LFU:online

to understand the basic approaches of Global History; ability to contextualize individual historical episodes within a Global History framework

Traditionally, the so called „long nineteenth century“ has been described as the era of nationalism und nation-building. Therefore, processes such as industrialisation, modernisation or urbanisation have mostly been examined in national (mostly European) contexts. However, the nineteenth century is also a time of hitherto unimaginable surges in globalisation originating in the intensification of world trade, the imperial expansionism of Europe and from technological innovations such as railways, steamships or telegraphs. The „long nineteenth century“ has, thus, been shaped by the seemingly opposed processes of nationalisation and globalisation.

With the help of six concrete examples, this course will introduce students to the different aspects of the history of globalisation. It will discuss these examples in some detail and thereby seeks to shed some more light on the global-historical dimensions of the nineteenth century.

lecture with reference to feedback from students

Written exam (closed-book)

Jürgen Osterhammel. Die Verwandlung der Welt. Eine Geschichte des 19. Jahrhunderts. München: C. H. Beck 2009.

Christopher A. Bayly. The Birth of the Modern World 1780-1914. Global Connections and Comparisons. Oxford: Blackwell 2004.

Sebastian Conrad. Globalgeschichte. Eine Einführung. München: C.H. Beck 2013.