural dimensions of the Cold War. This will be
achieved by assessing the ways in which intellectual discourse, music, art, and
the visual media were used as instruments of Cold War propaganda on both
sides of the so-called “Iron Curtain.”
Next we shall turn to a discussion of the political and cultural dimensions of
episodes that have long been associated with this conflict, including the
Hungarian uprising of 1956, the erection of the Berlin Wall (1961), the Cuban
Missile Crisis (1962), and the Prague Spring of 1968. Finally, we will survey the
political and cultural transformations that formed the backdrop to the last stages
of the Cold War. We shall also discuss the significance of the end of the Cold
War in Europe.
Note on prerequisites: As this is an advanced course on Europe, it is assumed that the
student has a strong background in history/politics and particularly in European history.
Students who are expecting a course on the Cold War from an American perspective
should enroll in the appropriate AMH course.
Required Texts: (Paperback editions available through UF Bookstore.)
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Tom Buchanan, Europe’s Troubled Peace, 1945-2000 (2006).
The Cold War. Edited by J.M. Hanhimäki and A. Westad, (2004).
Cold War Cultures. Marcus M. Payk (ed.); Thomas Lindenberger (ed.);
Annette Vowinckel (ed.), (2012).
Martin McCauley, The Origins of the Cold War, 1941-1949,(1995).
COURSE STRUCTURE/FORMAT:
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The weekly lectures serve two fundamental purposes: (1) to provide a forum for
discussing the assigned readings and (2) to give students the opportunity to hone
their oral skills through argument and class presentations. For these reasons
attendance is mandatory. This course is designed to allow the student to play an
“interactive” role in teaching the class. At least once during the term you will be
expected to present a brief overview of the weekly topic and lead weekly
discussions by presenting a panel presentation. The presentation itself can be in
the form of a brief lecture, visual presentation (between 15 and 20 minutes)
and/or an outline of questions that can be used as the basis of focused class
discussion. In the latter case you will be expected to lead the discussion and ask
follow-up questions etc. for a 15-20 minute period. (Please note that this
presentation can be used as the foundation for your term essay.)
Oral assignments: Class participation, including your role as a moderator, will
account for roughly 25% of your grade.
Writing assignments/exams: (1) At regular intervals during the semester you
will be asked to write a “reaction” paper covering the themes that are discussed
in the lectures and in your assigned readings. Your performance on these essay
exams/quizzes will count for approximately 25% of your final grade. (2) The only
major writing assignment will be a term paper, 15-20 (double-spaced) pages in
length, which will count for 50% of your grade. Weekly topics/themes listed
below are not suitable subjects for an extended term paper. You must define a
specific theme that will lend itself to a paper 15-20 pages in length. As the
bibliography on the Cold War era is extensive, the term paper should reflect an
in-depth examination of the books and articles available on the subject covered.
(This translates into around 20 or more books and articles.) Students are urged to
use caution in consulting websites and general reference works. In the former
case, you are expected to cite all information/material gathered from that source.
Papers which rely more heavily on computer-based information than on
published sources will most likely receive a low grade ( C or lower.)
EXAMS AND GRADING:
Your grade will be computed using the following formula:
Reaction papers/exams = 30%
Panel Presentation = 20%
Term paper = 50%
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1. Quizzes and Exams will be taken in class.
2. Attendance: Attendance is mandatory. Four unexcused absences will
automatically lower your grade by two letters. You can take up to two
absences during the term without penalty.
3. Student Code of Conduct: See Addendum at end of syllabus.
Course Calendar:
Part I. The Seeds of Conflict
Week of:
6 January– Introduction to the course: the Cold War as an historical event.
13 January–War-time realities, 1944-1945: (1)Soviet presence in Europe, (2) the
Grand Alliance, (3) Planning for the future (Yalta, Potsdam and beyond).
20 January – Post-war Europe: the victors and the vanquished; Building a divided
continent: the Marshall Plan/Truman doctrine; Cominform/Comecon.
27 January – Spheres of influence: Promoting liberalism in Western
Europe/Communists come to power in East Central Europe, 1945-1955. Cultural
confrontations: art for art’s sake and the “people’s art.” Radio wars. Congress for
Cultural Freedom vs. Academy of Arts (USSR).
3 February – Early artistic and literary expressions of the Cold War: George Orwell
(“totalitarian”) vs. M. Gorky/ Zhdanovism (“socialist realism”); the politics of Poster
Art under communism.
