AP European History
Course Description
Everything you wanted to know about European History
or
Is it too late to change my schedule?
AP European History is a course designed to give the opportunity to earn college credit while you are still
in high school. The course is taught in such a way to prepare you for the national AP exam given each
May. For the most part, this course is taught much like courses required of college freshmen or
sophomores. As a result, it will be different from the courses with which you have become familiar in the
past. It is this difference that gives an AP course its credibility.
Expect homework every night. If you do not have a written or reading assignment to complete, you are
expected to review the material covered in class. Only by heeding such instructions can you expect to
succeed in an AP history class. Even then, an ‘A’ may not prove attainable. If you have doubts about your
abilities, speak to me. In either case, you will receive an honest evaluation.
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Overview: Please do not expect the stereotypical high school history class routines of worksheets,
film festivals, group work, and projects. This is a content course: there are masses of material for
which you will be responsible and must be able to interpret, analyze, and use - not just memorize.
Notes: Note-taking is your responsibility. Use whatever style you prefer, but stress details and
factual support. Use unit outlines for your organization.
Primary Text: Your text, Spielvogel’s Western Civilization is an excellent text used by many
colleges and AP classes. The text covers political, diplomatic, and intellectual history very well.
It also covers cultural and social history, but not as thoroughly as the other themes. We will
supplement the weaker areas of the text with outside sources. You are not required to bring the
text to class unless requested.
Other Readings: You will want to buy a three ring binder (at least one inch rings) to hold
supplemental materials. There is a lot if information covered in this class and much of it will be
derived from outside sources and primary documents. Bring this folder to class daily.
Assignments: Daily assignments will not be given. This is one of those situations where your
maturity and time-management skills will be important. Your reading assignments will be preassigned. When you read this material is your choice: a) read in advance to keep up with class
discussions, or b) cram the night before a test – it is your neck and your grade. I will not harass
you on this point, but don’t complain when there is material on a test that only comes from the text
that you did not read well enough!
Tests: There will be one test per unit. These tests will cover any information related to the current
unit as well as information covered in previous units. Tests are all cumulative. Tests may either
be multiple choice or essay. They will reflect the type of questions you will have to answer on the
national AP exam at the end of the year.
Grades: All essays (DBQ’s and FRQ’s) count as much as your tests. Homework, class work, and
other various assignments will count half as much as tests and essays. Our priority is the ability to
succeed on tests and write good essays, not filling out tedious worksheets.
Your overall grade is on-going – I do not start over each grading period. Mistakes made early
will hurt later!
I will not accept late essays without severe penalties (one letter grade per day late). All
homework, class work, and assorted assignments that are late will be half credit for one day late
and no credit beyond that.
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AP European History
Content Syllabus
This syllabus is designed to show a broad overview of the major concepts covered during the course. I will
begin by quoting the Collegeboard’s own words regarding content goals;
“The study of European history since 1450 introduces students to cultural, economic, political,
and social developments that played a fundamental role in shaping the world in which they live. Without
this knowledge, we would lack the context for understanding the development of contemporary institutions,
the role of continuity and change in present-day society and politics, and the evolution of current forms of
artistic expression and intellectual discourse.
In addition to providing a basic narrative of events and movements, the goals of AP European
History are to develop (a) an understanding of some of the principal themes in modern European history,
(b) an ability to analyze historical evidence and historical interpretation, and (c) an ability to express
historical understanding in writing.”
This class will take the content and separate it into categories; cultural (and intellectual),
economic, social, and political (and diplomatic). These categories help us to simplify the complex story of
history. By doing this, we will be able to identify themes and the historical significance of various events,
people, and thought. Our class will adhere as close as possible to the Collegeboard’s guidelines by
incorporating numerous primary and secondary sources and frequent writing assignments (see Readings
Syllabus).
My goal is to prepare you as much as I can for the national AP European History exam by
following the suggestions given by the Collegeboard. In addition, I will prepare each of you for college
work by helping you successfully deal with college-level work at a college-level pace. Even if you do not
pass the exam in May, you will acquire knowledge and skills that will aid you when you attend college.
