The Applied History course at the Stockholm School of Economics aims to highlight the importance of history, especially with regard to great power rivalry and issues of world order, so that we can come closer to understanding our own age. It is devised to teach students the many ways in which a deep historical understanding - a historical sensibility - can expand their knowledge of contemporary policy issues in economics and politics, as well gaining insights into how decision makers have used and misused history.
In accordance with an educational tradition of 'small groups, big ideas', twelve students have participated in seminars with renowned scholars of history, international relations, and economics from Sweden, the UK, the US, and Finland. This anthology contains the students' final essays and, as in the course lectures and literature, topics span from antiquity to the unravelling of the Cold War.