Cambridge Lectures in Economic History - JEB143

• Title: Cambridge Lectures in Economic History
• Czech title: Cambridge Lectures in Economic History
• Guaranteed by: Institute of Economic Studies (23-IES)
• Faculty: Faculty of Social Sciences
• Actual: from 2025
• Semester: summer
• E-Credits: 5
• Examination process: summer s.:written
• Hours per week, examination: summer s.:1/1, Ex [HT]
• Capacity: 59 / 59 (59)
• Min. number of students: unlimited
• 4EU+: no
• Virtual mobility / capacity: no
• State of the course: taught
• Language: English
• Teaching methods: full-time
• Note: course can be enrolled in outside the study plan; enabled for web enrollment; priority enrollment if the course is part of the study plan
• Guarantor: prof. PhDr. Ing. Antonie Doležalová, Ph.D.
• Teacher(s): prof. PhDr. Ing. Antonie Doležalová, Ph.D.; Simon Oluoch Ochieng
• Class: Courses for incoming students

Annotation

English

This unique course is based on cooperation between IES FSS and Robinson College, University of Cambridge. It offers both the inquiry into the newest thematic and methodological development of economic and social history and the teaching practice as is used at the University of Cambridge. For the Cambridge Lectures, Antonie Doležalová was awarded the Arnost of Pardubice Prize 2019 for the most innovative teacher at the Charles University.


CLEH 2026:
HISTORY AS A TOOL FOR SOCIAL AND POLITICAL ANALYSIS

JAN HOWLETT, JESUS COLLEGE, Cambridge

11-15 May, 2026

1.History as a tool for Social and Political Analysis
2. Why no one expected the Russian Revolution
3. Why no one expected 1991
4. Why no one expected Putin's Russia

Last update: Schnellerová Dagmar, Ing. (04.05.2026)

Czech

Tento unikátní kurs je založen na spolupráci mezi IES FSV UK a Robinson College, University of Cambridge. Kurs nabízí jak vhled do nejnovějších tematických a metodologických inovací v ekonomických a sociálních dějinách, tak výukovou praxi poživánou na jedné z nejlepších universit světa.
Téma letošního kursu: Psát dějiny (rozumět dějinám) měnící se doby v čase změn
Témata jednotlivých přednášek, povinná i doporučená literatura, stejně jako téma závěrečných esejů jsou každoročně ohlášena během úvodního semináře.
V roce 2019 získala Antonie Doležalová díky tomuto kursu cenu Arnošta z Pardubic za nejinovativanější počin ve výuce na UK.

Last update: Doležalová Antonie, prof. PhDr. Ing., Ph.D. (15.02.2023)

Descriptors

English

Lecture 1: Introduction

Monday May 11, 2026 - lecture 18:30-19:50, building IES, Opletalova 26, Prague, room 314 (2nd floor)

History: what role does it play today?

The lecture will discuss some present-day uses of history. Who makes use of history in political and economic life and with what purpose?

Obligatory reading:
Green, A., ‘Professional Identity and the Public Purposes of History’, Public History and School, De Gruyter 2018 attached

Possible reading:
Masala, C, If Russia Wins, London, 2025
Jiang, Game Theory #15: The Return of History https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zAer-Mqe7tQ

Lecture 2: Why No One Expected the Russian Revolution of 1917

Tuesday May 12, 2026 - lecture 17-18:20 h, building Hollar (Faculty of Social Sciences), Smetanovo nábřeží 6, Prague, room 112 (1st floor)

The lecture will discuss some of the discussions which preceded the events of 1917

and ask whether a) the Russian Revolutions of 1917 were predicted and b) could

have been predicted

Obligatory reading:

Billington, J. ‘Six Views of the Russian Revolution’, World Politics, Vol. 18, No. 3

(1966): 452-473

Possible reading:

Kelly, D., Worlds of Wartime: The First World War and the Reconstruction of Modern Politics, Oxford, 2025.