Content: Major Concepts
Fall
I.
The Renaissance
A. Italian Renaissance
B. Northern Renaissance
II.
Reformation and Religious Wars
A. Protestant Reformation
B. Catholic Reformation
C. Religious Wars
III.
Commercial Revolution
A. Exploration
i. Columbian Exchange
ii. ‘Old Imperialism’
B. Banking and Mercantilism
IV. Rise of Western Europe
A. The New Monarchies
B. Constitutionalism
i. English Civil War
ii. Dutch Republic
C. Absolutism
iii. Cardinal Richelieu
iv. Age of Louis XIV
V. Rise of Eastern Europe
A. Russia and Westernization
B. Austria
C. German States
VI. Science and Enlightenment
A. Copernican Revolution
i. Scientific Advancements
ii. Scientific Communities
B. Enlightenment
i. Philosophes
ii. Salons
VII. French Revolution and Napoleonic Era
A. French Revolution
i. Old Regime
ii. Stages of Revolution
B. Rise and Fall of Napoleon
i. Grand Empire
ii. Congress of Vienna
Spring
Industry and the –isms
A. Industrial Revolution
B. Conservatism and Liberalism
C. Other –isms
i. Socialism
ii. Utilitarianism
iii. Anarchism
iv. Capitalism
v. Romanticism
D. Repression of the Liberal
i. Concert of Europe
ii. Continued Revolutions
1815-1848
V.
II.
Rise of the Nation-State
A. French 2nd Republic
B. Italian Unification
C. German Unification
D. Austria-Hungary Dual Monarchy
E. Crimean War
VII.
III.
Fin de Siecle and Imperialism
A. ‘New Imperialism’
i. The Dark Continent
ii. Asia and India
iii. Central and South
America
B. Disintegration of the Ottoman Empire
C. Materialism and the End-of-Century
Sentiment
World War Two (WWII)
A. Road to War
i. Appeasement and the
Munich Conference
ii. Aggressions
B. Fall of France
C. American Involvement
D. The Holocaust
E. Post-War conferences
F. Decolonization
G. The Atomic Age
VIII.
The Cold War
A. NATO and Warsaw
B. Nuclear Threat
C. The Edge of WWIII
i. Korea
ii. Vietnam
iii. Cuban Missile Crisis
D. Talks: SALT I, SALT II, etc
E. The Gadget Revolution
F. Energy and OPEC
I.
IV. The Great War (WWI)
A. Review: Imperialism & Nationalism
B. Alliance Systems
C. Militarism
D. The Fronts
i. Western Front
ii. Eastern Front
E. American Involvement
F. Peace of Paris and the Treaty of
Versailles
Russian Revolution to Stalin
A. Bolsheviks and the 1917 Revolutions
B. NEP
C. Stalin versus Trotsky
D. 5-year Plans
VI. Between Two Fires
A. Apparent victory of Democracy
B. Economic Depression
C. Totalitarianism
i. Fascism
ii. Nazism
iii. Eastern Imperialism
IX.
Post-Modernity (Post 1980’s)
A. Relativism
B. Environmentalism
C. Fall of Communism
D. The explosions of the Near East and
the Balkans
AP European History
Readings Syllabus
Main Textbook:
Western Civilization (5th ed.) by Spielvogel
Supplemental Books: Sources of the West by Kishlansky
World Civilizations by Sherman et. al.
Western Civilization by Sherman
Textbook: Each student is responsible for reading the textbook chapters as class
progresses through each unit. You are required to complete a study-guide worksheet for
each chapter. The study guide will be handed to you on the first day of each unit and will
be collected on the day of the test.
