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A.P. EUROPEAN HISTORY
Course Syllabus
INSTRUCTOR:
Mrs. Sydeski – lsydeski@wjhsd.net, 412 655-8614 x 6274, homework hotline x 6378
Course Website – www.apeuropean.weebly.com
INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS:
McKay, Hill, Buckler, A History of Western Society. New York: Houghton Mifflin
Company, 8th edition.
Perry, Peden, Von Laue, Sources of Western Tradition. New York: Houghton Mifflin
Company, 6th edition. Volume II.
Strickland, Carol, The Annotated Mona Lisa. Kansas City: A Universal Press Syndicate Company.
DESCRIPTION:
The Advanced Placement European History course is considered a college level course offered at the
high school. 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 we
live. Without, this knowledge, we would lack the context for understanding the development of
contemporary institutions, the role of the continuity and change in present-day society and politics,
and the evolution of current forms of artistic expression and intellectual discourse.
GOALS:
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2.
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7.
An understanding of the principal themes in modern European history - SPRITE
An ability to analyze historical evidence and historical interpretation
An ability to express historical understanding in writing
An understanding of scope and sequence in Western Civilization
An ability to critically analyze primary documents and detect bias
To improve upon skills: note taking, reading, test taking, writing, visual and textual
analysis
To promote Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS): analysis, synthesis, and
evaluation (Bloom’s Taxonomy)
THEMES:
A.
INTELLECTUAL AND CULTURAL HISTORY
B.
POLITICAL AND DIPLOMATIC HISTORY
C.
SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC HISTORY
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REQUIREMENTS:
Reading…Writing and Thinking. You will read critically and comprehensively and show evidence
of your reading in daily class discussions. THINK as you read and ask questions about how the
reading relates to the themes. Define unfamiliar words, and discriminate what is most important.
Write a thematic essay
Analyze and synthesize historical evidence into a Document-Based Question (DBQ)
Factual recollection and basic understanding of chronological sequence (1450-present)
Prepare for the AP Exam and possibly 3-6 college credits
All information should be organized in a three-ring loose-leaf notebook
GRADING POLICY:
Every Unit will be assessed through the following structure:
Exams:
70-80 Questions (Multiple Choice and Matching)
Essay Question (50 points) – Essay questions will be Free Response Questions
(FRQ) from previous AP exams
IN ORDER TO BE ELIGIBLE FOR THE CURVE ON EACH EXAM STUDENTS
MUST COMPLETE HOMEWORK PACKETS 100%
Homework: A variety of homework will be assigned:
Study Guides: students will answers questions as they read in order to help them read for
comprehension, and think critically.
Review Questions: each unit will require approximately 100 review questions to reinforce material.
Center for Learning Activities: Homework will be assigned and assessed from the Advanced
Placement European History books Volume 1,2,3.
Primary Documents: each student will be given a copy of Perry, Peden, Von Laue Sources of the
Western Tradition 6th edition.
Geography: most units will include a map activity will label and identify key areas of importance.
Observational Inferences: throughout the course students will be asked to evaluate graphs,
statistics, artwork, political cartoons etc.
FRQ’s & DBQ’s: first semester will be devoted to developing student’s skills to brainstorm,
synthesize information, write a thesis for the FRQ’s
second semester we will devote one day a week (DBQ Friday) to analyze documents, detect
bias, write a comprehensive thesis, and meet all requirements of the rubric.
Videos: all videos will be accompanied with a video guide in which questions and answers will be
discussed.
Projects: First quarter – Art/Literature Project - Renaissance
Second quarter – Monarch Resume / Enlightenment Philosopher - biography Project
Third quarter – WWII Project
Fourth quarter – Student Created
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Your hard work, discipline, curiosity, and eagerness to learn are investments
for success in this class. “You shall profit as you invest.”
COURSE OUTLINE
FIRST SEMESTER
1. THE ANCIENT AND MEDIEVAL WORLD
What is History?
