Module Identifier HY38330  
Module Title CONTEMPORARY GERMANY TO THE PRESENT  
Academic Year 2003/2004  
Co-ordinator Dr Peter A Lambert  
Semester Intended for use in future years  
Next year offered N/A  
Next semester offered N/A  
Course delivery Lecture   18 Hours  
  Seminars / Tutorials   10 Hours  
Assessment
Assessment TypeAssessment Length/DetailsProportion
Semester Exam3 Hours  60%
Semester Assessment Essay: 2 essays (1 x 4,000 words, 1 x 2,500 words)  40%

Brief description

In 1945, the Allies proposed the denazification and democratisation of Germany. What they in fact accomplished was its division. This option module will begin with an examination of why this unintended consequence resulted. Relations between the two states founded in 1949, the Federal Republic of Germany and the German Democratic Republic, were at first openly conflictual, then marked by an uneasy co-operation which still recognised an ideological gulf separating them. Their respective economies, societies and cultures developed along very different paths. But how far did the people of East and West grow apart? The events of 1989 and 1990 have led some observers to argue that East Germans never really had a separate identity. Others, however, have suggested that a sort of mental wall still divides 'Ossies' from 'Wessies' and argue that the process of reunification will require radical changes in the constitution and politics of the Federal Republic. The 'German Question' still gives rise to agonised debates both wihtin Germany and throughout Europe. This module will be particularly concerned with contemporary controversies.

Notes

This module is at CQFW Level 6