Download long essay questions from past years

Council Rock High School South
Mr. Jacoby
AP European History
FRQ QUESTIONS
FROM PAST AP EXAMS
Up to 2008
1
Unit #1 – RENAISSANCE – the 16th Century
1. To what extent is the term “Renaissance” a valid concept for a distinct period in early
modern European history? (1985-2)
2. What were the responses of the Catholic authorities in the sixteenth century to the
challenges posed by the Lutheran Reformation? (1985-3)
3. “The Reformation was a rejection of the secular spirit of the Italian Renaissance.” Defend
or refute this statement using specific examples from 16th Century Europe. (1986-2)
4. In the 17th century, how did England and the Dutch Republic compete successfully with
France and Spain for control of overseas territory and trade. (1986-3)
5. Compare and contrast the attitudes of Martin Luther and John Calvin toward political
authority and social order. (1995-2)
6. Assess the extent to which the Protestant Reformation promoted new expectations about
social roles in the 16th century. (1996-5)
7. Compare and contrast the Lutheran Reformation and the Catholic Reformation of the
16th century regarding the reform of both religious doctrines and religious practices. (1998-6)
8. Discuss how Renaissance ideas are expressed in the Italian art of the period, referring to
specific works and artists. (1998-6)
9. “Leadership determines the fate of a country.” Evaluate this quote in terms of Spain’s
experience under Philip II. (2000-3)
10. Compare and contrast the religious policies of TWO of the following:
Elizabeth I of England
Catherine de Medicis of France
Isabella I of Spain (2002-2)
11. Discuss the political and social consequences of the Protestant Reformation in the first
half of the 16th century. (2001-4)
12. To what extent did political authorities influence the course of the Protestant Reformation
in the sixteenth century? (2002b-2)
13. To what extent and in what ways did women participate in the Renaissance? (2003b-3)
14. Analyze the influence of humanism on the visual arts in the Italian Renaissance. Use at
least THREE specific works to support your analysis. (2004-5)
15. Using examples from at least to different states, analyze the key features of the “new
monarchies” and the factors responsible for their use in the period 1450-1550. (2005-3)
16. Compare and contrast the motives and actions of Martin Luther in the German states and
King Henry VIII in England in bringing about religious change during the Reformation.
(2005-4)
17. Compare and contrast the relationship between the artist and society in the
Renaissance/Reformation period to the relationship between the artist and society in the
late 19th century. (2006-2)
18. Analyze the aims, methods and degree of success of the Catholic Reformation (Counter
Reformation) in the 16th century. (2006-3)
19. Analyze the effects of the Columbian exchange (the interchange of plants, animals and
diseases between the Old World and the New World) on the population and economy of
Europe in the period 1550 to 1700. (2006-4)
20. How and to what extent did the methods and ideals of Renaissance humanism contribute
to the Protestant Reformation? (2006b-5)
Unit #2 - AGE OF ABSOLUTISM of the 17th Century
1. Analyze the changes in the European economy from about 1450-1700 brought about by
the voyages of exploration and by colonization. Give specific examples. (1992-3)
2. Analyze the influence of the theory of mercantilism on the domestic and foreign policies
of France, 1600-1715. (1995-3)
3. Focusing on the period before 1600, describe and analyze the cultural and economic
interactions between Europe and the Western Hemisphere as a result of Spanish and
Portuguese exploration and settlement. (1997-2)
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4. Discuss the relationship between politics and religion by examining the war of religion.
Choose TWO specific examples from the following:
Dutch Revolt
French Wars of Religion
English Civil War
Thirty Years War (1999-6)
5. Analyze at least TWO factors that account for the rise and TWO factors that explain the
decline of witchcraft persecution and trials in Europe in the period from 1480-1750.
(2002-3)
6. In what ways and to what extent did absolutism affect the power and status of the
European nobility in the period 1650-1750? Use examples from at least TWO countries.
