AP Euro Archives

From LearnSocialStudies

Welcome to AP European History. This course will cover topics from 1450 to the present day in Europe. Please keep up with your readings since they will be necessary for successful outcomes for your course grade and a passing grade on the AP Exam in May.

Introduction & AP Euro Basics

Assignments

Units

FRQ's

1. Describe European society during the High Middle Ages. How was society affected by economic revival, the development of the modern state, and the crises of the later Middle Ages?

2. Describe the role of the church and clergy in the political development of England, France, and Germany. Was their role positive or negative? Why? What was the impact of the so called new monarchies on the church?

3. The later Middle Ages has been called calamitous. Why? Describe the impact of the Black Death, the Hundred Years' War, and the decline of the church's prestige.

4. The church between 800 and 1400 underwent periods of revival and decline. Trace the development of the church over this time, and explain the origin and impact of each period of revival and decline. Was the church stronger in 1450 than in 850? Why, or why not?

5. “Machiavelli's The Prince outlined a political philosophy that echoes the main themes of the Renaissance.” Explain this statement. How were the ideas of Machiavelli exemplified by the policies and actions of the rulers of Spain, France, and England in the fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries; the political developments in France and Germany during the eras of religious wars; and the development of absolutism in France?

6. Compare the political evolution of France and England from 1450 to 1715. How do we account for the different paths taken?

7. From the Renaissance to the Age of Absolutism (ca 1415–1715), society underwent tremendous change. Discuss that change in terms of religion, economics, and social organization. How did these elements interact with one another? Did the status of women and blacks change over this time? If so, in what ways?

8. Explain the nature of reform and renewal in the Christian church. What were the main goals and tactics of the Protestant and Catholic reformers? What were their successes? Their failures? Why and how did this reforming outburst lead to the religious violence of the sixteenth century? What was the political impact of Luther's movement and the religious civil wars in France?

9. “The Renaissance was in many ways a product of the economic resurgence of Europe.” Describe this economic resurgence and assess the accuracy of this statement. How did expansion in the New World create economic difficulties? What can be learned from these two examples of expanded economic activity?

10. European civilization has been called a combination of GrecoRoman heritage, Christianity, and Germanic traditions. What were the contributions of these three elements to that civilization? Which of these three had the greatest impact? What other influences helped shape the development of civilization in Europe?

11. The history of Western civilization is closely linked to the phenomenon of urbanization. Discuss the causes and impact of urbanization on the course of Western history to 1715.

12. The relationship between church and state has been a major theme of the textbook. Describe this relationship in Pharaonic Egypt, the Hebrew kingdom, the Roman Empire, Renaissance Europe, and Reformation Europe. What are the common threads of this relationship? How has religion supported or detracted from the power of the state throughout history?

13. The course of Western history experienced many profound changes between the dawn of time and 1715. How did these changes affect everyday life for the average person? That is, was everyday life appreciably different for an agricultural peasant or artisan in Babylon than it was for a French peasant or artisan in the seventeenth century? Explain your answer.

14. You have been asked to write a textbook for a history of women from the Neolithic era through the Reformation. Concentrating on the changes, positive and negative, in the status of women, present a brief overview. In your opinion, what caused the secondary status of women throughout this period of history?

15. Western civilization has witnessed the rise and fall of many empires. Pick four of the empires discussed in the textbook (Hittite, Persian, Athenian, Alexandrine, Roman, and Carolingian) and discuss the reasons behind their successes and failures. What were the common factors in the fall of these empires?

16. Philosophical inquiry is said to have begun with the Greeks. Is this true? Why, or why not? What is the enduring legacy of Greek philosophy?

17. Your textbook examines the development of something called Western civilization. What are the key characteristics of Western civilization? Which characteristics do you find admirable? Not admirable? Explain your answers.

18. Absolutism in eastern Europe was inspired by the example of France under Louis XIV, but was modified to fit the situation of the respective monarchies in the east. Trace the development of absolutism in Russia and either Austria or Prussia. In what ways were they similar? Different? How do we account for the differences? How did the eastern absolutists react to the Enlightenment?

