ADVANCED PLACEMENT EUROPEAN HISTORY
BENSALEM HIGH SCHOOL
MR.RUSSELL
COURSE SYLLABUS
COURSE OVERVIEW
The objective of the course is to increase students’ understanding and
appreciation of European history while helping each student succeed on the AP European
History Exam. This course covers the time period of the Late Middle Ages to present
day Europe. Areas of concentration include historical, political and economic history
coupled with an intense study of cultural and intellectual institutions and their
development. These areas are studied from a variety of perspectives with the hope of
providing a balanced view of history. The goals of the AP European History course are
to develop an understanding of the principal themes in modern European history, the
ability to analyze historical evidence and the ability to express that understanding and
analyze effectively in writing.
This course is taught at a college level. The major difference between a regular
high school history course and a college level history course is the greater amount of
reading and the depth of focus that is found in the college level course. The AP
curriculum demands higher order thinking skills within a rigorous academic context.
Thus, students are frequently required to analyze, synthesize and evaluate primary and
secondary historical sources, in addition to comprehending, memorizing and applying
facts.
This course includes history both as content and as methodology. Emphasis is
placed on students developing intellectual and academic skills, including effective
analysis of such primary sources as documents, maps, statistics and pictorial and graphic
evidence, effective note-taking, clear and precise written expression and the ability to
weigh evidence and reach conclusions on the basis of facts.
COURSE DESCRIPTION
AP European History develops an understanding of the main themes in modern
European history, including political and diplomatic, intellectual and cultural, and social
and economic history. Analyzing historical evidence and reading critical literary
narratives is integrated into the chronologically ordered whole picture of the modern
history of Europe. Using a college-level textbook, this course begins with the Late
Middle Ages and concludes with the demise of communism in Eastern Europe, the
unification of Germany and the crisis of global terrorism.
MATERIALS
Textbook
Kagan, Donald, Steven Ozment, and Frank M. Turner. The Western Heritage.
AP ed. Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Prentice Hall, 2009
(Supplemental supplies that go with The Western Heritage)
Historiography readings from various readers including: Sherman, Dennis. Western
Civilization Sources, Images and Interpretations. Volume II.
Boston, M.A.: 1991
Libbon, Robert. Instant European History. New York, New York: Fawcett Books, 1996
Primary sources from various readers and internet sources including:
http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/modsbook.html
Online Artwork from Oxford Art Online
http://www.oxfordartonline.com/subscriber/
SUMMER ASSIGNMENTS
The summer prior to the start of the course each student will be given a summer
assignment.
1. Students will read and create a detailed outline of the introductory unit, of the
textbook The Western Heritage Since 1300. They must answer all 7 review
questions. They must be answered in essay form. These questions are on
page lxxvii. The outline and all review questions will be due on the 1st day of
class. On the first day of class that will also take a Unit test on the
introduction unit.
2. Student’s will read and write a 4-6 page historical book review on the book A
World Lit Only by Fire written by William Manchester. This book can be
purchased online or at any local bookstore. See the attached Historical Book
Review sheet for specific instructions.
GRADING
Each unit will consist of reading of the chapters, Vocabulary lists for each unit,
Primary source documents that relate to the unit, a set of review essays that go along with
each unit, Comprehensive unit tests consisting of AP style multiple choice questions and
free response essay questions. Their will also be supplemental assignments that will be
done both at home and in class.
We will do at least 4 DBQ practice questions during the school year.
