Contemporary Military and International History

You will examine the history of international relations from the 1890s to the end of the Second World War. Particular emphasis will be given to the European balance of power system in place at the turn of the century and the collapse of that system during the First World War; the failure to tame the international system after the war; the subsequent challenges to world order stemming from the rise of Imperial Japan, Fascist Italy, Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union; and, the Western Powers’ reactions to the growing international crisis.

This module examines the history of international relations from the end of the Second World War to the present day. In conjunction with International History I, this module emphasises the changing character of international politics over the course of the ‘Long Twentieth Century’. Particular emphasis will be given to the origins of the Cold War in Europe and Asia, decolonisation in Asia and Africa, the evolution of European unity, the rise and fall of superpower détente, the resurgent political and economic power of China and Japan, the causes and consequences of the collapse of the Soviet Empire, and concludes with the nature of international relations in the post-Cold War world and the conduct of the Global War on Terrorism.

This module will give you an overview of military history in a contemporary context, from the French Revolution through the World Wars and to the end of the Cold War. You will view these in their wider social and political contexts, but mainly concentrating on the military evolution over time.

This module is arranged chronologically from the end of the Great War in 1918 up to the end of the Cold War. This period began with an uneasy ‘inter-war’ phase in which each nation attempted to digest the lessons of the Great War, to be followed in 1939 by a still greater and more truly global conflict, which claimed some 60 million killed, and ended with the actual use of nuclear weapons. Thereafter there was a ‘Cold War’ which lasted from 1946 to 1990, during which the highest science of strategy was concerned with high-tech inter-continental nuclear deterrence and the space race - but the wars actually fought on the ground were all highly ‘limited’ and normally low-tech in nature. Even apparently major conflicts such as the Korean or Vietnam Wars remained recognisably similar to, and indeed often smaller than, the battles of 1939-45 or 1914-18. Many wars were also fought by proxy, using relatively primitive guerrilla or para-military forces in theatres remote from centres of population and industry.  

During the decade since 1990/91 there have been some significant changes, especially improvements in high-tech conventional weaponry, with a reduction in the likelihood of major conventional conflict, but with a rise in counter-insurgency operations. The module will not progress beyond 1991, but in order to understand warfare since 1990/1991 it is essential to grasp how warfare developed between 1945 and the end of the Cold War.

In discussing these developments we will place each series of wars in its wider social and political context; but we will particularly concentrate upon its specifically military evolution in the following technical fields: strategy, operations, tactics, logistics, administration and technology. We will analyse not only the ways in which these factors impacted upon the immediate outcome of the wars, but also the ways in which the developments in one war influenced the preparations for subsequent wars.

In this module you will examine intelligence at a global level, assessing the tools, tactics, and targets of foreign intelligence agencies.

In this module you will develop technical-practical skills to prepare you for a wide range of politics and history related careers. You will develop skills in writing, research, and presentations, and earn a wide range of industry-recognised certificates to bolster your CV.

This module will provide a detailed analysis of the major themes and Global issues between the start of the American Revolutionary War in 1775 and the First World War in 1914. Its main focus will be on the global outbreak of Revolutions globally, considering events in the Americas, Europe, Asia and Africa. It also considers broader revolutions like the Industrial revolution, as well as the political and diplomatic development of the European alliance system. The module will also examine the major developments in cultural and social international history and will demonstrate how it is impossible to have an adequate grasp of the events of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries without first understanding the 'shape' of the century that preceded both of these.

Throughout the history of conflict, soldiers have developed theories in an attempt to understand the nature of wars and how to fight them. Today, many of these theories inform the decisions of military and political leaders. This module examines the ideas of several of the most influential theorists of war, including Sun Zi, Carl von Clausewitz, Antoine Henri Jomini, Alfred Thayer Mahan, and Sir Basil Liddell Hart. It also encourages students to use these theories as tools to enhance their study of historical and contemporary conflicts.

This module prepares you to become a researcher in history when you write a successful 12,000-word undergraduate history dissertation in Year three. It will give you a wider insight into the historical research methods appropriate to the historical discipline the diverse nature of historical sources and allows you to build vital analytical skills that you will employ on your dissertation. You will have the chance to visit and utilise local archives to enhance your research

This module will cover the evolution of air power since its conception in the early twentieth century. The course will commence by examining the implications which air power has born for warfare and military practice, and will then trace its development during the First World War and the interwar years, focusing on issues such as strategic bombing, tactical air support and naval air warfare.

This module is based on the comparative history of a number of different dictatorships, beginning at the end of World War I - examples include Italy, Spain, Germany, Chile, China, Greece, Uganda and Hungary.