(2002-5)
7. Louis XIV declared his goal was “one king, one law, one faith.” Analyze the methods the
king used to achieve this objective and discuss the extent to which he was successful.
(2003-3)
8. Explain how advances in learning and technology influenced 15th and 16th century
European exploration and trade. (2003-4)
9. Using examples from at least two different states, analyze the key features of the “new
monarchies” and the factors responsible for their rise in the period 1450-1550.
10. Assess the impact of the Scientific Revolution on religion and philosophy in the period
1550-1750. (2004-6)
11. Explain the reasons for the rise of the Netherlands as a leading commercial power in the
period 1550-1650. (2004b-7)
12. Analyze the factors that prevented the development of a unified German state in the 16 th
and 17th centuries. (2007-5)
13. Using the two Dutch paintings above and your historical knowledge of this period, discuss
how the paintings reflect the economy and culture of the Netherlands in the 17 th century.
(2007b-4) [include two pictures – Johannes Vermeer, Young Womaan with a Water
Pitcher, c. 1665 and Aelbert Cuyp, The Maas River at Dordrecht, c. 1650]
14. Analyze the reasons for the decline of the Holy Roman Empire as a force in European
politics in the period 1517 to 1648. (2008b-5)
15. Analyze the impact of TWO cultural and/or technological developments on European
education in the period 1450 to 1650. (2008b-6)
16. Compare and contrast the political ideas of Hobbes and Locke. (2008b-7)
Unit #3 – ENLIGHTENMENT & 18TH CENTURY LIFE
17. Compare and Contrast two theories of government introduced in the period from 1640-1780.
(year unknown)
18. Analyze how economic and social developments affected women in England in the
period from 1700-1850. (year unknown)
19. In the 17th century, what political conditions accounted for the increased power of both
the Parliament in England and the monarchy in France? (1982-2)
20. Compare and contrast the cultural values of the Enlightenment with those of the 16th
century Northern Renaissance. (1982-3)
21. Compare and contrast the views of Machiavelli and Rousseau on human nature and the
relationship between government and the governed. (1984-3)
22. Evaluate the effectiveness of collective responses by workers to industrialization in
Western Europe during the course of the 19th century. (1986-5)
23. How did the developments in scientific thought from Copernicus to Newton create a new
conception of the universe and of humanity’s place within it? (1984-4)
24. “In 17th century England the aristocracy lost its privileges but retained power; in 17 th
century France the aristocracy retained its privileges but lost its power.” Assess the
accuracy of this statement with respect to political events and social developments in the
two countries in the 17th century. (1985-4)
25. In the 17th century, how did England and the Dutch Republic compete successfully with
France and Spain for control of overseas territory and trade. (1986-3)
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26. Analyze the changes in the European economy from about 1450-1700 brought about by
the voyages of exploration and by colonization. Give specific examples. (1992-3)
27. Describe and analyze the economic, cultural, and social changes that led to and
sustained Europe’s rapid population growth in the period from approximately 1650-1800.
(1997-5)
28. Machiavelli suggested that a ruler should behave both “like a lion” and “like a fox.”
Analyze the policies of TWO of the following European rulers, indicating the degree to
which they successfully followed Machiavelli’s suggestion.
Choose two:
Elizabeth I of England
Henry IV of France
Catherine the Great of Russia
Frederick II of Prussia (1999-5)
29. Explain the development of the scientific method in the 17th century and the impact of
scientific thinking on traditional sources of authority. (2000-7)
30. Describe and analyze how overseas expansion by European states affected global trade
and international relations from 1600-1715. (2001-3)
31. Analyze at least TWO factors that account for the rise and TWO factors that explain the
decline of witchcraft persecution and trials in Europe in the period from 1480-1750.