The importance of developing a historical view
The foundations of Western Civilization – Greece and Rome
The Middle Ages – barbarian tribes, feudal hierarchy, universities, architecture,
technological changes, Black Death, The Decline of the Papacy, 100 Years’ War
Reading: Chapter 12 pp. 379-408
Quiz: 50 points – Scope and Sequence of course
Geography: Current Political Map of Europe
Video: Inside the Vatican
2. RENAISSANCE
Generic definition of Renaissance
Political power struggle b/w nobles/king, king/pope
Why Florence? – geo-political factors
Characteristics of the Renaissance: Humanism, Secularism, Individualism, Criticism,
Well-Rounded Man
Art and Architecture – Masaccio, Dontello, Botticelli, Giotto, Brunelesschi, Ghiberti,
Leonardo, Michelangelo, Raphael, Bernini
Renaissance Literature – Alighieri, Petrarch, Boccoccio, Mirondola, Valla, Machiavelli,
Castiglione
Northern Renaissance compare/contrast with the Italian Renaissance
Literature (Erasmus, More) and Art (Van Eyck)
Reading: Chapter 13 pp. 413-447
Primary Documents: Machiavelli The Prince(Perry Paperback pp. 12-16), Castiglione
The Courtier, Thomas More Utopia, Erasmus The Praise of Folly
Quiz: Art
Geography: Italian political map 1500
Project: Art education – Renaissance Artist, Literature – Video/Power Point/Poster
3. REFORMATION
Theme – Luther – Great man? Or Man of His Time?
What caused the Reformation?
Gustavson A Preface to History single v. multiple causation
Discuss the social, political, religious, intellectual, technological, and economic forces
Problems associated with the Roman Catholic Church
Sequence of Events – Luther
Other Reformers – Zwingli, Calvin, Knox, Anabaptists
Max Weber The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism
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The English Reformation – motivation, compare/contrast
The Counter Reformation – goals, successes, failures, Ignatius of Loyola
Reading: Chapter 14 pp. 453-484,
Article “Luther: Giant of His Time and Ours” -- Time 1983.
Primary Documents: On Papal Power, Justification by Faith, the Interpretation of
the Bible, and the Nature of the Clergy (Perry Paperback pp. 16-20) Appeal to the
Christian Nobility of the German Nation
Graphic Organizer: Hierarchy of the Roman Catholic Church
Geography: Map of Charles V Empire
Video: Luther
4. AGE OF EXPANSION / DISCOVERY
Theme – Gold, Glory, and God
Precursors – Crusades, Renaissance, Religion
Contributing Factors – trade, economic exploitation, power of the crown
Technological Advancements – cannon, musket, Caravel, magnetic compass, astrolabe,
cartography
Economic concepts – Mercantilism, Commercial Revolution, Price Revolution
Columbian Exchange, Slave Trade
Individual accomplishments – Diaz, Vespucci, Drake, etc…
Nation Building – Dutch, Spain, Portugal
Results – increased world trade, shift in economic power, movement towards capitalism
Reading: Chapter 15 pp. 493-497, 502-519,
The Expansion of Europe by Richard B. Reed
Primary Documents: Chapter 3 (Dennis Sherman – Western Civilization sources,
image, and interpretations)
Graphic Organizer: Explorers, Conquerors, Columbian Exchange
Geography: Spain Reqonquista, The Netherlands, Empires
5. RELIGIOUS WARS / AGE OF ABSOLUTISM
Civil and Religious Wars of France
St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre, War of the Three Henry’s
Absolutism – definition, long-term, short-term causes, consequences
Foundations of the Bourbon Dynasty – Henry IV, politique, divine right
Threats to the power of the crown, characteristics of the modern nation state
Louis XIII, Cardinal Richelieu – contributions to the crown
30 Years’ War – causes, consequences, outcome
The growth of absolutism – Louis XIV, biography, Frondes, Jacques Bossuet, Versailles,
The wars of Louis XIV – Balance of Power
Baroque and French Classicism
Reading: Chapter 16 pp. 531-548 Chapter 17 pp. 565-592
Primary Documents: Politics Drawn from the Very Words of Holy Scripture (Perry
Paperback pp. 20-22)
Graphic Organizer: France, Russia, Prussia, Great Britain, Poland, Austria –
themes in the 18th Century, 30 Years’ War phases, causes,
highlights, results
Geography: Europe 1648 (Kagan), Religious Divisions 1600
Observation Inference: Compare / Contrast Versailles / El Escorial
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6. ENGLISH CONSTITUTIONALISM
Precursors – Jury System, Magna Carta, Model Parliament, common law,
Parliamentary law making
Tudor dynasty/Stuart dynasty – differences & similarities
James I – religious, political, and economic problems
Charles I – Foundations of English Civil War
The Interregnum Period – Oliver Cromwell
The Restoration – Charles II, James II
The Glorious Revolution - William and Mary
Democracy v. Undemocratic policies of Great Britain prior to 1750
Reading: Chapter 16 pp. 548-559
Primary Documents: Leviathan Thomas Hobbes, The Second Treatise on
Government John Locke (Perry Paperback pp. 23-25, 57-60)
Graphic Organizer: Timeline, Succession of English monarchs
Observation Inference: Questions to the Prime Minister - CSPAN
7. A NEW WORLD VIEW
Theme – “Dare to Know” Immanuel Kant
Causes of the Scientific Revolution
Key individuals and contributions
Impact of Scientific Revolution regarding the Enlightenment
Principles – Reason, Natural Law, Progress
Compare / Contrast Locke Hobbes – Future effects?