In this module you will examine the technical characteristics of tanks and other armoured fighting vehicles (AFVs), their development and the uses to which they have been put in ‘big wars’. In particular, an examination will be undertaken of the significance of armoured forces during both world wars, in the Vietnam War, in the Cold War, the Iran-Iraq War, and the Gulf Wars of 1990-91 and 2003. At the same time, it is equally important that the military ideas which have driven the development of armoured warfare be understood

This module examines the British intelligence community from the birth of the Security Service (MI5) and the Secret Intelligence Service (SIS or MI6) in 1909 through to the 1994 Intelligence Services Act, exploring its activities primarily within the context of British domestic policy, while considering the links between the worlds of intelligence and politics. The module considers the reaction of the intelligence community to the Russian Revolution, and its subsequent battle against the Soviet Union and Communism from the inter-war years through to the end of the Cold War.

This module provides the opportunity to learn or develop a language with the University-wide language programme.

Memory and commemoration of historical conflict, figures and events have become highly politicised in the twenty-first century. Remembrance has become the site of new cultural conflicts that often pit communities against political institutions with nationhood and identity as key factors in these battles. This module explores how the twentieth century saw the growth of commemoration of conflicts from the First World War which continued through the destruction and turmoil into the twenty-first century. 

This module explores the development and complexities of US political history from 1789 to the present day. It offers an introduction to the social, political, economic, and cultural history of the US. The module considers race, gender, immigration, the emergence of the US as a global power, the Cold War at home and abroad, major social movements, political participation, and the media. 

A 12,000 word dissertation on a research topic of your own choosing under the guidance of a dedicated supervisor.

This module explores the First World War as a Total War. It alternates between a chronological examination of military operations and thematic coverage of issues such as economics, mobilisation, diplomacy, and revolutions.

This module explores Britain’s role in encouraging and supporting resistance movements in Europe during the Second World War through the Special Operations Executive (SOE), the organisation established in July 1940 and instructed by Churchill to ‘set Europe ablaze’. The module makes extensive use of surviving SOE documents, now available at the National Archives, and considers their value within the context of official release policy and censorship under Section 3 (4) of the Public Records Act.

In the third year of your degree you will have the opportunity of spending the whole of your final semester working in a military archive. This is an excellent way of gaining work experience which can greatly enhance your employment prospects. It is also a great way to culminate your studies by getting your hands dirty in an archive – the “coalface” for any historian. Rather than doing normal modules at Salford, you would get involved in the day-to-day work of the archive, as well as carrying out a special archival project that will result in a written report that will be assessed like a normal essay. 

This module allows you to examine Britain’s varied involvement in counter-insurgency operations since 1945. After an initial engagement with the theories and principles of insurgency and counter-insurgency, the module will cover the cases of Kenya, Malaya, Northern Ireland, Britain’s continuing involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan, and some lesser known cases.

Since the announcement of its invention in 1839, the medium of photography has influenced human activity in fields as diverse as science and leisure, politics and personal relationships. Nowhere has its impact been more dramatic, however, than in the representation of conflict during the 20th century.

Addressing the photography of conflict, using Britain as its primary case study from the start of World War I to the 21st century, this module takes a critical approach to a range of photographic imagery made and circulated in times of conflict including press, amateur, protest and even fine art photography. It also examines the importance of news images in shaping public attitudes to conflict.

This module explores American conflicts in history and memory. It takes a chronological approach from colonial conflict to the 21st century and evaluates five conflicts. Each conflict will be dissected over two weeks – the first week will look at the history of the conflict itself, and the second week will look at how the conflict is remembered. The course considers how experience of war has shaped Americans' identities and definitions of citizenship, as well as the relationships among memory, place, and political power. Students’ will engage with the collective memory of war and peace as they examine questions of whose histories are remembered and forgotten, the ways myths of war are created for political purpose, definitions of heroism, and how memories of war shift over time.

This module provides the opportunity to learn or develop a language with the University-wide language programme.

This module examines the relatively under-explored Second World War in Asia and the Pacific, starting with the first dimension of Japan’s conflict, namely the creeping expansion and war in China, before examining the second aspect of Tokyo’s war with the Anglo-American powers from late-1941. As well as exploring the Japanese, American and British dimensions, the unit will also cover the “other” actors and elements in the Pacific War story, such as Australia, India and the USSR, together with the themes of clandestine warfare, industrial production, and crimes in warfare. Inter-woven within each weekly topic will be the experiences of commanders, soldiers, POWs and civilians.

This will give you the chance to consider cyber warfare’s role as both an intelligence challenge and an opportunity.

The module provides a comprehensive introduction to Chinese foreign policy since 1949 in terms of its history, traditions and characteristics; examines the key economic, diplomatic, security and geopolitical issues to identify and explain Chinese foreign policy goals and their implementation; explores the sources of conflict, competition and cooperation in Chinese foreign policy behaviours, assessing competing theoretical explanations in International Relations for key events and policies. Moreover, the module investigates the implications of China’s rise for the distribution of power at the international and regional levels as well as for global governance.