Primary Sources: A primary task of this course is to learn how to become ‘young
historians’. That means that each of you must learn how to evaluate primary documents
(see DBQ description). These primary sources give the historian the data needed to
discern the course of history. It allows us to acquire some grasp on an era’s political,
economic, social, cultural, and religious perspectives. To this end, every unit will have
primary documents that will be evaluated. With each document there will be a set of
questions for you to answer. In addition, we will spend a few minutes on the day these
assignments are due discussing what information each of you gleaned from the
document.
FRQ and DBQ: These are essays! Every unit has one! The FRQ (Free-Response
Question) is your basic essay. You will be given three questions and you will choose one
to answer. The DBQ (Document Based Question) is an essay that must be answered by
evaluating a series of primary sources in order to derive an answer. Both the FRQ and
the DBQ will be written in the 5-paragraph format. We will spend a lot of time on how
to properly analyze the question, the content data, and the writing skills necessary for a
high quality paper. Expect your first essay (FRQ) during the second week of class.
ECO: Extra Credit Opportunities (ECO) will be offered periodically throughout the year.
There are two basic types of ECO’s; the movie and the book.
The first is the movie ECO. If you choose to do the assignment, you must watch
the film and write a summary and evaluation. The paper has two parts. Firstly,
summarize the film. Include major characters and the plot. Secondly, evaluate the film.
Address the historical accuracy of the movie, what inaccuracies are present, how the film
‘fits’ in with what we are learning in class, and your personal opinion of the film
(including how it advanced your understanding of the historical era).
The second type of ECO is the book report. Each of you will receive a handout
which spells out the details of this paper. It will follow the English department’s basic
requirements of a book report. I add to these requirements a historical evaluation of the
book’s accuracy and contribution to your knowledge of the historical era.
Readings per Unit:
Semester I
Topic/Unit
1. The Renaissance
Textbook
Chapter 12
*FRQ
2. Reformation and
Religious Wars
Chapter 13
*DBQ: Witch Persecution
3. Commercial Revolution
Chapter 14
*FRQ
4. Rise of Western Europe
Chapter 15, 18
*DBQ: Dutch Prosperity, Unity, Security
(1996)
Supplements
Kishlansky: On the Family
-Alberti
Kishlansky: The Prince
-Machiavelli
Kishlansky: In Praise of Folly
-Erasmus
ECO: The Prince by Machiavelli
Book Report
Kishlansky: Of Marriage and Celibacy
-Luther
Kishlansky: Institutes of the Christian
Religion -Calvin
Kishlansky: Edict of Nantes
-Henry IV
Kishlansky: Letter from the First Voyage
-Columbus
Kishlansky: Apologetic History of the Indies
-de Las Casas
Sherman: Mercantilism
-von Hornick
Sherman: The Powers of the Monarch...
- James I
Sherman: The Powers of Parliament...
-House of Commons
ECO: Lady Jane movie
5. Rise of Eastern Europe
Chapter 15, 18
Sherman: Decree on the Invitation ...
-Peter the Great
Chapter 16, 17
Sherman: The Discourse on Method
- Descartes
Sherman: What is Enlightenment?