(2002-3)
32. Compare and contrast the goals and major policies of Peter the Great of Russia (r. 16821725) with those of Frederick the Great of Prussia (r. 1740-1786) (2002b-3)
33. Compare and contrast two theories of government introduced in the period from 1640 to
1780. (2003b-6)
34. Both Jean-Baptiste Colbert (1619-1683) and Adam Smith (1723-1790) sought to increast
the wealth of their respective countries. How did their recommendations differ? (2003b-7)
35. Assess the impact of the Scientific Revolution on religion and philosophy in the period
1550-1750. (2004-6)
36. Compare and contrast the political ideas of Hobbes and Locke. (2008b-7)
37. Analyze the methods and degrees of success of Russian political and social reform from
the period of Peter the Great (1689–1725) through Catherine the Great (1762–1796).
(2008-2)
38. Compare and contrast the goals and major policies of Peter the Great of Russia (r.16821725) with those of Frederick the Great of Prussia (r. 1740-1786) (year unknown)
39. Describe and analyze the changes that led to Europe’s rapid population growth in the
eighteenth century. (2008-3)
40. To what extent did the Enlightenment express optimistic ideas in 18th century Europe?
Illustrate your answer with reference to specific individuals and their works. (1998-5)
41. Discuss three developments that enabled Great Britain to achieve a dominant economic
position between 1700 and 1830. (2000-4)
42. Both Jean-Baptiste Colbert (1619-1683) and Adam Smith (1723-1790) sought to increase
the wealth of their respective countries. How did their recommendations differ? (2002b-7)
43. Identify features of the 18th century Agricultural Revolution and analyze its social and
economic consequences. (2003-2)
44. Explain why Europe saw no lasting peace in the period between the Peace of Westphalia
in 1648 and the Peace of Paris in 1763. (2003b-6)
45. Assess the impact of the Scientific Revolution on religion and philosophy in the period
1550-1750. (2004-3)
46. To what extent did Romanticism challenge Enlightenment views of human beings and of
the nature of world? (2004b-3)
47. Analyze the economic, technological and institutional factors responsible for western
Europe’s domination of world trade from 1650 to 1800. (2005-7)
48. How and to what extent did the Commercial Revolution transform the European economy
and diplomatic balance of power in the period from 1650 to 1763? (2006b-2)
49. Analyze the intellectual foundations of religious toleration in 18 th century Europe. (2006b6)
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50. Britain and France were engages in a geopolitical and economic rivalry during the 18 th
century. Identify the factors that contributed to this rivalry, and assess the results for both
countries over the period 1689 to 1789. (2007-3)
Unit #4 – FRENCH REVOLUTION & NAPOLEON (1789-1815)
51. “The essential cause of the French Revolution was the collision between a powerful,
rising bourgeoisie and an entrenched aristocracy defending its privileges.” Assess the
validity of this statement as an explanation of the events leading up to the French
Revolution. (1984-5)
52. To what extent and in what ways was the French Revolution during the period 1789-1794
(The Reign of Terror) an attempt to create a government based on Enlightenment ideals?
