Table Of ContentPeterson’s
AP European History
Nathan Barber
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CONTENTS
Introduction .................................................................................1
10 Facts About the AP European History Test.......................................1
Practice Plan for Studying for the AP European History Test.................4
The Panic Plan.......................................................................................6
Scoring High on the AP European History Test.....................................7
Suggested Readings ................................................................................9
PART I: AP EUROPEAN HISTORY TEST BASICS
Chapter 1: About the AP European History Test..........................13
The Multiple-Choice Section...............................................................13
Scoring the Multiple-Choice Section....................................................20
Guessing on the Multiple-Choice Section ............................................21
Hints and Strategies for Mastering the Multiple-Choice Section..........22
The Free-Response Section...................................................................22
Organization of Your Thoughts ...........................................................23
Part A: The DBQ.................................................................................25
Hints and Strategies for Mastering the DBQ .......................................38
Practice DBQ ......................................................................................39
Part B: The Thematic Essays ................................................................41
Hints and Strategies for Mastering the Thematic Essays.......................44
PART II: DIAGNOSING STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES
Practice Test 1: Diagnostic ..........................................................49
Section I...............................................................................................51
Section II .............................................................................................66
Answer Key and Explanations ..............................................................74
Self-Evaluation Rubric for the Advanced Placement Essays ..................87
PART III: AP EUROPEAN HISTORY REVIEW
Chapter 2: The Renaissance (c.1350–c.1550)..............................91
Overview .............................................................................................91
The Italian Renaissance ........................................................................92
The Northern Renaissance ...................................................................95
Renaissance Art ....................................................................................95
The New Monarchies ..........................................................................96
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CONTENTS
The Major Players................................................................................97
Chronology of the Renaissance ..........................................................102
Sample Essay Questions.....................................................................104
Chapter 3: The Reformation (1517–1648) ................................105
Overview ...........................................................................................105
Historical Background .......................................................................105
Martin Luther....................................................................................106
Ulrich Zwingli and John Calvin.........................................................107
The English Reformation...................................................................108
The Catholic Reformation.................................................................109
Results of the Reformation ................................................................109
Wars of Religion ................................................................................110
Theology of the Reformation ............................................................112
The Major Players..............................................................................114
Chronology of the Reformation ........................................................117
Sample Essay Questions.....................................................................119
Chapter 4: The Age of Expansion, Absolutism, and
Constitutionalism .....................................................................121
Overview ...........................................................................................121
European Expansion ..........................................................................122
The Rise of Absolutism in France ......................................................123
The Rise of Absolutism in the East....................................................125
The Rise of Constitutionalism in England .........................................125
The Golden Age and Decline of Spain...............................................127
The Major Players..............................................................................127
Chronology of the Age of Expansion, Absolutism, and
Constitutionalism..............................................................................130
Sample Essay Questions.....................................................................133
Chapter 5: The Scientific Revolution and the Enlightenment.....135
Overview ...........................................................................................135
The Scientific Revolution ..................................................................136
The Enlightenment............................................................................138
Effects of the Enlightenment..............................................................140
The Major Players..............................................................................141
Chronology of the Scientific Revolution and the Enlightenment.......145
Sample Essay Questions.....................................................................147
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CONTENTS
Chapter 6: The French Revolution and the Napoleonic Era
(1789–1815) ............................................................................149
Overview ...........................................................................................149
Background of the Revolution in France............................................149
The Estates-General ...........................................................................150
The First, or Moderate, Stage of the Revolution................................152
The Second, or Radical, Stage of the Revolution................................153
The Third, or Reactionary, Stage of the Revolution ...........................155
The Napoleonic Era...........................................................................155
The Major Players..............................................................................158
Chronology of the French Revolution and the Napoleonic Era..........162
Sample Essay Questions.....................................................................165
Chapter 7: The Agricultural and Industrial Revolutions ............167
Overview ...........................................................................................167
The Agricultural Revolution ..............................................................167
The Population Explosion .................................................................169
Protoindustrialization ........................................................................170
The Industrial Revolution..................................................................171
Consequences of the Industrial Revolution ........................................172
The Major Players..............................................................................174
Chronology of the Agricultural and Industrial Revolutions................176
Sample Essay Questions.....................................................................178
