Monday 30th September 2024
Quotes:
“Europe is not a continent; it is a concept” - Richard Evans
“Europe is a continuous discourse on unification, and as such is basically a political project” -Bo Strath
Geography’s factor into Europe’s identity
18th Century definition of Europe would be the northern mountains (Ural) in Russia dividing Asia from Europe- Vasilii Tatishchev (1736)
Consider: West as being Europe I.e: NATO etc. and Turkey and its history as the Ottoman Empire
Personifications of Europe
Europe or Europa was personified as a powerful and strong woman initially, personifying superiority etc. However, it became challenged and changed, especially the idea that Europe was unified especially in the age of nationalism where countries of Europe differentiated away from the idea of a unified Europa.
Ode to Joy (Beethovens N.9): Esteban Buch 2003: Ode to Joy has meant and been used by many different things to different people, such as nationalists, communists, Catholics, Hitler and those who opposed him. =Similarity to how Europe changes and means different things. (Beethoven’s Ninth is Europes national anthem)
The 20th Century: Age of extremes? (Themes explored in Term 2)
“Age of Extremes” (Hobsbawm), “Dark Continent” (Mazower)
Violence and Warfare: “European Civil War”
Cold War vs Post-War Consensus
Age of Fracture, new unions post-1989
Europe in 1789
Idea that Europe changes from map to map due to changing lines in history usually because of conflict or the power structures creating maps.
French revolution of 1789 started the revolutionary period. (1789-1848) The connections and movements between revolutions or revolutionary ideas supercede the lines drawn by countries. It can also occur from where a revolution starts, I.e: