Download Advanced Placement European History

Advanced Placement European History 2015-2016
Mr. Thomas: [email protected]
Course Overview:
Advanced Placement European History is a yearlong course that will be offered as social studies
elective or to meet the sophomore social studies requirement through a thorough study of European
History beginning in the Dark Ages and culminating with affairs of contemporary Europe. Students
intending to earn the AP designation on their transcript will be required to take the Advanced Placement
test in May and all students will be encouraged to take the test in order to potentially acquire college credit
for the course.
Course Focus:
Unit I—Late Medieval Period and Renaissance
Unit II—Reformation and Religious Wars
Unit III—Absolutism and Constitutionalism
Unit IV—Enlightenment
Unit V—French Revolution and Napoleonic Era
Unit VI—Age of Metternich and Industrialization
Unit VII—Nationalism and Imperialism
Unit VIII—World at War and Russian Revolution
Unit IX—Interwar Period and World War II
Unit X—Cold War and Contemporary Europe
Unit XI—AP Exam Review
Unit XII—Documentaries/Film Festival
Tentative Timeline:
Each unit will consist of 1-3 chapters of the Hunt text covering the following areas and will
comprise approximately 3 to 4 weeks. For every unit students will write one document-based
question (DBQ), one or two free response questions (FRQ), and an 80 question multiple-choice test.
The following schedule provides a general timeline for the school year:
September: Medieval Europe and the Renaissance (chapters 13-14).
October: The Reformation and Wars of Religion (chapters 15-16)
October-November: The Age of Kings and the Monolithic Nation-State (chapters 17-18)
November: Scientific Revolution and Enlightenment (chapter 19)
December-January: The French Revolution and Napoleon (chapters 20-21)
January-February: The Industrial Revolution and the Revolutions of 1848 (chapter 22)
February-March: German/Italian Unification and European Imperialism (chapters 23-24)
March-April: Road to War and the Great War and Russian Revolution (chapters 25-26)
April-May: Totalitarian Europe and the Cold War (chapters 27-29)
May-June: Contemporary Europe (chapter 30)
Summer Assignment 2014-2015
Advanced Placement European History at Mt. Spokane will serve as an exciting, fact-filled
journey into Europe’s past focusing on the following historical themes: intellectual-cultural, politicaldiplomatic, and social-economic. Because the course covers so many branches of information and a
period of roughly 600 years, it is imperative that students have PRIOR knowledge to coming into
the room on the first day of class. The following projects are designed to do just that by introducing
the background information for the course, giving you an opportunity to begin historical exploration
and acquainting you with the many important geographical points of interest on the European
continent. This summer project will prepare you for the intense and exciting nature of this course as
we start to understand the evolution of European History.
A. MAP PROJECT
Thorough knowledge of the European Continent is essential for understanding the various
connections throughout European History. Consequently, the map project will be pivotal in order to get
started in the right direction in AP Euro. The expectations for the assignment are as follows:
1. Students will be given 2 blank maps of Europe (if you can put them on one map in an
orderly fashion, please feel free to do so).
2. Map 1—Political: Countries/Cities of Europe
3. Map 2—Geographic Features
4. Make sure you have a key for each map.
5. There will be map test during the first week of school, in which you will have to locate and
label a map of the European continent.
6. Things to include:
 All European Countries and major cities
 Major mountain ranges and rivers
 All seas, oceans, and major bays in and around the continent.
The following Mountains/Rivers/Oceans/Cities are samples of what you should know:
Alps
Bodies of Water
Key Cities
Pyrenees
Mediterranean Sea
Paris
Apennines
North Sea
London
Caucasus (not the Coos Coos)
Bay of Biscay
Rome
Carpathians
Baltic Sea
Amsterdam
Urals
Atlantic Ocean
Berlin
Balkans
Adriatic sea
Moscow
Volga River
Aegean Sea
Athens
Rhine River
Straight of Gibraltar
Constantinople/Istanbul
Elbe River
English Channel
Brussels
Loire River
Black Sea
Sarajevo
Seine River
Irish Sea
Prague
Thames River
Ionian Sea
Madrid
Danube River
Strait of Gibraltar
Warsaw
Rhone River
Strait of the Dardanelles
Vienna
Oder River
Strait of Boshporus
Stockholm
Po River
Caspian Sea
Copenhagen
Tiber River
St. Petersburg
Other landmarks
Alsace/Lorraine
Ruhr Valley
Jutland
Balkan Peninsula
Iberian Peninsula
Silesia
Crimea
Brittany Peninsula
Crete
Sicily
Sardinia
Corsica
Scandinavia
United Kingdom
Baltic States
B. HISTORICAL READING
Read, read, and read! The large volume of material covered in this class will require that you read on
a nightly basis. To get you started in the right direction, and provide you with the necessary background
information to start the course on the first day, you will be required to read William Manchester’s A World
Lit Only by Fire (ISBN: 0316545562). This book provides a thorough summary of late medieval life and
clarifies much of the transitional period between the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. This is a critical time
period for the course, heavily emphasized on the AP test. There will be a book test during the first week of
the class. Any notes that you take on the book may be used on the test. Knowing the following items will
help you in preparing for the test:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Identify Manchester’s thesis (argument) regarding thinking in the Middle Ages.
