2023-24

The course deals with the development over time of the peoples of the Balkans during the Middle Ages, from the settlement of the Slavs to the Ottoman conquest. It examines the foundation of autonomous or independent states in the Balkans and the shaping of a distinct cultural character in the region that arose from the confluence of Byzantine and Slavic culture.

The course deals with Greek-Bulgarian relations during the period 1878 - 1912, that is, from the foundation of the autonomous Bulgarian Principality to the Balkan Wars. It examines the attempts on both sides at a rapprochement and the various points of agreement and disagreement, in the light of internal political developments in both states and the diplomatic role played by the European powers.

The French Revolution and the Industrial Revolution were fundamental to the shaping of the societies of contemporary Europe. The course deals with the ideological fermentation and uprisings of the early decades of the 19th century that stemmed from these two revolutions, the development of the Industrial Revolution and extensive urbanization, from nationalism and the formation of nation-states, liberalism, the evolution of European political systems, trade unionism and commercial rivalry, extensive colonial expansion and militarism.

The course deals with the political and socio-economic development of the Balkan nation-states from their foundation up to the mid 20th century. It lays particular emphasis on the military clashes, namely the Balkan Wars and the First and Second World Wars, that shaped the status quo,on the predominance and hold on power of the various Communist regimes and on matters of national identity and minorities.

The course recounts, chiefly on the basis of archaeological finds, these two cultures that are related to one another. One succeeded the other and during the transitional period from one to the other covered the same ground.