(1986-4)
53. “Napoleon was a child of the Enlightenment.” Assess the validity of this statement. Use
examples referring both to specific aspects of the Enlightenment and to Napoleon’s
policies and attitudes. (1992-5)
54. Identify the major social groups in France on the eve of the 1789 Revolution. Assess the
extent to which their aspirations were achieved in the period from the meeting of the
Estates-General (May 1789) to the declaration of The Republic (September 1792).(1996-6)
55. How and to what extent did Enlightenment ideas about religion and society shape the
policies of the French Revolution in the period 1789-1799? (2003-7)
56. To what extent and in what ways did women participate in the Renaissance? (2003b-3)
57. Explain why Europe saw no lasting peace in the period between the Peace of
Westphania in 1648 and the Peace of Paris in 1763. (2003b-6)
58. Identify the grievances of the groups that made up the Third Estate in France on the even
of the French Revolution, and analyze the extent to which ONE of these groups was able
to address its grievances in the period 1789 to 1799. (2007-7)
59. Analyze the ways in which the events of the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic period
(1789–1815) led people to challenge Enlightenment views of society, politics, and human
nature. (2008-7)
Unit #5a – EARLY 19TH CENTURY
60. Describe and analyze the differences in the ways in which artists and writers portrayed
the individual during the Italian Renaissance and the Romantic Era of the late 18 th and
early 19th Centuries. (year unknown)
61. Identify and explain the similarities and differences between socialism and liberalism in
19th century Europe. (1982-4)
62. Romantic artists, musicians, and writers responded to political and socioeconomic
conditions in the period from 1800-1850. Document your response with specific
examples from discussions of at least two of the three disciplines: visual arts, music, and
literature. (1997-6)
63. Analyze three examples of the relationship between Romanticism and nationalism before
1850. (2003-6)
64. Compare and contrast political liberalism with political conservatism in the first half of the
19th century in Europe. (2003b-5)
65. Analyze the shifts in the European balance of power in the period between 1763 and
1848. (2004b-2)
66. Analyze how economic and social developments affected women in England in the
period from 1700 to 1850. (2005-2)
67. Discuss how the two structures shown [include pictures of the Arch of Triumph in Paris,
label it with dates 1806-1836, and The Crystal Palace in London, label it 1850-1851]
reflect the society and cultures that produced them. (2006b-7)
Unit #5b – LATE 19TH CENTURY
68. Describe and analyze the issues and ideas in the debate in Europe between 1750 and
1846 over the proper role of government in the economy.
Give specific examples. (1992-4)
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69. Discuss the ways in which European Jews were affected by and responded to liberalism,
nationalism, and anti-Semitism in the 19th century. (1995-6)
70. Analyze the key developments that characterized the European economy in the 2 nd half
of he 19th century. (1995-7)
71. Describe the physical transformation of European cities in the 2nd half of the 19th century
and analyze the social consequences of this transformation. (1996-7)
72. Compare and contrast the roles of British working women in the preindustrial economy
(before 1750) with their roles in the era 1850-1920. (1998-3)
73. Man for the field and women the hearth:
Man for the sword and the needle she:
Man with the head and women from the heart:
Man to command women to obey:
How accurately do the lines of poetry above reflect gender roles for European men and
women in the late 19th century? (2000-6)
74. Analyze how and why western European attitudes toward children and child-rearing
changed in the period from 1750-1900. (2001-2)
75. Contrast the impact of nationalism in Germany and the Austrian Empire from 1848-1914.
(2004-7)
76. Compare and contrast the foreign policy goals and achievements of Metternich (18151848) and Bismarck (1862-1890). (2002-7)
77. Describe and analyze the differences in the ways in which artists and writers portrayed
the individual during the Italian Renaissance and the Romantic era of the late 18 th and
early 19th centuries (2002b-5)
78. In the period 1815-1900, political liberalization progressed much further in western
Europe than in Russia. Analyze the social and economic reasons for this difference.
(2006-6)
79. Analyze the problems and opportunities associated with the rapid urbanization of western
Europe in the 19th century. (2007-4)
80. To what extent did the structure of Russian government and society affect its economic
development in the 18th and 19th centuries? (2007b-5)
81. “In the second half of the 19th century, most European governments were conservative.”
To what extent is the quotation above an accurate statement? Use specific examples for
at least TWO countries. (2007b-6)
82. European women’s lives changed in the course of the nineteenth century politically,
economically, and socially. Identify and explain the reasons for those changes. (2008-5)
83. Analyze the major factors responsible for the rise of anti-Semitism in nineteenth century
Europe. (2008-6)
84. Analyze the ways in which TWO of the following groups challenged British liberalism
between 1880 and 1914. (2008b-3)
Feminists
Irish nationalists
Socialists
85. Analyze the similarities and differences in the methods used by Cavour and Bismarck to
bring about the unification of Italy and of Germany, respectively. (2008b-4)
Unit #6a – ISSUES of WWI; EARLY 20TH CENTURY
86. Compare and contrast the motives for European overseas expansion during the Age of
Discovery (15th and 16th centuries) and during the Age of New Imperialism
(19th and early 20th centuries). (1982-1)
87. What policies of the Stalinist government perpetuated the essential features of the tsarist
regime under Nicholas II (1894-1917)? (1982-6)
88. To what extent did the emancipation of Russian serfs and other reforms in the 19th century
contribute to the modernization of Russia before the First World War? (1984-6)