Stone, N., Europe Transformed, 1878–1919, London 1983

Lecture 3: Why No One Expected the Fall of the Soviet Union and its Consequences

Thursday May 14, 2026 - lecture 18:30-19:50 h, building IES,Opletalova 26, Prague, room 206 (1st floor)

By comparison with Lecture 2, this lecture will discuss lived experience. What do

present economic and political events teach us about our ability to analyse and

predict.

Obligatory reading:

Marples, D.R., ‘Revisiting the Collapse of the USSR’, Canadian Slavonic Papers,

Vol. 53, No. 2/4 (2011): 461-473

Possible reading:
Nove, A., An Economic History of the USSR, London, 1969 (later edition available online)http://pinguet.free.fr/nove92.pdf#:~:text=An%20Economic%20History%20of%20the%2 0USSR%201917%2D1991
The Russian Economy under Putin, Becker, T., Oxenstierna, S., (eds.), London, 2020

Lecture 4: Conclusion

Friday May 15, 2026 - lecture 11-12:20 h, building IES, Opletalova 26, Prague, room 206 (1st floor)

How useful is history – political, economic or social – today? Does it have to be studied through narrow approaches or are ‘global’ analyses still possible.

Obligatory reading:
Ptaszek et al., ‘Mapping Russia’s Global Influence’, Politeja, 2025: 99-138 attached

Possible reading:
deLong, B., Slouching towards Utopia. An Economic history of the Twentieth Century, NY, 2022
O’Brien, H, The Asset Class: How Private Equity Turned Capitalism Against Itself, London, 2026

Last update: Doležalová Antonie, prof. PhDr. Ing., Ph.D. (14.04.2026)

Czech

Please switch to the English version 

 

Last update: Doležalová Antonie, prof. PhDr. Ing., Ph.D. (14.04.2026)

Course completion requirements

English

Grading policy:

A…...100-91 

B…... 90-81

C…... 80-71

D…... 70-61

E….... 60-51

F… .....50 - 0

 

Compulsory attendance 3/4

Total grade will depend on:

2. Active aprticipation in lectures. The discussion will be based on compulsory reading (20 points max)

3. 4 short papers esssays/reflections based on the lecturer assignement during the lecture (900 characters incl spaces max, via Moodle by May 17), 20 points max. each - it is necessary to submit at least 3 of them   

The minimal amount of points required to pass the subject: 51

 

Each  paper will be evaluated by points as follows:

20 -17:  very well written (5 points max) , highly structured and focused (5 points max),  comprehensive understanding of key facts (5 points max), an ability to formulate own ideas in the analysis (5 points max)

16-13:  clear style, well structured and focused,  good understanding of key facts,  evaluative sought in some areas

12-7: descriptive style, logically structured and focused, a partial understanding of the key facts, missing evaluation

6-1: poorly and unclearly written,  poorly structured and not focused, poor understanding the topic, missing evaluation 

0: not submitted

Last update: Doležalová Antonie, prof. PhDr. Ing., Ph.D. (14.04.2026)

Czech

Please switch to the English version

Last update: Doležalová Antonie, prof. PhDr. Ing., Ph.D. (14.04.2026)

Literature

English

Please see above

 

Last update: Chytilová Julie, doc. PhDr., Ph.D. (15.04.2026)

Czech

Please switch to the English version

Last update: Doležalová Antonie, prof. PhDr. Ing., Ph.D. (14.04.2026)

Requirements to the exam

English

 

Compulsory attendance at the lectures

Submiting at least 3 short esssays/reflections based on the lecturer assignement during the lecture (900 characters incl spaces max, via Moodle by May 17) 

         

 

 

Last update: Doležalová Antonie, prof. PhDr. Ing., Ph.D. (14.04.2026)

Czech

Please switch to the English version

Last update: Doležalová Antonie, prof. PhDr. Ing., Ph.D. (14.04.2026)

Syllabus

English

Please see above

Last update: Chytilová Julie, doc. PhDr., Ph.D. (15.04.2026)

Czech

Please switch to the English version 

 

 

Last update: Doležalová Antonie, prof. PhDr. Ing., Ph.D. (14.04.2026)