19. Historians have determined that absolutist monarchs needed the help or threat of some outside agent—war, invasion, civil strife—to establish their regimes. Describe the impact of these outside agents in Prussia, Austria, and Russia. How did the example of Poland underscore the necessity of creating a strong, centralized state?

20. It can be argued that the Scientific Revolution found its practical expression in the agricultural revolution, and that the Enlightenment was expressed in “enlightened government.” Consider this argument. How did each theoretical development influence its application? Does the relationship between the Scientific Revolution and the Enlightenment reveal anything about the relationship between economic development and the role of government? If so, what?

21. What effect did economic development (agriculture, cottage industry, and the Atlantic economy) and the population explosion have on everyday life? What was their impact on marriage, the family, women, and children? What about diet, medicine, and religion?

22. The condition of the peasants in eastern Europe contrasted sharply with that in the west. Describe the differences. What accounts for them? What were the consequences¾political, social, and economic¾of this social system on eastern Europe? Did the reigns of the enlightened monarchs toward the end of the eighteenth century improve the situation for the enserfed peasants of Austria, Russia, and Prussia?

23. As absolutism in the east was growing stronger, French absolutism was crumbling. Trace this collapse. What factors—economic, political, and social—brought about the breakdown of the absolutist government in France?

24. The years from 1775 to 1850 were truly a revolutionary period in European history. How did the political, economic, and social structure of Europe change? Compare the predominant structures of Europe in 1775 to those in 1850. Which of the three areas changed the most? Why?

25. The French Revolution is one of the most hotly debated historical events. Much of this debate revolves around the causes of the Revolution and the roles of various social groups in French society. What were the causes? What social groups were involved? What role did each group play in the Revolution? How does this help explain the different views of the Revolution?

26. The Revolutions of 1848 were motivated in large part by the “isms” of the nineteenth century. What were these ideologies? To whom did they appeal? Where were they influential? How did the French and Industrial Revolutions influence these ideologies and thus the Revolutions of 1848? How do we account for the early successes and subsequent failures of the revolutions all over Europe?

27. How did the face of urban Europe change between 1815 and 1848? What was the impact of the Industrial Revolution? What were the problems brought on by that revolution? How did contemporaries appraise the social costs of the Industrial Revolution? How do modern historians interpret those costs?

28. European history from about 1583 to 1848 was one of profound change, with revolutions occurring in intellectual, economic, and political systems. Describe these revolutions briefly, and identify the interplay among the three areas. Which of the three do you think has had the greatest impact on the course of European history? Why?

29. While the Revolutions of 1848 were raging across continental Europe, England and Russia were islands of calm. How were these two very different states able to avoid revolution? What can we learn from this to broaden our understanding of the revolutions in the rest of Europe?

30. The eighteenth and nineteenth centuries witnessed the birth of new ways of looking at the world. Describe the various “isms” that emerged. How do they reflect the impact of the so called dual revolution in economics and politics? What was their impact on the Revolutions of 1848? Which seems to have been the strongest?

31. Describe the impact of the revolutionary changes in Europe on women and the family. What were the most striking changes?

32. Outline the changes experienced by the laboring classes as a result of the French and Industrial Revolutions. Which of the two had greater impact on the workers and peasants of Europe?

33. How did artistic expression reflect the prevailing trends in European society from the Baroque through the Romantic movements?

34. In 1929, the Great Depression began in the United States and spread quickly to Europe. What was the impact of the Depression on the lives of everyday people in the United States and western Europe? How did the Depression affect the lives of Soviet workers? Did the Great Depression and the Soviet experience have an impact on the continued vitality of liberal politics and economics? Explain your answer.

35. Discuss the course of international relations between the end of World War I and the outbreak of World War II. In light of subsequent developments in the diplomatic history of the interwar years, can we argue that the Versailles settlement “caused” the Second World War? Why, or why not?

36. Article 231 of the Versailles Treaty placed full blame for World War I on the Germans. Discuss the long and shortterm causes of the war. In light of that discussion, how accurate was Article 231?

37. The First World War had a tremendous impact on European civilization. What were the positive and negative aspects of that impact? Overall, can you argue that World War I was actually a positive experience for European civilization? Explain your answer.