3 February/Panel Presentations
10 February – Road to cultural recovery: the re-birth of the cinema (Neo-realism in
Italy and Soviet Cinema under Stalin.) Political theatre in W. Europe (Camus vs.
Sartre) and the East (B. Brecht). Armed camps: The impact of NATO, the Atomic
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weapons option, the Soviet military threat; Propaganda wars. Impact of Decolonization (Algeria, Southeast Asia).
17 24 February/Panel Presentation
Readings:- The Origins of the Cold War (entire book); The Cold War, Chapters 1-4, 8, 10-11, 13; T.
Buchanan, Chapters1-4., 6; Cold War Cultures, Chapters 1-2, 6.
Part II: Cold War Crises
17 February – 24 February –- Cultural reactions to the communist-centered crises
of the Post-Stalinist era: Thaw or Freeze?; 1956: Suez/Hungarian uprising (Radio
Free Europe, the fate of Polycentrism); 1961: Berlin War (Icons of freedom and anticapitalism); Cuban Missile 1962 Crisis. Part I. Depicting the Cold War in film: James
Bond, Dr. Strangelove and Solaris.
24 February/ First Exam
SPRING BREAK: 28 February - 7 MARCH
10 March- 17March – Post-Stalinist era: Thaw or Freeze?; 1956: Suez/Hungarian
uprising; 1961: Berlin War; Cuban Missile 1962 Crisis. Part II.
17 March/Panel presentations/ Outline for Term paper due (graded
assignment/no late outlines accepted.)
24 March – Cold War at a stalemate, 1963-1968 . Youth culture in East and West:
Pioneers vs. Sex, drugs and rock and roll.
26 March/Panel presentations
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31 March -- 9 April : A Year of Protests: 1968; Counter-cultural expressions and
youth revolts in the West and the emergence of a generation of dissidents in
Western Europe (CND, Feminism, the New Left); Cultural protests in communist
Europe (All that Jazz and Plastic People of the Universe); preserving socialism in
Czechoslovakia (Prague Spring).
7 April/Panel presentations
14 April -- The Brezhnev doctrine and the coming of a Second Cold War. Moving
towards peaceful coexistence? Détente and the persistence of the old regimes.
Terrorism and violence as reactions to capitalism and imperialism in the west;
Dissident voices and internal criticism under communist rule.
14 April/Panel Presentations
Readings::- T. Buchanan, Chapters 5-7; The Cold War, Chapters 6, 7, 9, 15; Cold War Cultures,
Chapters, 4-5.
Part III.: The End of History?
16 April -- Economic realities: From EEC to EU; the decline of socialist economics.
The end of a divided cultural world? Winds of change: democracy returns to
Western Europe (Portugal, Spain, and Greece); Eurocommunism:Marxism with a
human face? Post-Cold War Europe: the promise of a democratic Europe and the
road to liberal capitalism.
Term papers due/No late papers accepted.
21 April/Second Exam.
Readings :- T. Buchanan, Chapters 8-12; The Cold War, Chapters, 16-19; Cold War Cultures,
Chapters, 7-8.
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ADDENDUM TO SYLLABUS
Code of Conduct/Make-up exam policies for EUH4282
UF faculty is now being asked to provide written guidelines relating to (1) student conduct in the
classroom and (2) make-up examinations. Most of these can be deduced by exercising common
sense. But to avoid any misunderstandings, students enrolled in the courses listed above should take
note of the following:
Code of Conduct:
(1) Cell phones must be turned off throughout the class period.
(2) Students are asked not to talk, read papers, surf the internet, and otherwise distract the class
from the lectures/class discussion.
(3) Students coming in after the lecture has begun should not interrupt the professor and/or
students by walking in front of classroom, re-arranging desks to gain access to seating, etc.
Latecomers should therefore take a seat at the back or wherever it is possible without disturbing
others.
(4) Anyone who arrives more than ten minutes after class has begun will be counted absent unless
he/she has the prior approval of the instructor.
(5) Intellectual honesty: any student caught plagiarizing the written work of others and/or cheating
on an exam will automatically fail the course.
Make-up exams/Late Papers:
(1) Apart from documented illness, family emergencies (immediate family only), and exceptional
circumstances (to be determined by the instructor), exams will have to be taken on the assigned day.
The scheduling of permitted make-up exams will be at the discretion of the instructor.
(2) All written assignments – term papers and the like – are due on the day assigned in the syllabus
and/or as announced by the instructor during class. Papers must be handed into the instructor on
the due date in a hard-copy format. (That is, do not send your paper as an e-mail attachment etc.)
No late papers will be accepted for any reason(s).
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