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HAU33025/26 Architecture and Politics in Twentieth Century Europe

Political leaders use architecture to convey power, to express political ideas, and to influence how people think and act. In twentieth-century Europe, political ideologies including fascism, communism, colonialism, and democracy influenced the creation of new buildings and cities. We will explore those ideologies through the spaces that they produced, and a selection of examples spanning between Hitler’s plans to transform Berlin to public swimming pools in post-war Britain. Under the banner of democracy, we will also explore how forces within Irish politics impacted the Dublin cityscape. This is a history of modern Europe told through the mark left by political actors upon architecture and cities.

  • Module Organiser:
    • Dr Hannah Malone
  • Duration:
    • Semester 1
  • Contact Hours:
    •  
    •  
  • Weighting:
    • 5ECT & 10ECT
  • Assessment:
    • 5ECT: Essay and visual analysis
    • 10ECT: Essay and visual analysis & Project
  • Course open to:
    [M=mandatory; O= optional]
    •  

Learning Outcomes:

On successful completion of the module students should be able:

  • Identify and analyse the architecture built by major political regimes of twentieth-century Europe.
  • Identify and explain the political, ideological, and cultural basis of buildings and urban spaces produced by Fascist, Nazi, Soviet and democratic states.
  • Outline the national and transnational contexts in which architecture was created and received in twentieth-century Europe.
  • Engage critically with historical, political, and theoretical texts relevant to architecture and urban design during this period.
  • Demonstrate original, self-directed historical and theoretical research on twentieth-century European architecture.