1) Within the 1st month of the course. (Unit 2)
2) Early January (Unit 6 or 7)
3) Late March (Unit 11 or 12)
4) Late April Final DBQ before the AP Test in Early May
COURSE OUTLINE
- Introduction and The Late Middle Ages Ch 9 (6-7 days)
MAJOR TOPICS
Hundred Years’ War
Effects of the bubonic plague on the population and society
Growing power of secular rulers over the papacy
Schism, heresy and reform of the church
PRIMARY DOCUMENTS AND OTHER PRIMARY SOURCES
Boccaccio describes the ravages of the Black Death
Joan of Arc refuses to recant her beliefs
Marsilius of Padua calls the roll at the Council of Constance
A procession of flagellants at Tournai in Flanders in 1939 ARPL/HIP The
Image Works
The Prince of the World Stadt Nurnberg
Conon of Medicine Scala/Art Resource, NY
A contemporary portrait of Joan of Arc Bridgeman-Giraudon/Art
Resource NY
Historiography reading: Historians essays from Sherman on a theme from this
unit
- Unit 1 The Renaissance Ch 10 (2 weeks)
MAJOR TOPICS
Politics, culture and art of the Italian Renaissance
Political struggle and foreign intervention in Italy
The powerful new monarchies of northern Europe
The thought and culture of the Northern Renaissance
PRIMARY DOCUMENTS AND OTHER PRIMARY SOURCES
Christine De Pisan Instructs Women on How to Handle Their Husbands
Pico Della Mirandola States the Renaissance Image of Man
Michelangelo and Pope Julius II
Machiavelli Discusses the Most Important traits for a Ruler
Montaigne on Canibals in Foreign Lands
The Renaissance celebrated human beauty and dignity Rogier van der
Weyden
Several works from Raphael, Michelangelo and DaVinci
Historiography reading: Historians essays from Sherman on a theme from this
unit
- Unit 2 The Reformation and Religious Wars Ch 11 + 12
(2 weeks)
MAJOR TOPICS
Social and religious background of the Reformation
Martin Luther’s challenge to the church
The Reformation in Switzerland, France and England
Transitions in family life between medieval and modern times
The war between Calvinists and Catholics in France
Spanish occupation of the Netherlands
Struggle for supremacy between England and France
Political and economic and technological causes for exploration of the
New World
Golden Age of Imperial Spain
Commercial Revolution, Bullionism and mercantilism
Devastation of central Europe during the 30 Years War
PRIMARY DOCUMENTS AND OTHER PRIMARY SOURCES
German peasants Protest Rising Feudal Exactions
Martin Luther’s 95 Theses
Martin Luther Tempting Christ
The Act of Supremacy: the Church of England
Elizabeth’s Act of Uniformity
The Edict of Nantes
Historiography reading: Historians essays from Sherman on a theme from this
unit
- Unit 3 Paths to Constitutionalism and Absolutism
England and France Ch 13 (2 weeks)
MAJOR TOPICS
Factors behind the divergent political paths of England and France in the
17th century
Conflict between Parliament and the king over taxation and religion in
early Stuart England, the English Civil War and the abolition of the
monarchy
The Reformation and the development of Parliament’s supremacy over the
monarchy in France under Louis XIV
Religious policies and wars of Louis XIV
PRIMARY DOCUMENTS AND OTHER PRIMARY SOURCES
Theodore Beza Defends the Right to Testify Tyranny
Henry IV Recognizes Huguenot Religious Freedom
An unknown Contemporary Describes Queen Elizabeth
Baroque and Plain Church: Architectural Reflections on Belief
Henry IV of France Art/Resource, NY
Portrait of Mary I Sir Antonio Moro
Historiography reading: Historians essays from Sherman on a theme from this
unit
- Unit 4 Paths to Power in Europe Ch 15 (2 weeks)
MAJOR TOPICS
The Dutch Golden Age
French aristocratic resistance to the monarchy
Early 18th century British political stability
Power and decline of the Ottoman Empire
Efforts of the Habsburgs to secure their holdings
Emergence of Prussia as a major power
Efforts of Peter the Great to transform Russia into a powerful centralized
nation along Western Lines
PRIMARY DOCUMENTS AND OTHER PRIMARY SOURCES
Lady Mary Wortley Montagu Advises her Husband on Election to
Parliament
Map the Ottoman Empire in the late 17th Century
Map The Austrian Habsburg Empire
The Great Elector Welcomes Protestant Refugees from France
Historiography reading: Historians essays from Sherman on a theme from this
unit
- Unit 5 Society and Economy in the 18th Century Ch 16 +
17 (2 weeks)
MAJOR TOPICS
Varied privileges and power of Europe’s aristocracies in the Old Regime
and their efforts to increase their wealth
Plight of rural peasants
Family structure and family economy
Transformation of Europe’s economy by the Agricultural and Industrial
Revolution
Urban growth and social tensions that accompanied that
Strains on the institutions of the Old Regime brought about social change
Europe’ mercantilist empire
Spain’s vast colonial empire in the Americas
Africa, slavery and the transatlantic plantation economies
Wars of the mid 18th century in Europe and the colonies
Struggle for independence in Britain’s North American colonies
PRIMARY DOCUMENTS AND OTHER PRIMARY SOURCES
Rules are Established for the Berlin Poor House