Chapter 8: Europe from 1815–1900 .........................................179
Overview ...........................................................................................179
New Ideologies..................................................................................179
The Age of Metternich (1815–1848).................................................181
The Revolutions of 1848...................................................................183
The Crimean War (1854–1856) ........................................................184
The Unification of Italy.....................................................................185
The Unification of Germany..............................................................185
England from 1848–1900 .................................................................186
France from 1848–1900....................................................................187
Russia from 1848–1900 ....................................................................188
Imperialism........................................................................................188
Nineteenth-Century Culture..............................................................189
The Major Players..............................................................................190
Chronology of Europe from 1815–1900...........................................193
Sample Essay Questions.....................................................................195
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CONTENTS
Chapter 9: Europe in the Twentieth Century and Beyond .........197
Overview ...........................................................................................197
The Russian Revolution of 1905 .......................................................198
The Causes and Outbreak of World War I (1914–1918)...................198
The War.............................................................................................201
The Treaty of Versailles ......................................................................202
The Impact of the War ......................................................................203
The Russian Revolution.....................................................................204
The Rise of Stalin ..............................................................................205
The Great Depression ........................................................................206
Fascism in Italy and Germany ............................................................207
The Causes and Outbreak of World War II (1939–1945)..................209
The Holocaust...................................................................................211
Impact of the War..............................................................................211
The Cold War and Communism After World War II........................212
The End of Colonization and Imperialism.........................................214
Economic Recovery After World War II.............................................214
Contemporary Europe .......................................................................215
The Major Players..............................................................................216
Chronology of Europe in the Twentieth Century...............................221
Sample Essay Questions.....................................................................223
PART IV: PRACTICE TEST
Practice Test 2 ..........................................................................227
Section I.............................................................................................229
Section II ...........................................................................................245
Answer Key and Explanations ............................................................254
Self-Evaluation Rubric for the Advanced Placement Essays ................266
PART V: APPENDIX
Appendix: Enrichment Resources..............................................271
Internet Resources..............................................................................271
Historical Movies...............................................................................272
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Introduction
10 FACTS ABOUT THE AP EUROPEAN HISTORY TEST
1. T A P (AP) P
HE DVANCED LACEMENT ROGRAM GIVES HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS AN OPPORTUNITY TO
.
RECEIVE COLLEGE CREDIT
Students who take AP exams in any one or more of twenty subject areas gain
college-level skills and can earn college credit or advanced placement. In 2002,
more than 900,000 students took AP exams.
2. M 2,900 .
ORE THAN COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES PARTICIPATE
The College Board does not award college credit for the AP exams. You need
to find out from the colleges to which you are applying whether they grant
credit and/or use AP scores for placement.
3. T AP E H T M F K R S .
HE UROPEAN ISTORY EST EASURES ACTUAL NOWLEDGE AND A ANGE OF KILLS
According to the College Board, the AP European History Test measures
factual knowledge of the following:
• Knowledge of the basic chronology of major events from approxi-
mately 1450 to the present
• Knowledge of the basic chronology of the major trends from approxi-
mately 1450 to the present
• Knowledge of some of the basic themes in modern European history
including intellectual and cultural history, political and diplomatic his-
tory, and social and economic history
Additionally, the AP European History Test measures the following skills:
• The ability to analyze historical evidence
• The ability to express historical understanding in writing
1
INTRODUCTION
4. T AP E H T H T S : M C T -P
HE UROPEAN ISTORY EST AS WO ECTIONS ULTIPLE HOICE AND A WO ART
F R S .
REE ESPONSE ECTION
The total test is 3 hours and 5 minutes. Section I contains 80 multiple-
choice questions. You will have 55 minutes to complete Section I. The mul-
tiple-choice questions count as 50 percent of your total score. Section II
includes two Free Response essay sections. The first essay section contains
the DBQ, or Document Based Question. The DBQ will require you to use
a number of historical documents to compose an essay. The second section
contains two groups of essay questions, each group with three questions.
You may choose .
one question from each of the two groups. Section II counts as 50 percent of
your total score.
5. T AP E H T C T A T M E
HE UROPEAN ISTORY EST OVERS HREE REAS OR HEMES OF ODERN UROPEAN
H .
ISTORY
The AP European History Test covers three main areas or themes of Euro-
pean history spanning the last six centuries. The three main areas are Intellec-
tual and Cultural History, Political and Diplomatic History, and Social and
Economic History. These areas can be broken down into six smaller areas:
• Intellectual History, which includes religious thought, changes in edu-
cation and literacy, scientific and technological advances, and changes
in social, economic, and political thought.
• Cultural History, which includes changes in elite and popular culture,
changes in the family, changes in work, changes in ritual, changes in the
arts, and overall changes in European culture.
• Political History, which includes the growth of nationalism, the rise of
the nation state, the evolution of political parties, the extension of
rights, and reforms, rebellions, and revolutions.
• Diplomatic History, which includes foreign policy, the use of treaties,
the origins and resolutions of armed conflicts, efforts to avoid armed
conflicts, colonization, imperialism, and decolonization.
• Social History, which includes the growth and development of social
classes, racial groups and ethnic groups, gender roles, family structure,
and the influence of such things as urbanization, diet, health, sanita-
tion, and disease on society.
• Economic History, which includes economic activity of states and of
individuals, the development of commercial practices, industrializa-
tion and competition, and the development and implementation of
economic theories such as capitalism, socialism, and communism.
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