Reading and Writing Workshop

Modern European History 

Session 1: Cold War Politics (1945–1991)
Focus Topics:

• Ideological divide: USA vs. USSR
• Berlin Blockade and Berlin Wall
• Korean War and Cuban Missile Crisis
• Hungarian Uprising and Prague Spring
• Gorbachev’s reforms and Soviet collapse

Reading Selections (Public Domain):

1. Winston Churchill’s “Iron Curtain” Speech (1946)
   https://archive.org/details/WinstonChurchillIronCurtainSpeech1946
2. John F. Kennedy's Address on the Cuban Missile Crisis (1962)
   https://archive.org/details/JFK_Cuban_Missile_Crisis_Address_1962
3. Charter of the United Nations (focus on Cold War-era implications)
   https://www.un.org/en/about-us/un-charter
4. Mikhail Gorbachev’s Resignation Speech (1991)
   https://archive.org/details/GorbachevResignationSpeech1991

Writing Activities:

• Write a letter from a Berlin teenager describing life on either side of the Wall.
• Compose a comparative analysis of Cold War rhetoric by Churchill and Kennedy.
• Write a persuasive editorial arguing for or against détente in the 1970s.

Session 2: European Integration
Focus Topics:

• Marshall Plan and post-war recovery
• Founding of NATO (1949)
• Creation and expansion of the EU (ECSC → EEC → EU)
• Maastricht Treaty and rise of Euroscepticism

Reading Selections (Public Domain):

1. Marshall Plan Speech by George C. Marshall (1947)
   https://www.marshallfoundation.org/marshall/the-marshall-plan/marshall-plan-speech/
2. North Atlantic Treaty (1949)
   https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/official_texts_17120.htm
3. Treaty of Rome (1957) – Establishing the EEC
   https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A11957E%2FTXT
4. Treaty of Maastricht (1992)
   https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A11992M%2FTXT

Writing Activities:

• Draft a speech as a European leader justifying EU membership to citizens.
• Write a journal entry from a British citizen before and after the Brexit vote.
• Compose a policy brief comparing the goals of NATO and the EU.

Session 3: Decolonization and Global Interactions
Focus Topics:

• End of empires (India, Algeria, Vietnam)
• Cold War context and proxy wars
• Post-colonial migration to Europe
• Legacy of empire on identity and politics

Reading Selections (Public Domain):

1. Jawaharlal Nehru’s “Tryst with Destiny” Speech (1947)
   https://archive.org/details/TrystWithDestiny1947
2. Frantz Fanon – “Concerning Violence” from The Wretched of the Earth
   https://archive.org/details/TheWretchedOfTheEarth_201811 (public domain in some countries; confirm availability)
3. Vietnamese Declaration of Independence (1945)
   https://www.marxists.org/archive/ho-chi-minh/1945/independence.htm
4. Algerian FLN Proclamation (1954)
   https://historyisaweapon.com/defcon1/flnproclamation.html

Writing Activities:

• Write a fictional letter from a post-colonial immigrant arriving in Europe in the 1960s.
• Analyze how decolonization texts reflect Cold War ideological conflicts.
• Write a short essay comparing independence rhetoric in India and Vietnam.

Session 4: Social and Cultural Changes in Modern Europe
​Focus Topics:

• Women’s rights and second-wave feminism
• 1960s youth protests and counterculture
• Immigration, multiculturalism, and identity
• Technological change, secularization, and media influence

Reading Selections (Public Domain):

1. Simone de Beauvoir – excerpt from The Second Sex (1949)
   https://archive.org/details/TheSecondSex_201811
2. May 1968 Student Protests Posters and Manifestos (France)
   https://www.marxists.org/history/france/may-1968/index.htm
3. UNESCO Report on Cultural Diversity and Globalization (1990s)
   https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000131131
4. Charter of Fundamental Rights of the EU (2000) – Focus on gender and cultural rights
   https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A12012P%2FTXT

Writing Activities:

• Write a poem or short story inspired by the spirit of the May 1968 protests.
• Craft a persuasive speech advocating for gender equality using de Beauvoir’s ideas.
• Write a reflection essay on the cultural effects of immigration and media globalization in modern Europe.