Turgot Describes French Landholding
The Creation of the Steam Loom
Tortured Execution v. Prison Rules
Slaves in the City
Sugar Enters the Western Diet
Map Viceroyalties in Latin America in 1780
Historiography reading: Historians essays from Sherman on a theme from this
unit
- Unit 6 The Scientific Revolution and The Enlightenment
Ch 14 + 18 (2 weeks)
MAJOR TOPICS
Astronomical theories of Copernicus, Brahe, Kepler, Galileo and Newton
and the emergence of the scientific worldview
Impact of new science on philosophy
Social setting of early modern science
Women and the scientific revolution
Approaches to science and religion
Witchcraft and witch-hunts
Intellectual and social background of the Enlightenment
Philosophes of the Enlightenment and their agenda of intellectual and
political reform
Efforts of enlightened monarchs in central and eastern Europe to increase
the economic and military strength of their domains
Partition of Poland by Prussia, Russia and Austria
PRIMARY DOCUMENTS AND OTHER PRIMARY SOURCES
Letter from Galileo to Castelli
Francis Bacon from the First Book of Aphorisms
Immanuel Kant Defines Enlightenment
Denis Diderot Condemns European Empires
Rousseau Argues for Separate Spheres for Men and Women
Mary Wollstonecraft Criticizes Rousseau’s View of Women
The Encyclopedic
Map Expansion of Russia, 1689-1796
Map Partitions of Poland 1772, 1793, and 1795
Historiography reading: Historians essays from Sherman on a theme from this
unit
Unit 7 The French Revolution and the Age of Napoleon Ch
19 + 20 (2 weeks)
MAJOR TOPICS
Financial crisis that impelled the French monarchy to call the Estates
General
Transformation of the Estates general into the National Assembly,
Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen and the reconstruction of the
political and ecclesiastical institutions of France
The second revolution the end of monarchy and the turn to more radical
reforms
The Reign of Terror the Thermidorian Reaction and the establishment of
the Directory
Napoleon’s rise, his coronation as emperor and his administrative reforms
Napoleon’s conquests, the creation of the French Empire and Britain’s
enduring resistance romanticism and the reaction to the Enlightenment
Islam and Romanticism
The invasion of Russia and Napoleon’s decline
Reestablishment of a European order at the Congress of Vienna
PRIMARY DOCUMENTS AND OTHER PRIMARY SOURCES
The Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen
Declaration of the Rights of Women and the Female Citizen
Petition of Women of the 3rd Estate
Louis XVI A Royal Reform Proposal 1787
Edmund Burke : The Moral Imagination
A View from the Field: A Napoleonic Soldier
A view from the Field: A British Soldier
The French View
The Arab View
Jean-Jacques Rousseau: from Emile
Historiography reading: Historians essays from Sherman on a theme from this
unit
- Unit 8 Post Napoleon to the mid Century 1815-1850 Ch
21 + 22 (2 weeks)
MAJOR TOPICS
Challenges of nationalism and liberalism to the conservative order in the
early 19th century
Domestic and international politics of the conservative order from the
Congress of Vienna through the 1820’s
Wars of Independence in Latin America
Revolutions of 1830 on the Continent and the passage of the Great Reform
Bill in Britain
Development of industrialism and its effects on the organization of labor
and the family
Changing role of women in industrial society
Establishment of police forces and reforms of prisons
Early developments in European socialism
Revolutions of 1848
PRIMARY DOCUMENTS AND OTHER PRIMARY SOURCES
Sentiments of a Nation: A Mexican Call for Independence
Thomas MacAulay: A Radical War Song
Simon Bolivar’s Political Ideas
Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels: The Communist Manifesto
Michael Harrington from Socialism: Past and Future
Anarchism: Michael Bakunin
Historiography reading: Historians essays from Sherman on a theme from this
unit
- Unit 9 The Age of the Nation-State Ch 23 (1 week)
MAJOR TOPICS
Reforms in the Ottoman Empire
Unification of Italy and Germany
Shift from empire to republic in France
Emergence of a dual monarchy in Austria-Hungary
Reforms in Russia, including the emancipation of the serfs
Emergence of Great Britain as the exemplary liberal state and its
confrontation with Irish nationalists
PRIMARY DOCUMENTS AND OTHER PRIMARY SOURCES
Map the Unification of Germany under Bismarck
Map Nationalities within the Hapsburg Empire
Women Miners
A Factory Girl: Countering the Stereotypes
A View from Downstairs: A Servant’s Life
Historiography reading: Historians essays from Sherman on a theme from this
unit
Unit 10 Social, Cultural and Economic Developments prior
to WWI Ch 24 + 25 (2 weeks)
MAJOR TOPICS
Transformation of European life by the 2nd Industrial Revolution
Urban sanitation, housing reform and the redesign of cities
Condition of women in the late 19th Europe and the rise of political
feminism
Emancipation of the Jews
Development of labor politics and socialism in Europe to the outbreak of
WWI
Industrialization and political unrest in Russia
