Information Package / Course Catalogue
History of the Balkans
Course Code: TAR459
Course Type: Area Elective
Couse Group: First Cycle (Bachelor's Degree)
Education Language: Turkish
Work Placement: N/A
Theory: 2
Prt.: 0
Credit: 2
Lab: 0
ECTS: 3
Objectives of the Course

The main purpose of the Modern Balkan History course is to reveal the effects of the transformation created in the Balkans by the nationalist movements that influenced the world after the French Revolution, especially on the Ottoman Empire. One of the aims of this course is to reveal how the nation-state idea enabled concrete state demands and state practices, and how the political, social and economic transformation on the Balkan tribes changed the imperial policies and the fate of the empires.

Course Content

Modern Balkan History, the developments in the 18th century and the appearance of the new political order that started in Europe after the French revolution in the Balkans were primarily shaped by the transformations created by the idea of ??nationalism. In this process, the developments of the French revolution and counter-revolution and the new order created by the Congress of Vienna made the Balkans one of the target geographies in the international arena. The separation of Greece from the Ottoman Empire in 1830 and especially the revolutions of 1848 accelerated nationalism and cultural movements in the Balkan geography. The movement that started in Serbia in 1804 created a general movement in the Balkans and created an impact among Hungarians, Bulgarians, Romanians, Albanians, Croats and Bosnians, making the region a difficult geography to manage and leaving empires such as the Ottoman Empire and Austria faced with the problem of survival. The mobilization in the Balkans has turned the region into a boiling cauldron filled with rebellions and foreign interventions causing turmoil. The 19th century turned it into a complete laboratory for the Balkans. Because the nationality problem of the Balkans has made the region even more complicated. So much so that the competition between the great powers over the region led to the outbreak of the world war due to the strategic importance of the Balkans. The content of this course is formed by discussing these processes in detail.

Name of Lecturer(s)
Learning Outcomes
1.To have knowledge about the geography, borders, elements and strategic importance of the Balkans
2.To have information about International Developments and Conjunctural Transformation in the Modern Balkans
3.Making sense of the ideological transformation caused by the French Revolution and the rejection of the Imperial legacy in the Balkans
4.Making sense of the position of the Balkans in the international system of modern times
5.To gain activity in interpreting the political, social and economic conditions of the exit from Turkish rule in the Balkans.
Recommended or Required Reading
1.Mithat Atabay, 20. Yüzyılda Türkiye ve BalkanlarSavaş, Barış, Göç ve Dramın Tarihi, İstanbul 2012.
2.Barbara Jelavich, Balkan Tarihi, 2 Cilt, 4. Baskı, Küre Yayınları, İstanbul 2015.
3.Edgar Hösch, Balkan Tarihi: Kısa Bir Giriş, Runik Kitap, İstanbul 2024
4.Gürsoy Şahin, Osmanlı Dönemi Balkan Tarihi Üzerine Araştırmalar, Gökkubbe Yayınları, İstanbul 2022.
5.Misha Glenny, Balkanlar 1804-2012: İmparatorlukların Çöküşünden Ulusların Yükselişine Avrupa Türkiye’sinin Tarihi, Selenge Yayınları, İstanbul 2024.
6.Adolf Hitler, Balkanlar ve Türkiye, Mevzu Yayın, İstanbul 2024
7.Galip Çağ, Balkanlar Öteki Avrupa’nın Kökleri ve İnşası, Otorite Yayınları, İstanbul 2022.
8.D.G. Hogarth, Nevill Forbes, Balkanlar 1830-1913, Dorlion Yayınları, İstanbul 2023.
9.Ulaş Sunata, Türkiye'de Balkanlar, İletişim Yayınları, İstanbul 2023.
10.Selim Aslantaş, Osmanlı’da Sırp İsyanları 19. Yüzyılın Şafağında Balkanlar, Selenge Yayınları, İstanbul 2023.
11.Andrew Baruch Wachtel, Balkanlar Tarihi, İnkılap Kitabevi, Ankara 2022
Weekly Detailed Course Contents
Week 1 - Theoretical
LBalkans: Concept, Source and a Regional framework
Week 2 - Theoretical
Balkans: Borders and elements
Week 3 - Theoretical
Balkan History: A Brief Introduction
Week 4 - Theoretical
The Balkans Before the Great Revolution: Developments in the Balkans in the 18th Century
Week 5 - Theoretical
The Great Revolution and the Balkans
Week 6 - Theoretical
Congress of Vienna and the Balkans: Balkans in the New World Order
Week 7 - Theoretical
The Balkans and the Ideological “awakening” I: The Balkans in the first half of the 19th century
Week 8 - Theoretical
The Balkans and Ideological “awakening” II: Nationalisms and Nations
Week 9 - Theoretical
The Impact of the Revolutions of 1830 and 1848 on the Balkans: The Great "Awakening"
Week 10 - Theoretical
Balkans and the Great States: Conjunctural Reasons for Separation
Week 11 - Theoretical
The Ottoman Empire and the Balkans: Towards an Unpreventive End
Week 12 - Theoretical
Blocs in Europe, World War I and the Balkans: The Balkans, the Center of the Great War
Week 13 - Theoretical
Post-War Balkans: New World Order The Bad History of the Balkans
Week 14 - Theoretical
Balkans Politics of the Republic of Turkey and the Undeniable Heritage of History
Assessment Methods and Criteria
Type of AssessmentCountPercent
Assignment1%30
Midterm Examination1%30
Final Examination1%40
Workload Calculation
ActivitiesCountPreparationTimeTotal Work Load (hours)
Lecture - Theory141242
Assignment210122
Term Project1527
Midterm Examination1011
Final Examination1011
TOTAL WORKLOAD (hours)73
Contribution of Learning Outcomes to Programme Outcomes
PÇ-1
PÇ-2
PÇ-3
PÇ-4
PÇ-5
PÇ-6
PÇ-7
PÇ-8
PÇ-9
PÇ-10
PÇ-11
PÇ-12
OÇ-1
OÇ-2
OÇ-3
5
OÇ-4
OÇ-5
Adnan Menderes University - Information Package / Course Catalogue
2026