- Kant
*FRQ
6. Science and
Enlightenment
*FRQ
7. French Revolution and
Napoleonic Era
*DBQ: Plague (1995)
Chapter 19
The Portable Voltaire
* Read Candide
Sherman: Declaration of the Rights of Man
and Citizen
Sherman: Speech to the National Convention:
Terror Justified
- Robespierre
Sherman: Europe and the French Imperium:
Napoleon as Enlightened Despot
-Bruun
Semester 2
Topic/Unit
1. Industry and the –isms
Textbook
Chapter 20, 21
*DBQ: Growth of Manchester (2002)
2. The Nation-State
Chapter 22, 23
*FRQ
3. Fin de Siecle (La Belle
Epoch) & Imperialism
Chapter 23, 24
*FRQ
4. WWI
Chapter 25
*FRQ
5. Russian Revolution to
Stalin
Chapter 25, 26
*FRQ
6. Between Two Fires
*DBQ: German ‘Civil Peace’ (2003)
Chapter 26
Supplements
Sherman: On Liberty
-Mill
Sherman: Testimony for the Factory Act of
1833: Working Conditions in England
Sherman: Communist Manifesto
-Marx and Engels
Sherman: Woman in Her Social and
Domestic Character
-Sandford
Sherman: Social Statics: Liberalism and
Social Darwinism
-Spencer
Sherman: Speeches on Pragmatism and State
Socialism
- Otto von Bismarck
Sherman: The Duties of Man
- Mazzini
Sherman: Speech at Hamburg, 1901
-Kaiser Wilhelm II
Sherman: The White Man’s Burden
- Kipling
Sherman: Women as Chemists [Pharmacists]
-Our Sisters
Sherman: Judaism in Music; Anti-Semitism
-Richard Wagner
ECO: A Nervous Splendor
Book Report
Sherman: Letter to the Editor of the London
Times: War and Political Ideology
-Bourtzeff
Sherman: Dulce et Decorum Est:
Disillusionment
-Owen
Sherman: The 14 Points
-President Wilson
Sherman: Minutes if the Tsar’s Council of
Ministers, 1915: Breakdown in Russia
Sherman: April Thesis
-V. I. Lenin
Sherman: Problems of Agrarian Policy in the
U.S.S.R.: Soviet Collectivization
-Stalin
ECO: Nicholas & Alexandra
Movie
Sherman: Program of the Popular Front –
January 11, 1936
Sherman: The Revolt of the Masses
-Jose Ortega y Gasset
Sherman: Civilization and its Discontents
-Freud
Sherman: Doctrine of Fascism
-Mussolini
Sherman: Mein Kampf
-Adolf Hitler
7. WWII and Post War
Chapter 27
*FRQ
8. The Cold War
Chapter 28
*FRQ
9. Postmodern World
*FRQ
*DBQ: Response to the ‘Poor’ (2004)
Chapter 29
Sherman: The Truman Doctrine and the
Marshall Plan
Sherman: British Labor’s Rise to Power
-Harry Laidler
Sherman: The Fearful Choice: Nuclear
Weapons
-Toynbee
Sherman: Origins of the Cold War
-Schlesinger, Jr. (secondary)
Sherman: The Cold War: The Communist
Perspective
-Ponomaryov (secondary)
Sherman: The Positive Role of the UN in a
Split World
-Hammarskjold (secondary)
Sherman: The Energy Crisis
-OPEC Seminar, Vienna, 1979
Sherman: The Earth in Deficit
-Thomas Berry
Sherman: Our Psychological Age
-Philip Rieff
Bibliography
Kishlansky, Mark A. (Ed.). (1995). Sources of the West: Volume II (2nd ed.). New York,
New York: HarperCollins College Publishers.
Machiavelli, Niccolo (1961). The Prince. New York: New York. Penguin Books.
(Original work published in English 1640)
Morton, Frederick (1979). A Nervous Splendor. New York, New York: Penguin Books.
Redman, Ben Ray (Ed). (1977). The Portable Voltaire. New York, New York: Penguin
Books.
Sherman, Dennis & Grunfeld, Tom A. & Markowitz, Gerald & Rosner, David &
Heywood, Linda (Eds.). (1994). World Civilizations Sources, Images, and
Interpretations: Volume II. New York, New York: McGraw-Hill, Inc.
Sherman, Dennis (Ed.). (1991). Western Civilization: Images and Interpretations, From
the Renaissance to the Present. New York, New York: McGraw-Hill, Inc.
Snell, Peter (Producer), & Nunn, Trevor (Director). (1985). Lady Jane [Motion Picture].
United States: Paramount.
Spiegel, Sam (Producer), & Schaffner, Franklin (Director). (1991). Nicholas and
Alexandra [Motion Picture]. United States: Columbia Tristar Home Video.
Spielvogel, Jackson J. (2003). Western Civilization: Comprehensive Volume (5th ed.).
Belmont, California: Wadsworth/Thomson Learning.