Nowhere else to go: The Anglo-American relationship from 1784 to the present

Please note that the syllabus and description of the course are the Summer 2011 versions. Up to date versions coming soon.

Syllabus

Dr Peter Martland

Throughout the modern era, relations between Britain and the United States have been largely close and supportive. However, this has not always been the case. This course seeks to address the many issues that have both united and divided these two nations during the past 200-odd years, as well as the solutions found (or not) to resolve them.

The course examines important themes such as the largely shared literature, art and culture, ideas of imperialism, legal systems, governance and representative institutions. The course also highlights the important role of Ireland, Irish America, and Irish history in the story of Britain's relations with the United States. Other themes are also examined, revealing the wholly different national experiences of the 20th century, specifically of the two world wars, the Cold War and the "war on terror."

The course particularly highlights the changing nature of the Anglo-American relationship in the forty years between 1775 and 1815, when Britain and the United States fought each other in two vicious wars and came close to conflict on other occasions. Today's ‘Special Relationship’, arguably forged in North Africa and France in the early 1940s can thus be seen as far more fragile a construct than it might otherwise outwardly appear. Although this twelve lecture course examines the entire period, its main focus is on the development of relations up to the Second World War and the beginnings of the ‘Special Relationship’, the issue of Anglo-American relations in the later twentieth century is covered by the related course offered in Module 2 (August) ‘The Secret Intelligence World: 100 years of Spooks and Spies’.

Reading

Students should regard this as a preliminary reading list and are advised to consult the texts before arrival in Cambridge. See the complete course bibliography.

• David Dimbleby and David Reynolds An Ocean apart: the relationship between Britain and America in the 20th century (1989)
• Christopher John Bartlett The Special Relationship: A political History of Anglo-American Relations since 1945 (1992)
• Christopher John Bartlett (ed) Britain Pre-eminent: Britain’s world influence in the 19th century (Macmillan, 1969)
• Englander, David, and Open University. Britain and America : studies in comparative history, 1760-1970 New Haven [Conn.] ; London: Yale University Press in association with The Open University, 1997.
• Peter Clarke, Hope and Glory: Britain, 1900-2000 (2004)
• Paul Kennedy, The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers: Economic Change and Military Conflict from 1500-2000 (1989)
• David Reynolds Britannia Overruled: British policy and world powers in the 20th century (2000)
• Roy Foster Modern Ireland, 1600-1972 (Penguin, 1990)

Assessment:

• 1 Final Exam: 45%
• 1 Final Essay: 45%
• 1 Participation: 10%

Lecture Hours: 12 x 1 hour 15 minutes (total 15 hours)

Seminar Hours: 8 x 1 hour 15 minutes (total 10 hours)