Leaders in Distance Learning

Professional Diploma in History

Course Synopsis

Oxford College ODL offer this Level 2 Diploma in History. By the end of your course, your knowledge and awareness of history will be significantly enhanced. You should also have developed your ability to analyse information and to communicate detailed and complex arguments effectively.

History, as its name suggests, is a study of the past. It is certainly true to say that in order to understand the conflicts and difficulties of the present world you need to understand what has happened over previous years. Many of today's politicians and world leaders are well aware of the events of the past and often use them as guidelines in dealing with present problems and crises. History encourages you to absorb and learn key facts and data before analysing which pieces of information are the most important and most significant. A key skill of any historian is to make an informed judgement on an important historical issue having weighed up all of the information and evidence available.

This course focuses on 20th century History, specifically in relation to the USA, the Soviet Union and Britain. Key historical figures covered by the course include Churchill, Stalin, Kennedy and Reagan.

Course Content

The course will cover the following topic areas:

Module One - Stalin Part 1

Module Two -Stalin Part 2

The struggle for power- the making of the vozhd in 1924-29: personalities and policies.

Transforming the Soviet Union: the collectivisation of agriculture and its social and economic impact; industrialisation and its economic and social impact; the three five year plans; changing social policies.

Persecution and control: the origins and course of the purges; culture and the arts in the service of a totalitarian regime.

The making of a superpower: the Great Patriotic War; devastation, war production; victory.

Module Three - USA 1968-2001 : Part 1

Module Four - USA 1968-2001 : Part 2

The Presidencies of Nixon, Ford, carter, Reagan, Bush and Clinton: reasons for the outcomes of elections; Watergate and the constitutional issues to which it gave rise.

Social issues and their political; impact: feminism, the rights of minorities; religious belief; the importance of the Supreme Court.

Popular culture: the media, film, television, radio and journalism; the importance of sport for race relations.

The debate over the role of the state in the economy- Reagan and the New Right: 'Reaganomics' and free market ideas.

Module Five - British Political History : Part 1

Module Six - British Political History : Part 2

The Labour election victory of 1945: reasons for it and key features of domestic policy of Labour governments of 1945-51; extent to which this was 'an age of austerity'.

The Conservative government of 1951-64: extent of continuity with Labour objectives; key features of domestic policy (economic management, housing, unemployment); rising living standards.

Labour and Conservative governments, 1964-79: reasons for growing domestic problems (inflation, wages policy, relations with trade unions).

The Conservative election victory of 1979: reason for it and key features of the demotic policy of Thatcher government; domestic achievements; reasons why the Thatcher era was controversial; reasons for her fall in 1990.

Module Seven - Superpower Relations 1944-1990 : Part 1.1

Module Eight -Superpower Relations 1944-1990 : Part 1.2

Module Nine - Superpower Relations 1944-1990 : Part 2.1

Module Ten - Superpower Relations 1944-1990 : Part 2.2

The post-Stalin thaw and the bid for peaceful coexistence; Khrushchev and the response of Dulles, Eisenhower and Kennedy.

The arms race, 1949-63: nuclear technology; delivery systems, the Cuban missile crisis; the Test Ban Treaty.

Sino-Soviet relations, 1949-76: alliance to confrontation in Asia and its impact on US policy.

Détente, 1969-1980: the Strategic Arms Limitation Talks (SALT) and agreements; Helsinki Accords; the impact of economic realities.

Online Enrolment

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