Enlightened Despotism – examples
Key individuals – contributions
Women of the Enlightenment
Religion and the new world view - Deism
Reading: Chapter 18 pp. 595-605 Scientific Revolution
Chapter 18 pp. 605-628 Enlightenment
Primary Documents: On the Revolutions of Heavenly Orbs (pp. 32-34) The Starry
Messenger (pp. 35-42) Attack on authority and advocacy of experimental science (pp.
42-44) The Motion of the Heart and Blood in Animals (pp. 44-46) The Autonomy of
the Mind (pp. 46-50) Principia Mathematica (pp. 50-52) What is Enlightenment
Immanuel Kant (pp. 55-56), A Plea for Tolerance and Reason Voltaire (pp. 61-64),
The Social Contract Rousseau (pp. 74-77), A Vindication of the Rights of Women
Wollstonecraft (pp.106-109)
Graphic Organizer: Scientists, Philosophes
Enlightenment Salon Activity: Each student will be assigned a scientist or
philosophes (total of 15 key individual). They will
be responsible for a brief biography, most notable
works, date, and three most important contributions
to our time.
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8. THE FRENCH REVOLUTION AND NAPOLEON
Theme - Patterns of Revolution – Crane Brinton
Concepts of Liberty and Equality
General overview of stages and governments – Moderate Stage – The National Assembly,
The Legislative Assembly, Radical Stage – The National Convention etc.
Underlying social, political, religious, intellectual, technological, and economic factors
that lead to the French Revolution
Immediate sparks – Estates General, National Assembly, Storming of the Bastille
Specific events of the Moderate Stage – successes, failures
Transition between Moderate to Radical – events, why?
The events of Moderate Stage
The events of the Reactionary or Therimdorean Stage
The Napoleonic Stage – bio, military background, rise to power, successes and failures of
his policies, key battles, fall from power
Timeline of the French Revolution
Reading Chapter 21 pp. 691-720 French Revolution
Primary Documents: Cahiers – List of Grievances, What is the Third Estate? Abbe
Emmanuel Sieyes, Compare/Contrast the Declaration of
Rights of Man and Citizen and the Declaration of Rights of
Women and Citizen Napoleon Bonaparte Leader, General,
Tyrant, Reformer (pp. 119-123)
Observational Inference: The Death of Marat – David, The Shackled Third Estate
Project: Timeline Scavenger Hunt / Napoleon – Giant? Or Midget? Analyze the
successes and failures of Napoleon’s reign
Video: The French Revolution – The History Channel
SECOND SEMESTER
1. THE AGE OF METTERNICH
Theme – “ A turning point in history where history failed to turn” - A.P. Taylor
Klemens von Metternich – biography, conservatism
Radical ideology – liberalism, nationalism, and socialism
Revolutions goals and outcomes: Spain 1820-1823, Two Sicilies 1820-1821,
Greece 1821-1832, France 1830,1848, Hungary 1848,
Prussia 1848, Belgium 1830
Concert of Europe – Treaties – Chaumont, Paris(2), Vienna – discuss leaders, alliances,
principles, and territorial changes
Identify why Belgium and Greece were granted independence
Detailed analysis to of the French Revolutions of 1830 and 1848
Identify key leaders, events, successes, failures, and consequences
Brief overview – France from the First Republic to the Fifth Republic
Evaluation – Metternich success? Or failure?
Romanticism – definitions, examples
Reading Chapter 23 pp. 755-785 Ideologies and Upheaval
Primary Document: Reflections on the Revolution in France (pp. 152-154
The Odious Ideas of the Philosophes –Klemens von Metternich (pp.154-156)
Geography: Nationalities of the Hapsburg Empire
Observational Inference: Delacroix: Massacre at Chios, Liberty Leading the People
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2. BRITISH PARLIAMENTARY REFORM
Theme - Evolution not Revolution?
