The seminar focusses on the role of British dominions, colonies and client-states in the course of the Second World War. Beginning in September 1939, the world of the British Empire joined the world-wide conflict. Due to this empire, Great Britain was the only super-power of the interwar period. World War Two would change that forever. The war influenced the Empire’s societies on all continents – from Newfoundland in Northern America up to Tonga in Oceania. With a focus on countries like Canada, Australia and Egypt, in the seminar the students will analyze diplomatic and military files, newspaper articles and personal papers from British (colonial) subjects all over the globe. The seminar’s focus lies on diplomatic and economic history and a modern military history, which concentrates on the impact, which wars have on societies.

Zwei weitere Termine (ZOOM in Bremen) werden noch bekannt gegeben.

Wahrscheinlich wird es sich realisieren lassen, dass von den Bremer Studierenden zwei im Juni an der Präsenzveranstaltung in Tbilisi und an einem in derselben Woche geplanten wissenschaftlichen Kongress zum Thema "Two Iberias. Two Gates of Europe" teilnehmen können, den die Ivane-Javakhishvili-Universität in Kooperation mit der Universidad Complutense de Madrid und der Caucasus University ausrichtet. (https://www.tsu.ge/en/news/International-Conference-Two-Iberias-Two-Gates-of-Europe). Die Entscheidung darüber, wer dabei sein kann, wird nach Engagement und Leistung bei den ersten Veranstaltungsterminen getroffen.

Die Teilnehmerzahl ist auf 10 Studierende aus Bremen begrenzt; regelmäßige Anwesenheit (in Präsenz bei den Bremer Terminen / per ZOOM o.ä. bei den Terminen in Tbilisi) wird erwartet.

After two decades of democratization, some states in Europe have seen a decline in the democratic quality of their political systems. This seminar deals with these processes of democratic backsliding. The research papers to be read will empirically map processes of democratic backsliding and account for these with theories emphasizing different explanatory factors. In addition to research focusing on domestic factors, we will also discuss research that investigates the EU (in-)ability to stop processes of democratic backsliding in EU member states. After having actively attended the seminar, you will be familiar with empirical trends and specific cases of democratic backsliding and with theories that political scientists use to explain these. With the knowledge acquired in the seminar, you should be able to conduct your own research on the topic, for example in your term paper.