MVZb1012 A History of International Relations

Faculty of Social Studies
Spring 2026
Extent and Intensity
1/1/0. 6 credit(s). Type of Completion: zk (examination).
In-person direct teaching
Teacher(s)
PhDr. Vladimír Černý, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Mgr. et Mgr. Vladimír Bízik, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Ing. Mgr. Adriana Ilavská, Ph.D. (assistant)
prof. PhDr. Zdeněk Kříž, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Mgr. Pavlína Kutnarová (assistant)
Mgr. et Mgr. Denis Janšta (assistant)
Guaranteed by
prof. PhDr. Zdeněk Kříž, Ph.D.
Department of International Relations and European Studies – Faculty of Social Studies
Contact Person: Olga Cídlová, DiS.
Supplier department: Department of International Relations and European Studies – Faculty of Social Studies
Timetable
Mon 16:00–17:40 P31 Posluchárna I. A. Bláhy
Prerequisites
! MVZ102 History of Intl. Relations && !NOW( MVZ102 History of Intl. Relations )
Ability to read and understand study materials in Czech and English.
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is only offered to the students of the study fields the course is directly associated with.
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
Abstract
The course covers the historical development of international relations between 1648 and 2003, with emphasis on the period after 1815. It focuses on the main trends in international relations during this period and the characteristics of the international system and its actors at various stages. The course also addresses key aspects of economic and military history. Overall, the course provides students with an empirical foundation in the history of international relations from the Peace of Westphalia to the beginning of the 21st century and introduces them to the main interpretive approaches to this period.
Learning outcomes
Upon successful completion of the course, students will be able to: 1. demonstrate comprehensive knowledge of the history of international relations from the Peace of Westphalia to the early 21st century; 2. understand the interconnections between political, economic, and socio-historical processes; 3. critically analyze and interpret key events and processes in the history of international relations; 4. apply various interpretive approaches to the evaluation of historical events; 5. demonstrate elementary academic writing skills and the ability to work with scholarly sources.
Key topics

1. Introduction to the course. Great power politics in Europe from the Thirty Years' War to the end of the Napoleonic Wars. The emergence of the balance of power and the Congress of Vienna.

2. Concert of Europe, imperialism and colonialism.

3. Formation of power alliances on the eve of World War I and World War I.

4. Development of international relations between the two World Wars.

5. World War II and its impact on the system of international relations.

6. Cold War politics.

7. The Arab-Israeli conflict and its impact on international politics during the Cold War.

8. Decolonization – the collapse of colonial empires after World War II.

9. Formation of the Soviet bloc, American-Soviet relations since 1979, the end of the Cold War and the collapse of the Soviet bloc.

10. Milestones of European integration against the backdrop of the Cold War and after its end.

11. International politics after the end of the Cold War – limits of US hegemony.

12. The bloody 1990s: developments in the successor states of the Soviet Union, the breakup of Yugoslavia, the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, and the American war against Iraq in 2003.

13. The international system and world politics after 1991 and its perception in contemporary academic literature.

Study resources and literature
    required literature
  • CROZIER, Brian. Vzestup a pád sovětské říše. Translated by Nina Vrbovcová. 1. vyd. v čes. jazyce. Praha: BB art, 2004, 679 s. ISBN 8073413493. info
  • FERRO, Marc. Dějiny kolonizací : od dobývání po nezávislost 13.-20. století. Vyd. 1. Praha: NLN Nakladatelství lidové noviny, 2007, 503 s. ISBN 9788071060215. info
  • Moc a zájmy v mezinárodním systému : procesy, aktéři a problémy v mezinárodních vztazích. Edited by Pavel Pšeja - Petr Suchý - Oldřich Krpec - Zdeněk Kříž. 1. vydání. Brno: Masarykova univerzita, 2015, 368 stran. ISBN 9788021083974. info
  • MASON, David S. A concise history of modern Europe : liberty, equality, solidarity. 2nd ed. Lanham, Md.: Rowman & Littlefield, 2011, xviii, 229. ISBN 9781442205345. info
  • PLECHANOVOVÁ, Běla and Jiří FIDLER. Kapitoly z dějin mezinárodních vztahů 1941-1995. Praha: Institut pro středoevropskou kulturu a politiku, 1997, 240 stran. ISBN 808524179X. info
  • BAYLIS, John; Steve SMITH and Patricia OWENS. The globalization of world politics : an introduction to international relations. 9th edition. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2023, xxiii, 623. ISBN 9780192898142. info
  • VESELÝ, Zdeněk. Dějiny mezinárodních vztahů. 3. upr. vyd. Plzeň: Vydavatelství a nakladatelství Aleš Čeněk, 2014, 605 s. ISBN 9788073804992. info
    recommended literature
  • KENNEDY, Paul. Vzestup a pád velmocí :ekonomické změny a vojenské konflikty v letech 1500-2000. Praha: Lidové noviny, 1996, 806 s. ISBN 80-7106-173-5. info
  • KISSINGER, Henry. Umění diplomacie :od Richelieua k pádu Berlínské zdi. 2., opr. vyd. Praha: Prostor, 1997, 946 s. ISBN 80-85190-59-1. info
  • LAMB, Peter - ROBERTSON-SNAPE, Fiona: Historical Dictionary of International Relations. Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield, 2017. ISBN 978-1-53810-1681.
  • LUŇÁK, Petr. Západ : Spojené státy a Západní Evropa ve studené válce. 1. vyd. Praha: Libri, 1997, 460 s. : i. ISBN 80-85983-29-X. info
  • NÁLEVKA, Vladimír. Světová politika ve 20. století. Vyd. 1. Praha: Aleš Skřivan ml., 2000, 287 s. ISBN 80-902261-6-7. info
Approaches, practices, and methods used in teaching
Teaching takes the form of lectures that introduce individual thematic blocks and constitute an integral part of the course material. The main focus of study lies in independent reading of compulsory literature. During the semester, students complete a two-stage continuous assessment system: first, they submit a literature review of academic sources on their chosen topic, then they write an argumentative essay based on this research. A mid-term test on covered material takes place in the middle of the semester. The course concludes with a written examination.
Method of verifying learning outcomes and course completion requirements
The course is assessed based on three components: a mid-term test (max. 20 points), an essay (max. 20 points, min. 11 points required for successful completion), and a final exam (max. 50 points). The maximum total is 90 points; a minimum of 54 points (60%) is required to pass. Submission of an academic literature review (graded as pass/fail) is a prerequisite for submitting the essay and taking the final exam. The final exam is written in person in computer rooms at the faculty. Details will be provided in due course via the Interactive Syllabus.
Language of instruction
Czech
Further comments (probably available only in Czech)
The course is taught annually.
Listed among pre-requisites of other courses
Teacher's information
A detailed interactive syllabus is available to students in the Masaryk University Information System. The syllabus contains all relevant information about the course structure, completion requirements, submission deadlines, and assessment criteria. Students are required to familiarize themselves thoroughly with this syllabus.
The course is also listed under the following terms Spring 2024, Spring 2025.
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