Thanks to these 20 contemporary history sheets, classified in 7 main categories, you will become untouchable on the history of France but also of Europe and the world from 1945 to the present day.
These sheets are, of course, intended for all history buffs, but they have been designed more specifically for students preparing for competitive exams, from the baccalauréat to higher education, students in preparatory courses, and, of course, candidates interested in the Sciences Po exams.
In a chrono-thematic way, here are the main facts to remember, from the end of the Second World War to the middle of the 20th century, up to the 21st century.
The World, Europe and France from 1945 to 2022
before finding below the summary of the cards, here is a summary of the themes of our contemporary history.
After the Second World War, the aim was to rebuild a destroyed Europe, while building organizations strong enough to protect against a new world war.
Two powers were confronting each other, above all on the ideological level, but also on all geopolitical levels.
At the same time, a process of decolonization is taking place: the old European powers are losing their influence, and nations aspire to emancipation, and even independence.
The economic frictions take an unprecedented scale, by the more and more intensive interconnection of the state economies.
To make a place for itself in this world, France developed and then relied on the constitutional regime of theFifth Republic.
Joining forces with its European neighbors, it actively participated in the creation of the European Union.
This European Union, an organization of a nature unprecedented in history, must be put in perspective with General Europe, that is to say, with regional development outside this specific political construction.
But it is ultimately on a global scale that the new challenges of the 21st century are being played out.
I. After the Second World War, the entry into the Cold War (1945–1947)
A. The outcome of the Second World War
B. From the Yalta conferences to the Nuremberg trials.
C. Truman doctrine versus Jdanov doctrine
II. The Cold War takes hold (1947–1969)
A. The world is divided: the confrontation between the two blocs
B. A new stabilization of international relations
III. Decolonization and the emergence of the Third World (1945–1,990s)
A. The causes and first signs of decolonization
B. The emergence of Third World countries
IV. Interconnected economies (1,950s–1,990s)
A. The economy in the world during the Trente Glorieuses
B. The economic crises between 1973 and 1996
V. Contemporary history of France (1945–2022)
A. France guided by General de Gaulle
B. From post-Gaullism to today
C. France in the construction of Europe
D. France’s cultural influence
E. Politics in France since 1991
VI. Contemporary history of Europe (1946–2022)
A. Construction of Western Europe
B. Eastern Europe and popular democracies
C. Evolution of the European Union since 1992
VII. Inherited and future challenges in the 21st century (1991–2022)
A. Tensions of the 21st century inherited from the Cold War
B. Challenges for the world in the early 21st century
See also:
→ 19th century Fact Sheets
→ 50 introductory law worksheets
@Tanguy: Of course @Tanguy, these are good exploitable outlines! However, beware of Sciences Po, because they generally offer original subjects, which are not usually treated. It will therefore be necessary to adapt both the problem and the outline to the question specifically proposed. Good luck and do not hesitate if you have any other questions, The Academics in Politics team.
hello, can we consider your sheets as outlines? THANKS !
Good morning! What is the official Sciences Po Provinces program for history please? Thanks in advance.
Hello, Among your sheets are all the themes, or are there any missing please? Thanks in advance.
@Pauline: Hello Pauline, we really need to work more, find other sources of information, and study even more to deepen the notions. These are sheets that are useful for revision, and effective for preparing for the competition, to have all the main points, the good ideas, everything that is good to place. The best is still to find a book that will give you more details, that will give you another vision. You still have plenty of time to prepare and succeed in this competition, anything is possible! These sheets will be an excellent basis that will ensure you a satisfactory grade, and as it is a competition, you have to stand out, and therefore go even further. Good luck, you still have everything you need to succeed, The Academics in Politics team.
Hello, I came across your site by chance but it seems to me to be well done. However, I wanted to ask you if, in your opinion, it is enough to know all the files that you make available to us for the common competition 2014 or if it is necessary to support … I indeed took the initiative to prepare the competition at the start of the year but I had some minor problems at the start of the year and I had to more or less stop my preparation. So for lack of time, do you think I can just work with your files? THANKS
Hello, First of all thank you for your which wants to be very rich and which helps me a lot. Then, I would have liked to know if the whole history program appeared above please? If all the chapters present in the contest were included, or if some were missing? Thanks in advance.
is the program still the same? I can trust his files without problem? thank you in advance for answering me since the sheets were posted in 2012 I don’t know what to think
Thank you for your sheets which sum up the theme well. Clémentine I think that if you want to prepare for the competitions, re-reading your lessons is not enough, you also have to make files, you have some good ones there!
hello I am in terminal and I am preparing for the contest, so I am looking for any good advice to help me. first question, do you think that the best way in history, for example, is to make cards or just read your lessons and books carefully? Thanks to those who answer me
hello, This is the program for 2013 and before. But nothing is changed for 2014 so far. But I think that in reality there will be change in the years to come.
Hello, Your site is very well done, the sheets are of high quality. Is it for the 2013 contest or 2014? Have a nice day, Sincerely, Nina
@Opal47: Hello Opal47, we are talking about the conflicts from World War II, especially the new territories map. There are still many nationalist demands (ex-Yugoslavia, diversity of peoples in Russia) Or, on the contrary, nostalgic ones who have not had satisfaction, revisionists (victorious powers who have not had what they wanted, those who preferred the USSR rather than Russia (many according to the polls during the Yeltsin government) American isolationism questioned should the United States act in Europe the question of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, inherited from the second World War never ends and keeps bouncing back. There is still a Russia/EU antagonism in practice, like during the Cold War, except that Russia simply no longer has all its power. You can browse the internet to see again all the tensions that remain after the Cold War and the 2nd W.W. Good luck for the contests!