Dominance of science in the thought of the second half of the 19th century
Conflict between church and state over education
Islam and the late 19th century thought
Racism and the resurgence of anti-Semitism
Late 19th century and early 20th century developments in feminism
PRIMARY DOCUMENTS AND OTHER PRIMARY SOURCES
The Church ways In: Rerun Novarum
Women Without Power Change the System
John Stuart Mill: from The Subjection of Women
Gertrude Himmelfarb: from Poverty and Compassion
George Elliot: Essay on Margaret Fuller and Mary Wollstonecraft
An Advocate for Science Education
Auguste Comte: from the Age of Ideology
George Braque Violin and Palette
Manet’s A Bar At the Folies-Bergere
Several Paintings from Picasso
Historiography reading: Historians essays from Sherman on a theme from this
unit
- Unit 11 Imperialism, Alliances and War Ch 26 (1 week)
MAJOR TOPICS
Economic, cultural and strategic factors behind Europe’s New Imperialism
in the late 19th century and early 20th century
Formation of alliances and the search for strategic advantage among
Europe’s major powers
Russian Revolution
Peace treaties ending WWI
PRIMARY DOCUMENTS AND OTHER PRIMARY SOURCES
Map Imperial Expansion of Africa
Map Partition of Africa
Map the Balkans 1912-1913
Map the Schlieefen Plan
Map World War I in Europe
Map World War I Peace Settlement
Confessions of Faith, Cecil Rhodes
Between Ruler and Ruled
Rupert Booke: The Soldier
Woodrow Wilson: Speech on the 14 points
Pressing fro Peace
Historiography reading: Historians essays from Sherman on a theme from this
unit
- Unit 12 Political Developments Post WWI Ch 27 + 28 (2
weeks)
MAJOR TOPICS
Economic and political disorder in the aftermath of WWI
Soviet Union’s far reaching political and social experiment
Mussolini and the fascist seizure of power in Italy
French determination to enforce the Versailles treaty
First Labour government and the general strike in Britain
Development of authoritarian governments in all the successors states to
the Austrian Empire except Czechoslovakia
Reparations, inflation, political turmoil and the rise of Nazism in the
German Weimar Republic
Financial collapse and depression in Europe
Emergence of the National Government in great Britain and the Popular
Front in France in the response to the political pressures caused by the
Depression
The Nazi seizure of power and the establishment of police state and racial
laws in Germany
Forced industrialism and agricultural collectivization in the Soviet Union
and purges in the Soviet Communist Party and the Soviet army under
Stalin
PRIMARY DOCUMENTS AND OTHER PRIMARY SOURCES
Map Germany’s Western Frontier
Werner Heisenberg: Uncertainty
Mussolini: the Political and Social Doctrine of Fascism
Hitler: from Mein Kampf
Socialist Marriage to Motherhood for the Fatherland
The Depression: Germany’s Unemployment
Stalin’s 1st five year plan
Leader of the NAZI Women’s Organization
Historiography reading: Historians essays from Sherman on a theme from this
unit
- Unit 13 World War II Ch 29 (2 Weeks)
MAJOR TOPICS
Origins of WWII
Course of the war
Racism and the Holocaust
Impact of the war on people of Europe
Relationships among the victorious allies and the preparations for peace
PRIMARY DOCUMENTS AND OTHER PRIMARY SOURCES
Map Partitions Of Czechoslovakia and Poland
Map Axis of Europe 1941
Map North African Campaigns
Map The Defeat of the Axis in Europe
Map World War II in the Pacific
Hitler: The Obersalzberg Speech
Churchill: their Finest Hour
FDR: A Call to Sacrifice
Notes from the Warsaw Ghetto
Surviving the Labor Camps
Historiography reading: Historians essays from Sherman on a theme from this
unit
- Unit 14 Post WWII/ Cold War/ Dawn of the 21st Century
Ch 30 + 31 (2 weeks)
MAJOR TOPICS
Origins of the Cold War and the division of Europe into Eastern and
Western blocs following WWII
Decolonization and the conflicts in Korea and Vietnam
Political and economic developments in the Western Europe during the
Cold War
Polish protests against Soviet domination of Eastern Europe
Perestroika and glasnost in the Soviet Union
Collapse of communism in Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union
Civil war in Yugoslavia
Europe in the 21st century
Migration in the 20th century
Europe’s Muslim minority
Changing status and role of women in Europe
New cultural forces and continuing influence of Christianity
Impact of computer technology
Rise of political Islam
War in Afghanistan and Iraq
PRIMARY DOCUMENTS AND OTHER PRIMARY SOURCES
The Truman Doctrine Declared
Map Major Cold War European Alliance Systems
Map Korea 1950-53
Map Vietnam and its Neighbors
Map the Commonwealth of Independent States
Khrushchev: Address to the 20th Party Congress
Bosnia: The Two Faces of War
The Wall in My Backyard
Jean Paul Sartres: Existentialism
Stokeley Carmichael: What We Want
Historiography reading: Historians essays from Sherman on a theme from this
unit
This outline is not set in stone. It is only a guide. Length of each unit could
vary depending on the flow of the class. The primary documents and other
primary sources are not limited to the one’s listed in each unit.