Individuals, events, quotes, or facts to support that thesis.
Understand the context for Magellan’s trip as much as the trip itself.
Watching the movie Luther might help in understanding the background.
This book is not a difficult read if you pace yourself. Don’t wait until the last minute!
Please remember that this course is intended by the College Board (the organization that runs
Advanced Placement) to be a college-level European History course, and therefore, your commitment to
learning is expected to be high. If you have any questions about the expectations for the summer
assignment, please make every effort to contact me (room 202) before school is out. On occasion I will
check my school e-mail throughout the summer if you have further questions. Please do NOT wait until the
week before school resumes to finish this project. Make every effort to start of next year on the right foot. I
look forward to an exciting year of AP European History with you!
Manchester Summer Reading Historical Background
Major Theme: A series of crises in the Later Middle Ages transformed European society. These crises included:
1. The Black Death (1347)—Bubonic Plague
2. The Hundred Years War (1337-1453)—French/English Dynastic Wars
3. The Babylonian Captivity (1309-1377) and Great Schism in the Catholic Church (c. 1377-1415)
I. The Black Death (1347)
A. Causes:
1. Bubonic plague was carried by fleas on Asian black rats and brought to Europe on
ships returning from Asia
2. Overcrowding in cities and homes facilitated the spread of the disease
• Many aristocratic families slept in one room and many prosperous peasant
families slept in one bed for warmth; less prosperous peasants even worse off
3. Poor sanitation in cities: garbage-filled streets, human excrement, and dead animals
4. Widespread malnutrition prior to the plague led to poor health (e.g. lower immune
systems) that made people more susceptible to the disease
• 25% harvests in early 14th century were poor as torrential rains destroyed
wheat, oats, and hay crops; some instances of cannibalism occurred
5. Poor hygiene also played a significant role
• Many people believed (correctly) that their water was contaminated and feared
taking baths. Plague doctors often wore attire with the beak stuffed with spices or
herbs to protect the doctor from the disease.
B. Results: Loss of 1/3 of European population (mostly in cities)
1. In some cities, such as Florence, nearly ½ the population died
2. Economy in towns suffered significantly (while the countryside was less affected by
the plague
• The plague accelerated an economic decline that had been in effect since the
early 14th century
3. In some areas workers enjoyed higher wages as the supply of workers was depleted
4. Impact on the peasantry
a. Serfdom ended in many areas in western Europe
b. Peasant revolts in England and France increased (had originally been in
response to taxation during the Hundred Years’ War)
5. First enclosure of fields in Britain occurred as landowners needed better agricultural
production with fewer farm hands; largely done for sheep herding
6. Best of the clergy died (staying behind to help the sick)
7. Jews were often blamed for the plague and thus persecuted
• Continued the age-old phenomenon of anti- Semitism in Europe
8. Literature and art reflected pessimism
a. Dance of Death (Danse Macabre): dancing skeletons danced among the living,
reminding viewers of the prevalence of death.
b. Northern Europe developed a morbid fascination with death that was later
reflected in the art of the Northern Renaissance.
9. Population did not reach pre-plague level until the mid- 16th century.
II. Hundred Years’ War (1337-1453)
A. Cause: English crown lay claim to the duchy of Aquitaine in France
• French king confiscated that territory from English control
B. The War
1. Most of the war was fought intermittently in France and in the Low Countries
2. By 1415, the major battles had been won by England and Paris itself was threatened
• Aside from loss of territory, France was threatened by the rise of a new state in
its eastern territory, Burgundy, that allied with England
3. Joan of Arc
a. French peasant girl claimed she heard voices of saints and persuaded the king
to allow her to be with the troops.
b. In 1429 led French army to victory at Orléans during a crucial stage of the war
c. The French heir to the throne was crowned as a result, and the government was
thus strengthened
d. Joan was later captured by the English and burned at the stake in 1431
C. Results:
1. France permanently removed England from France (except for tiny region of Calais)
2. The struggles of war began the modernization of state building in France and England
(“New Monarchs”)
3. Peasant Revolts
a. Causes: taxation during Hundred Years’ War, desire for higher wages, hostility
toward aristocracy, and higher expectations among the peasantry.
• Revolts increased in frequency after the Black Death
b. English Peasant Revolt (1381)
• Largest revolt, as many as 100,000 involved
c. Jacquerie in France (late 14th-early 15th c.)
