The East and Central European Experience - from the Division of the Roman Empire to the Collapse of Communism

Main field of studies:  Economic History

Specialization: G2F, First cycle, has at least 60 credits infirst-cycle course/s as entry requirements

Students should have successfully completed at least 60 hec in first cycle courses.

Today, the limelight has turned towards the East and Central European countries and their economic and political situation. Several of the East Central European countries have during recent years shown swift economic development and some are seen as examples of countries marked by a strong entrepreneurial spirit. Nonetheless, this area still lags behind western Europe economically and has differed significantly socially, culturally, and politically. These countries started out from a significantly lower GDP/capita level at the end of the Cold War and the collapse of the socialist system. The process of transformation to establish a Western style market economy was also both complex and uneven. The socialist model had introduced elements of modernization but was unable to develop the region at the same pace as the Western economies and contributed to the downfall of Communism. The socialist model was also characterized by growing social and environmental problems that contributed to its unsustainability and also left marks after the demise of the socialist model.

However, it was not only the socialist system that delayed their economic development. Eastern and Central Europe were, for example, heavily affected by the two world wars and the transformative political, economic, demographic changes caused by the wars cast long shadows on these countries. The differences between the Eastern parts and the Western parts of Europe are also a result of structural factors, which can be recognized very early in the history of Europe. For example, Western Europe succeeded much earlier in transforming its agricultural economies into modern industrial societies, while this development was slower in Eastern and Central Europe. Industrialization was delayed in the late 19th century compared to Western Europe.

In this course we will reflect on these differences from the division of the Roman Empire to the present day. For a long period of time, serf labour was also the norm in the agricultural sector in large parts of Eastern Europe. We will also analyze how these long-run structural factors shaped the development possibilities of the area.

The main goal of the course is to discuss and analyze the long-run economic, political and social developments of this area. Which differences can be explained by the socialist model, the heritage of two world wars and an unfavorable geopolitical position, and which are the result of the long-run structural, institutional and economic features? The course also analyses the years since transition and how the post-socialist states have developed recently.

Learning outcomes

Upon successful completion of the course, the student should be able to:

- Describe certain basic traits of the economic and social development in East and Central Europe throughout history, from the end of antiquity to the socialist economic model, including the first decades of transition and up to the most recent period.

- Explain the main differences in economic development and economic conditions between Western countries and countries in East and Central Europe

• Analyze the economies of East and Central Europe, particularly in comparison to the economies of the West.

- Describe the economic and social transition process in East and Central Europe after the demise of Communism, and during and after their transitions to market economies.

Form of teaching are lectures and seminars

Language of instruction: English

The contents of the mandatory literature are examined as a traditional written examination at the end of the course. If a student, who has failed the same exam component twice, wishes to change examiner before the next examination, a written application shall be sent to the department responsible for the course and shall be granted unless there are special reasons to the contrary (Chapter 6, Section 22 of Higher Education Ordinance).
In cases where a course has been discontinued or has undergone major changes, the student shall normally be guaranteed at least three examination occasions (including the ordinary examination) during a period of at least one year from the last time the course was given.

The grading scale comprises:

Excellent (A), Very good (B), Good (C), Satisfactory (D),Sufficient (E) and Fail (F).

The scale is tied to fixed score intervals:
A: 85%-100%;
B: 75%-84%;
C: 68%-74%;
D: 60%-67%;
E: 50%-59%.

Course evaluation is part of the course. This evaluation should offer guidance in thefuture development and planning of the course. Course evaluations should be documented and made available to the student.

The course is sustainability-related, which means that at least one of the learning outcomes clearly shows that the course content meets at least one of the University of Gothenburg's confirmed sustainability criteria.