Hello, on the eve of the exam I wonder what were the tensions of the second world war still present which you allude to in conflicts and threats (VII-B) Thank you in advance for enlightening me, and thank you again for these cards without which I would be lost.
What responsiveness! Thank you for those outlines, and again for everything. It’s a huge job, I’m well aware of it…and I hope to be grateful to you. See you Saturday for news from the front.
@Mixz: Hello @Mixz, the sheets takes a long time to produce and they are and will not be ready before the contest. We still hope to do everything we can to help you, so in broad outline:Europe since 1945: all the emergence of the European idea at the end of the war, then the organization of the Marshall Plan which later served as the basis for the ECSC, then the creation of the EEC with the Treaties of Rome, the European Union in 1992 with the Treaty of Maastricht. The ideal is to be able to speak of the discordant voices that have been heard, in particular de Gaulle’s refusal twice to integrate the United Kingdom, considering it as the Trojan horse of the United States. People’s democracies: the fact that all the countries of Central and Eastern Europe were taken as satellites of the USSR, which imposed communist regimes there, at the cost of blood sometimes with in particular the landmark episode of the Prague coup. The Cominform, the establishment of the treaties, Treaty of Warsaw in 1955, COMECON. But here too there were tensions within the people’s democracies themselves: Tito (Yugoslavia) was an enemy of Joseph Stalin, for example. Then there were wars of independence, as soon as the attempts to liberalize the regimes were also made with arms. The European Union since 1992/1993: The whole story after the Maastricht Treaty, you were born so it is easier. Among the highlights, there was the introduction of the euro, a few treaties (of Amsterdam for example) which modified the Treaty of Maastricht, the attempt – and the failure – of the European Constitution, where the non-won in France in 2004, then the Treaty of Lisbon. It is then about the immediate history, and you can report the news of the last years, since the Sarkozy and Hollande mandates, their relations with Merkel. As for the VII, 1991 until today: Sheet VII. A. is actually already available. Conflicts and threats mainly focus on ongoing wars, especially the burning Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The tensions resulting from the Second World War have not in fact been extinguished, and it is necessary to note the fact that they still exist. Decolonization is not completely completed: examples of the referendum in the Falklands recently. North Korea still presents a threat, while nuclear weapons are of growing concern in view of the technological advances of North Korea or Iran on this subject. New challenges for the world: In connection with the previous file, terrorism – September 11, 2001, death of bin Laden in 2011. The rise of radical Islamism which worries, the fate of Mali is an example of this. The return of religion in general. Similarly, the environmental issue is a major challenge, the search for new resources – the use of shale gas in the United States would have consequences as far as Europe. Nuclear power still, with the Fukushima power plant. The computer wars, the censorship of information, on the internet in particular. Good luck with the revisions, thank you for your support,
Hello, Would it be possible to provide a minimum for the VII. 1991 to the present day please? I take this opportunity to thank you for this outline. It allowed me to organize my revisions. Studious,
Thank you very much, and especially thank you for what allowed me not to scatter myself in my revisions and to be effective!
@Ely: another new VD file offered tomorrow! Around 11 a.m. if you regularly follow the blog. As for the rest, it will appear after the 2013 joint competition, thank you for your encouragement throughout this first year when we were able to offer you 5 entire themes of complete sheets! @lothiali: Thank you very much lothiali! These compliments encourage us to always serve you better.
Excellent blog, I regret not having discovered it sooner, thank you for all this valuable information and good luck to all the candidates!
New sheets available????
The new sheets have been published until VB, new sheets tomorrow! @incognito: Thank you, that is good
hello, is it possible to consult the file concerning France prematurely? Please, I could not constitute a synthesis or assimilate knowledge relating to the question … Thank you
@Mister13: Thank you Mister13 for these compliments; Indeed all the files will not be available before the 24th. We can say that he was a victim of its success, we promise you two or three additional sheets in the coming days, and thank you for your encouragement. revisions, and thank you for your loyalty to the reading of the blog
I specify in fact because I would not like that my remarks are misinterpreted: in no case I make a criticism because without these blogs or sites like yours I will not be able to study!!
Ah okay thank you for the answer, I just allow myself a small comment because I find your sheets really well done: it’s a shame that there are only three chapters summarized in full, one week before the provincial competition … Good evening to you
@Naomy33: Hello Naomi 33, Yes you are right, the cards are only published drop by drop, come back regularly to find them on! The links will be updated gradually, you will find new articles as quickly as possible by regularly consulting the contemporary history. Good day to you!
Hello, will there be only one sheet per day? Will the links update? Thanks in advance
@Mister13: Hello Mister13, starting tomorrow and for several days, new sheets on World History since 1945 will appear on Integrer Sciences Po! Thank you for your attention, and do not hesitate to consult regularly on the blog to discover tomorrow the new sheets of the Sciences Po history program.
The sheets are no longer available from III is this normal or is there a way to access them?