Identify the undemocratic features of Great Britain c. 1750 – voting restrictions, open
ballot, unfair representation, office holding restrictions, hereditary power of the House of
Lords
Legislation – Reform Bill 1832, 1867, 1884, 1918, 1928, The Chartist Movement,
People’s Budget, Parliament Act of 1911, 1949
The Corn Laws, Spa Field Riots, Coercion Acts, Peterloo Massacre, Six Acts, Cato Street
Conspiracy, Slave Trade Act, Factory Act 1833, Repeal of the Corn Laws, Irish Potato
Famine, Ten Hours Act
British Government today – evolution of political parties, structure, key Prime Ministers
Compare/Contrast structure of the United States government with British government
Reading: Chapter 23 pp. 772-775 Ideologies and Upheaval
Observational Inference: CNN video clip – Tony Blair defending British policies to
the House of Commons
Graphic: Compare / Contrast US / British - Government
3. THE INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION
Theme – Transport and Communication
Various definitions – dates
Precursors – Commercial Revolution, Agricultural Revolution, inventors and inventions
Social, Political, Economic, and Geographic factors that cause England to be the
“workshop of the world”
Industry and Energy: Textiles, Steam, Coal, Iron, Steel, etc….
Ideology: Adam Smith, Thomas Malthus, David Ricardo, Jeremy Bentham, John Stuart
Mill, Robert Owen, Friedrich Engels, Karl Marx
Impact of the Industrial Revolution: Social, Political, Religious, Intellectual,
Technological, and Economic
Emphasis on family structure, population, disease, unions, middle class, political parties,
gender roles
Identify the positive aspects of Socialism, Capitalism, and Communism
Discuss the defects of Socialism, Capitalism, and Communism
Compare/ Contrast Socialism, Capitalism, and Communism
Discuss Socialist and Communist countries today
Reading: Chapter 22 pp. 725-750 Chapter 24 pp. 786-817
Primary Documents: Sadler Commission Report on Child Labor (135-138)
Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels Communist Manifesto (Perry –
Sources of the Western Tradition pp. 181-188) On Liberty John
Stuart Mill (pp. 158-159)
Observational Inference: Population Charts, Pictures “Working Class”
4. THE AGE OF NATIONALISM
Theme - Brave Men do not win their freedom unassisted
Obstacles and factors promoting Italian Unification
Real Politik
Key Leaders: Mazzini, Garibaldi, Cavour, Victor Emmanuel II, Napoleon III, Emperor
Franz Joseph
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Key Events: Crimean War, Orsini’s assassination attempt, Meeting at Plombieres,
Franco-Austrian War, Treaty of Villafranca, unification of southern Italy, role of the
Papacy, future problems, Italy today
Obstacles and factors promoting German Unification
Key Leaders: Otto von Bismarck, William I&II, Napoleon III, Franz Joseph
Key Events: Zollverein, Military Power, Danish War, Austro-Prussian War, Franco
Prussian War, Ems Telegram, Treaty of Frankfurt
Structure of the New German Empire, Bismarck’s policies
Germany Today
Reading: Chapter 25 The Age of Nationalism 1850-1914 pp. 823-850
Primary Documents: Ems Dispatch, Speeches on Pragmatism and State Socialism
Louis L. Snyder, ed. Documents of German History, Modern
Nationalism (pp.160-168)
Geography: Italian Map 1858-1870, German Map 1865-1871
Observational Inference: Anton von Werner Proclaiming the German Empire
5. RUSSIAN HISTORY
Theme – “Russia is a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma” – Churchill
Origins of the Slavs, Kievan Russia, Influence of the Byzantine Empire, The Mongol
Yoke, The Rise of Moscow, Ivan I, Ivan III, Ivan IV
The establishment of the Romanov Dynasty
Peter the Great – Westernization of Russia, Catherine II, enlightened despot?