• Peasants not as successful as English peasants in gaining some changes
d. Results:
• Revolts crushed
• End of serfdom in England c. 1550
III. Crisis in the Catholic Church
A. Background
1. Western and central European society was dominated by the Catholic Church since the
fall of the Roman Empire.
a. Religious authorities in many regions were more powerful than secular
authorities
b. Popes, at times, were the most powerful political figures in all of Europe
2. The Middle Ages were characterized by religious unity under the Catholic Church
a. Meanwhile, the Greek Orthodox Church (Eastern Orthodox Church) was
dominant in the Byzantine Empire in the modern-day Balkans and parts of eastern
Europe, including Russia.
b. There was little cooperation between the Catholic and Orthodox churches
B. Early Critics of the church
1. Marsiglio de Padua: Defender of Peace
a. Claimed the church should be subordinate to the state
b. Believed the church should be governed by a council of laity and priests
superior to the pope.
2. John Wyclif (c.1330-1384)
a. Believed the church should only follow Scripture -- This view foreshadowed
Martin Luther’s reformation in the early 16th century
b. Wrote an English translation of Bible
c. His later followers were called Lollards
3. John Hus (c.1369-1415): ideas very similar to Wyclif
a. Led a nationalist movement in Bohemia (modern- day Czech Republic)
• Captured by authorities and burned at the stake for his heretical and
political views
b. Hussites: followers of Hus, staged large rebellions in the 14th century.
C. Babylonian Captivity (1309-1377)
1. In 1305, a struggle between the pope and the French king led to the election of a
French pope who set up his leadership in Avignon, France
2. Led to 7 successive popes resided at Avignon, France
3. This situation damaged papal prestige (esp. in England & Germany) since popes were
believed to be unduly influenced by French kings
4. Rome’s economy, meanwhile, was damaged significantly
D. Great Schism (c. 1377-1417)
1. Further conflict occurred in 1377 with election of two popes—one in Rome, one in
France—neither of whom recognized the other.
2. Further hurt prestige of church
E. Conciliar Movement (1409-1418): Ended the Great Schism
1. Sought to reform the Church by creating a council of cardinals that would be more
powerful than the pope
2. Failed as a movement; the newly elected Pope Martin V ensured that papal power still
remained supreme
IV. Fall of the Byzantine Empire
A. The Byzantine Empire had been the dominant power in southeastern Europe for nearly a
thousand years.
1. It began as the Eastern Roman Empire and lasted long after the Roman Empire in the
west disappeared.
2. The Greek Orthodox Church (or Eastern Orthodox Church) was dominant in the
Byzantine Empire.
B. In 1453 the Ottoman Empire took Constantinople, the capital city of the Byzantine Empire
and its last major stronghold.
• Many scholars fled Byzantium to Western Europe to escape Turkish rule.
C. The Ottoman Empire spread northeastward into Europe, taking control of the Balkans and
eventually threatening the central European regions of Hungary and Austria.
V. Nationalist literature of the Later Middle Ages
A. Rise in the use of the vernacular (national languages)
B. Dante Alighieri (1265-1321), The Divine Comedy (1321); also considered an early
Renaissance figure
C. Geoffrey Chaucer (1340-1400): Canterbury Tales – portrayed English life
D. Francois Villon (1431-1463): Grand Testament (1461) – greatest poet of Medieval France
• Portrayed ordinary French life with humor and emotion.
VI. Life in Later Middle Ages
A. Marriage: avg. age for men = mid-20s; women = 16-18
1. Divorce was unheard of in Catholic countries
2. Economic reasons were most important for marriage (love not paramount until the
18th-19th centuries)
3. Prostitution existed in cities (customers were often young middle-class men who
didn’t marry until later)
B. Work:
1. Agricultural cycles and church ritual closely linked
2. Small % of men were artisans in towns; protected by guilds
3. Serfdom reduced in many areas
C. Recreation
1. Aristocracy – jousting tournaments
2. Common people—archery, wrestling, bull-baiting, bear-baiting; alcoholism rampant
D. Laity increasingly managed parish lands
VI. Scholasticism: Thomas Aquinas (1224-1274)
A. Scholasticism became the cornerstone of late-medieval philosophy
B. Aquinas attempted to reconcile faith and reason by using logic to support Christian doctrine
• Sought to reconcile Aristotle’s scientific ideas with Christianity
C. Scholasticism dominated Catholic philosophy for centuries
• Challenged severely by Renaissance humanists in the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries
Background Terms to Know
Black Death, bubonic plague
Hundred Years’ War
Joan of Arc
English Peasant Revolt, 1381
John Wyclif, Lollards
John Hus, Hussites
Babylonian Captivity
Great Schism
Conciliar movement
Vernacular
Byzantine Empire
Fall of Constantinople
Ottoman Empire
Dante Alighieri, The Divine Comedy
Geoffrey Chaucer, Canterbury Tales
Francois Villon, Grand Testament
Scholasticism, Thomas Aquinas
Martin Luther
Popes (Alexander VI, Julius II, Leo X)
Good luck with the reading. It will provide an excellent foundation for an exciting year of study
concerning the development of Western Civilization in the last five centuries. See you in September!