38. Some historians insist that the First World War killed nineteenth-century liberalism. Why? How do the events in Russia, Germany, Spain, and Italy support this contention? Are there any examples of the continued vitality of liberalism?

39. The post-World War II era saw a veritable renaissance in western Europe. What were the most striking accomplishments of the postwar recovery? How was this recovery achieved? How and why was the experience of eastern Europe different from that of western Europe?

40. Hitler's rise to power in Germany seems to have been one of the most improbable events of recorded history. How do we account for it? That is, how did the conditions in Germany, Hitler himself, and the actions of the other European nations all combine to put a madman at the head of one of the most powerful states of all time? How was Hitler able to consolidate and increase his power after 1933?

41. Artistic expression after the First World War has been called a rebellion against bourgeois culture. What does this mean? Describe revolutionary developments in the visual arts, music, and literature. How did these developments reflect the situation in Europe in general?

42. The Grand Alliance against Nazi Germany was successful militarily but disappointing diplomatically. What were the reasons behind the success and failure of the Grand Alliance?

43. The cold war was a tremendous disappointment after the glorious efforts of the Allies against the Axis powers during the war. Describe the origins of the cold war. Which side¾the United States or the Soviet Union¾seems most guilty of starting the cold war? Explain your answer.

44. Perhaps the most revolutionary changes of the postwar era have been those experienced by average people in their daily lives. Describe the ways in which life has changed since World War II. Have these changes been for the better?

45. The division of Europe essentially began with the success of the Bolshevik Revolution in 1917 and was institutionalized after World War II. Trace the history of this division and explain how this division has, in recent years, been healed.

46. Between 1989 and 1991 the Soviet empire in Europe dissolved. Which parts of that empire are integrating most successfully into the economic and political institutions of western Europe? What are some of the tensions associated with the process of integration? Which parts of the former Soviet empire are not integrating with western Europe? What social, economic, and/or historical reasons can you specify for the varying degrees of integration?

47. The textbook asserts that Europe began a “dual revolution” in politics and economics in the last years of the seventeenth century. Describe this dual revolution. What were its high and low points?

48. European civilization since 1583 has been shaped by the emergence of intellectual trends and ideologies. Trace the intellectual history of Europe since 1583. What were the most influential ideas and ideologies of the past four hundred years? How have they affected the political, economic, and social history of Europe?

49. Everyday life has undergone a radical change since the seventeenth century. Describe what you think of as the most fundamental of these changes. What factors accounted for these changes? Have they all been beneficial? Explain your answer.

50. Perhaps the most radical change experienced by European civilization has been that of the status of women and the family. Compare the situations of women and the family in preindustrial Europe, Europe in the mid-nineteenth century, in the years between the wars, and in the post-World War II era. What have been the most profound changes? What caused these changes?

51. There have been three major peace conferences since the French Revolution, all charged with the task of reconstructing the European international system. Compare the goals, underlying principles, and successes and failures of the Congress of Vienna, the talks at Versailles, and the Grand Alliance conferences. Which of the three was most successful? Why?

52. Perhaps the most powerful “ism” of the nineteenth century was nationalism. Explain the origins and development of this ideology. What impact has nationalism had on the political and diplomatic history of Europe in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries?

53. One of the themes of the text has been the growing divergence between the elites and the popular classes, at least since the fifteenth century. On what is this theme based? Be sure to consider politics, economics, culture, and everyday life. Has this pattern changed significantly in the postwar era?

54. The text asserts that the expansion and redefinition of human liberty has been one of the great themes of modern Western history. Discuss this assertion critically, identifying the key moments in this movement. What were the causes and consequences of these expansions and redefinitions, and how did each new achievement lead to subsequent developments? In light of your discussion, to what extent can we argue that the evolution of human liberty was inevitable?

55. A key theme of the history of European international relations has been the “German Question”; that is, how German unification would be achieved and what role a unified Germany would play in the international system. Discuss this question by examining the efforts at German unification in the nineteenth century and the impact of unification on late-nineteenth- and twentieth-century history. What role can the newly reunified Germany be expected to play in the international affairs of the coming years?

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