Alexander II, Alexander III, Nicholas II
Russo-Japanese War, Revolution of 1905, Russia WWI, Revolution of 1917, Civil War in
Russia, Lenin, Stalin, Krushchev, Brezhnev, Andropov, Cherneko, Gorbachev, Yeltsin,
Putin
Multi-ethnicity, geo-political factors, timeline
Reading: Chapter 17 Absolutism in Eastern Europe pp. 577-589, Chapter 18 Toward
a New World View, pp. 616-619, Chapter 25 The Age of Nationalism
pp. 835-838, Chapter 27 pp. 904-910
Primary Document: Rasputin – prophecy of doom according to his secretary
Simonvich – two weeks before Rasputin’s assassination
December 1916, Stalin’s Terror (pp. 359-366)
Geography: Political geography of Russia and former 15 Soviet Republics
Video: Russia Land of the Tsars – History Channel, Lenin Biography, Stalin Biograpy
6. WORLD WAR I
Theme - You can win the War and lose the Peace
Single Causation vs. Multiple Causation
Militarism – definition, examples, new weapons
Alliances – Bismarck’s elaborate system, collective security – Triple Alliance, Triple
Entente
Imperialism – Scramble for Asia and Africa, Germany “place in the sun”
Nationalism – Balkans, Ottoman Empire, Austro-Hungarian Empire
Key people, Propaganda, role of women, Suffragists
Key Events: assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, Schlieffen Plan, Battle of the
Marne, Battle of the Somme, Multi-Front War
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Events that led the United States to enter: Zimmerman Telegram, Sinking of the
Lusitania
Impact of War (SPRITE) on Russia, France, Italy, Germany, Great Britain, AustroHungarian Empire, Ottoman Empire, United States
Treaty of Versailles – territorial provisions, military and naval, reparations, economic
effect, political effect – Weimar Republic, connection the WWII
Wilson’s Fourteen Points, self-determination, League of Nations, Casualties
Reading: Chapter 26 The West and the World pp. 855-883, Chapter 27 The Great
Break: War and Revolution pp.887-916
Primary Documents: A.J.P. Taylor The Struggle for Mastery in Europe The Origins
of World War I: An Older and a Newer View, Lenin’s Will, Naomi Loughnan Genteel
Women in Factories (Perry – Sources of the Western Tradition) White Man’s Burden
Rudyard Kipling, Wilson’s Fourteen Points
Geography: New Imperialism Asia and Africa
Observational Inferences: Propaganda WWI
7. RISE OF TOTLITARIAN STATES/WWII
Theme – Cult of Personality
Three Dictators of the early 20th Century
Mussolini: biography, rise to power, Fascism
Hitler: biography, rise to power, Nazism
Stalin: biography, rise to power, Stalinism
Events leading to WWII: German Rearmament, Attack on Ethiopia, German
Reoccupation of the Rhine, Spanish Civil War, Annexation of Austria, Appeasement at
Munich, Hitler-Stalin Pact, The Invasion of Poland
Events of WWII: The Phony War, Germany conquers Denmark and Norway, The Fall of
France, The Battle of Britain, The Nazi invasion of Russia, Japanese Attack on Pearl
Harbor, The Normandy Invasion, German Surrender, The War in the Pacific, The
Manhattan Project, The Holocaust, Appeasement
Impact of WWII (SPRITE)
Reading: Chapter 28 The Age of Anxiety pp. 921-949, Chapter 29 Dictatorship and
the Second World War pp. 953-984
Primary Documents: Adolf Hitler Mein Kampf, Y. Pfeffer Concentration Camp Life
and Death
Geography: Map of post WWII era
Project: WWII – Videos, Power Point
Observational Inference: Propaganda Projects
8. THE COLD WAR
Theme – Our Generation
Identify Origins of the Cold War, application of the Containment Theory, Spread and Fall
of Communism
Yalta Conference, Churchill’s Iron Curtain Speech, Poland and Eastern Europe, George
Kennan, Truman Doctrine, Marshall Plan, Berlin Airlift, NATO, Revolution in China, The
Korean War, The Warsaw Pact, De-Stalinization, Revolt in Poland and Hungary (1956),
The Berlin Wall, The Cuban Missile Crisis, The Vietnam War, The Czech Revolt (1968),
The Afgan War (1979), The Rise of Solidarity in Poland, The Gorbachev Revolution, The
Collapse of the Soviet Union, Feminism, Woodstock
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Reading: Chapter 30 Cold War Conflicts, and Social Transformations, 1945-1985
Primary Documents: Winston Churchill: The “Iron Curtain” Speech,
Video: The Fall of the Berlin Wall & The Death of Yugoslavia, CNN Cold War Series
9. POST COLD WAR ERA / EUROPEAN UNION
German Unification, Revolutions of 1989 Kosovo, Maastricht Treaty, European Union,
The Islamic Question, Terrorism, hegemony, globalization, Old vs. New Europe, the role
of NATO, and the United Nations
Existentialism and 20th century Art
Challenges Today – Social, Political, Religious, Intellectual, Technological, and
Economic?
Reading: Chapter 31 Revolution, Rebuilding and New Challenges: 1985 to the
Present pp. 1027-1061
10. REVIEW FOR AP EXAM
Preparation for the AP EUROPEAN HISTORY EXAM will last between one and two
weeks. Students will be expected to do the following:
SPRITE Charts – graphic organizers for each unit in order to review key concepts and
themes
Timed DBQ – 15 Minutes to simulate exam
Multiple Choice Questions – students will have the opportunity to work through the
multiple-choice questions for the released 1984, 1988, and 1999 exams
DBQ’S and FRQ’S – students will review released responses to FRQ’S and DBQ’S in
order to discern good, better, best essays
Final Exam Exemption – if students take the National Exam they are exempt from the
Thomas Jefferson High School required final exam if not they will take the 2004 released
National Exam