Introduction Welcome My name is Jerzy ZDANOWSKI Let s

Introduction Welcome My name is Jerzy ZDANOWSKI Let’s start this e-course „History of International Relations” For information about the teacher please refer to: http: //www. iksio. pan. pl/index. php/en/about-institute/research-staff/229 -jerzyzdanowski

Introduction What is this course about? This course aims at introducing you to the main aspects of international relations, including concepts, theories and processes. Any course on International Relations covers relationships among states, and especially diplomatic relations determined by the idea of state sovereignty, national sentiments and interests, economic development and global problems related to ecology, terrorism, organized crime and human rights. This course exposes the idea that since the Peace of Westphalia in 1648, international relations were focused on state sovereignty. Great powers made several efforts to establish new orders and to achieve eternal peace but all these efforts failed and war remained as a main instrument of securing national interests.

Introduction This e-course is composed of 5 Modules: 1/ Module 1 Basic concepts in International Relations; 2/ Module 2 Main theories of International Relations; 3/ Module 3 International relations after the Treaty of Westphalia up untill World War I; • 4/ Module 4 The roots and consequences of World War I and World War II; • 5/ Module 5 The Cold War and the post-Cold War era. • •

Introduction • There are plenty of books on the History of International Relations. • I suggest the following to read: • W. Carlsnaes, et al eds. Handbook of International Relations, SAGE, 2012; • Th. Diez, I. Bode and A. Fernandes da Costa, Key Concepts in International Relations, London, 2011; • P. Calvocoressi, World Politics since 1945 (9 th Edition, 2008).

Introduction • That’s the end of the Introduction. • Please read through Module 1.