89. Describe the steps taken between 1832 and 1918 to extend the suffrage in England.
What groups and movements contributed to the extension of the vote? (1984-7)
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90. Compare and contrast the roles of the peasantry and of urban workers in the French
Revolution of 1789 to those of the peasantry and of urban workers in the Russian
Revolutions of 1917. (1985-5)
91. To what extent did Marx and Freud each challenge the 19th century liberal belief in
rationality and progress? (1985-6)
92. Analyze the policies of THREE European colonial powers regarding Africa between 1871
and 1914. (1997-3)
93. Compare and contrast the degree of success of treaties negotiated in Vienna (18141815) and Versailles (1919) in achieving European stability. (1999-7)
94. To what extent and in what ways did nationalist tensions in the Balkans between 1870
and 1914 contribute to the outbreak of the First World War? (1998-4)
95. Evaluate how the ideas of Charles Darwin and Sigmund Freud challenged Enlightenment
assumptions about human behavior and the role of reason. (2000-5)
96. Describe and analyze responses to industrialization by the working class between 1850
and 1914. (2003b-7)
97. Compare and contrast the extent to which the French Revolution (1789-1799) and the
Russian Revolution (1917-1924) changed the status of women. (2004-2)
98. Contrast the impact of nationalism in Germany and the Austrian Empire from 1848 to
1914. (2004-7)
99. Contrast the ways in which the paintings shown express the artistic and intellectual
concerns of the eras in which the works were created. [insert Picasso’s Les Demoiselles
d’Avignon, 1907 and Raphael’s School of Athens, 1511] (2004b-4)
100.
Historians speak of the rise of mass politics in the period from 1880 to 1914.
Define this phenomenon and analyze its effects on European politics in this period.
(2005-5)
Unit #6b – ISSUES of WWII; MID 20TH CENTURY
101.
Why did Germany’s experiment with parliamentary democracy between 1919
and 1933 fail? (1982-5)
102.
Compare and contrast the efforts to ensure European collective security that
were made by the victorious powers between 1815 and 1830 (after the Napoleonic Wars)
with those made by the victorious powers between 1918 and 1933 (after the First World
War). (1985-7)
103.
Contrast European diplomacy in the periods 1890-1914 and 1918-1939,
respectively. Include in your analysis goals, practices, and results. (1992-6)
104.
Compare and contrast the extent to which Catherine the Great and Joseph Stalin
were “Westerners.” (1995-5)
105.
Compare and contrast the patronage of the arts by Italian Renaissance rulers
with that by dictators of the 1930s. (1996-2)
106.
Compare and contrast the relationships between the great powers and Poland in
the periods 1772-1815 and 1918-1939. (1996-3)
107.
Account for the responses of the European democracies to the military
aggression by Italy and Germany during the 1930s. (1997-7)
108.
How did new theories in physics and psychology in the period from 1900-1939
challenge existing ideas about the individual and society? (2001-5)
109.
Compare and contrast the French Jacobins’ use of state power to achieve
revolutionary goals during the Terror (1793-1794) and Stalin’s use of state power to
achieve revolutionary goals in the Soviet Union during the period 1929-1939. (2001-7)
110.
Analyze the impact of the First World War on European culture and society in the
interwar period (1919-1939). (2002-4)
111.
Analyze the participation of European women in the economy and in politics from
1914 to 1939. Use examples from at least TWO countries. (2004-b)
112.
Copmpare and contrast the ways that 17th century absolute monarchs and 20th
century dictators gained and maintained their power. (2004b-6)
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113.
Analyze the ways in which technology and mass culture contributed to the
success of dictators in the 1920s and 1930s. (2004-3)
114.
Assess the extent to which the economic and political ideals of Karl Marx were
realized in post revolutionary Russia in the period from 1917 to 1939. (2005-6)
115.
Considering the period 1933 to 1945, analyze the economic, diplomatic and
military reasons for Germany’s defeat in the Second World War. (2006-7)
116.
Analyze anti-Semitism in Europe from the Dreyfus affair in the 1890’s to 1939.
(2006b-4)
117.
Analyze the impact of the rise of militarism and the Second World War on the
lives of European women. In your answer, consider the period 1930 to 1950. (2007-2)
118.
Analyze how the Balkan crises from 1903 to 1914 and the crises in central and
eastern Europe from 1935 to 1939 threatened Europe’s balance of power. (2007b-7)
Unit #6c – ISSUES of COLD WAR; LATE 20TH CENTURY
119.
Assess the strengths and weaknesses of the economic revival of Western
Europe between 1945 and 1970. (1986-7)
120.
To what extent and in what ways has 20th century physics challenged the
Newtonian view of the universe and society? (1986-6)
121.
Analyze criticisms of European society presented by European authors in the
period 1940-1970. Be sure to discuss at least two works. (1992-7)
122.
Identify FOUR specific changes in science and technology, and explain their
effects on Western European family and private life between 1918 and 1970. (1995-4)
123.
Compare and contrast the women’s suffrage movements of the late 19th and
th
early 20 centuries with the European feminist movements of the 1960s and 1970s.
(1996-4)
124.
Describe and analyze the resistance to Soviet authority in the Eastern bloc from
the end of the Second World War through 1989. Be sure to include examples from at
least TWO Soviet satellite countries. (1997-4)
125.
Using specific examples from Eastern and Western Europe, discuss economic
development during the period 1945-the close of the 21st century, focusing in ONE of the
following:
a. economic recovery and integrations
b. development of the welfare state and its subsequent decline (1998-2)
126.
Compare and contrast the political and economic policies of Joseph Stalin in the
period before the Second World War and those of Mikhail Gorbachev (1985-1991).
(2000-2)
127.
Compare and contrast the political and economic effects of the Cold War (19451991) on Western Europe with the effects on Eastern Europe. (2001-6)
128.
Many historians have suggested that since 1945, nationalism has been on the
decline in Europe. Using both political and economic examples from the period 19452000, evaluate the validity of this interpretation. (2002-6)
129.
Between 1945 and 1970, virtually all European colonies achieved independence.
Discuss the changes within Europe that contributed to this development. (2002b-4)
130.
Analyze THREE reasons for the end of the Soviet domination over Eastern
Europe. (2003-5)
131.
Compare and contrast the relationship between the artist and society in the
Baroque era and in the 20th century. Illustrate your essay with references to at least TWO
examples for each period. (2003b-2)
132.
Analyze the factors working for and against European unity from 1945-2001.
(2004-4)
133.
Compare and contrast the social and economic roles of the state in 17th and 18th
century Europe (before 1789) to the social and economic roles of the state in Europe
after the Second World War. (2006-5)
134.
Describe and analyze economic policies in Eastern and Western Europe after
1945. (2006b-3)
135.
Considering the period 1953 to 1991, analyze the problems within the Soviet
Union that contributed to the eventual collapse of the Soviet system. (2007-3)
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136.
Between 1945 and 1970, virtually all European colonies achieved independence.
Discuss the changes within Europe that contributed to this development. (year unknown)
137.
Analyze the economic and social challenges faced by Western Europe in the
period from 1945 to 1989. (2008-4)
138.
Contrast late-nineteenth-century European attitudes and policies about race to
those after 1950. (2008b-2)
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