Welcome to A.P. European History!
Why Study European History?
TASK:
1. Identify the authors’ thesis about why it is
important to study European history.
2. Identify and be prepared to discuss how
the authors support their thesis.
What’s a thesis?
What is the thesis of this course?
Why might this be controversial?
What is thesis?
A historian’s interpretation of the main causes, effects
and significance of a historical event, based on an
analysis of the evidence.
Some theses are more reasonable or plausible than
others.
What is thesis?
“The world of the historian, like the world of
the scientist, is not a photographic copy of
the real world, but rather a working model
which enables him more or less effectively
to understand it and to master it. The historian
distils from the experience of the past rummaging
through the ragbag of observed ‘facts’, selecting
the relevant, rejecting the irrelevant, until what is
sewn together is a logical and rational quilt of
‘knowledge’ …”
E.H.Carr, What is History?
What is the thesis of this course?
“To understand the modern world, it is
necessary to begin by looking at Europe”
-Palmer & Colton,
A History of the Modern World
What are the indexes of modernity?
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Pressures for increased democracy
Loosening of old customs
Questioning of ancestral religions; increased secularization
Demand for individual liberation
Expectation of a higher standard of living
Drive for more equality (gender, race, class, religious,
nationalities)
Elaborate means of transportation and communication
Advanced science, medicine, hygiene, agriculture
Sophisticated means for fighting or negotiating peace
Complex networks of finance and trade
The Renaissance 1450-1527
Unit EQ:
Why does the Renaissance mark the
beginning of the modern era?
“To understand the modern world, it is
necessary to begin by looking at Europe”
WHY PROBLEMATIC? CONTROVERSIAL?
Eurocentric
Western bias
World Trade Center,
Sept. 11, 2001:
America’s
wake-up call?
Anti-Western
backlash?
Why Study History?
“Life must be lived
forward but can only
be understood
looking backward”
-Soren Kierkegaard,
Existential philosopher
“Since September 11, 2001, it has become imperative
that Americans strive to be the most principled and wellinformed global citizens we can be.”
- Thomas Friedman, prize-winning journalist
With power comes responsibilities….
Pax Romana
40-500 CE
Pax Britannica
1700-1945
Pax Americana
1945 to present
Why Study History?
“The purpose of history
is to enable every
person to judge for
himself what will
secure or endanger
his or her freedom.”
Why study history?
“The struggle of man against power is the
struggle of memory against forgetting”
-Milan Kundera,
Czech writer
Why Study History?
“History is the mother
of all disciplines.”
Day 2: How Will We Study
History in this Course?
How will we study
history in this course?
How can you perform
well in this class?
Course goals….
• Sharpen your ability to interpret history, using evidence from
diverse sources of information and diverse points of view;
• Acquire a historic perspective on the lives of people both past
and present;
• Develop an appreciation for the struggles of others to overcome
hardship and create a better world.
What is the thesis of this course?
What is the thesis of this course?
“To understand the modern world, it is
necessary to begin by looking at Europe”
-Palmer & Colton,
A History of the
Modern World
“SPICE FACTORS”
• Social
• Political
• Intellectual Innovations
• Cultural:
Art, music, creativity
• Economics and trade
Six History Habits of Mind (the “6 C’s”):
Chronology:
There is an order of events that narrates the past;
Complexity:
Multiple factors explain why things happen in history ex., SPICE factors
Continuity & Change:
Some things change, some endure or persist.
Careful thinking will slowly reveal continuity and change.
Context: the surrounding circumstances and background; the “temper of the times” that
must be understood to interpret an event, document, idea, motives;
Contingency: the different options people faced when making decisions in the past;
often disproves “inevitability”
Causality:
Events have long and short term causes and effects,
and some causes are more important than others;
SPAIN – UNIVERSAL MONARCHY
FRENCH HEGEMONY/BALANCE OF POWER
1453:
1555:
1648:
CONSTANTINOPLE
AUGSBURG
WESTPHALIA
1500
SPAIN V.
PORTUGAL
1600
Renaissance Reformation
Great Chain of Being
REFORMATION
WARS OF RELIGION
SCI. REV.
OPENING OF ATLANTIC
PARIS
VIENNA
ENLIGHTENED
DESPOTS
1800
FRENCH DONMINANCE
Louis XIV
Deism
ENLIGHTENMENT
COMMERCIAL REV/
MERCANTILISM
SMITH
VERSAILLES
YALTA
NATION-STATES
- DEMOCRACY
-CONSTITUTIONAL
MONARCHY
-TOTALITARIANISM
1700
DUTCH GOLDEN AGE
SUPER POWERS
1756: 1815: 1919: 1945:
NEW MONARCHS ABSOLUTE MONARCHS
1450
PAX BRITANNICA
1900
BRITISH DOMINANCE
German,
USSR
Italian Unification
French Rev.
“God is Dead”
Nationalism
REALISM
ROMANTICISM
INDUSTRIAL REV.
IMPERIALISM
MARX
KEYNES
What are the indexes of modernity?
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Pressures for increased democracy
Loosening of old customs
Questioning of ancestral religions; increased secularization
Demands for individual liberation
Expectation of a higher standard of living
Drive for more equality (gender, race, class, religious,
nationalities)
Elaborate means of transportation and communication
Advanced science, medicine, hygiene, agriculture
Sophisticated means for fighting or negotiating peace
Complex networks of finance and trade
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Pressures for increased democracy
Loosening of old customs
Questioning of ancestral religions;
increased secularization
Demands for individual liberation
Expectation of a higher standard of
living
Drive for more equality (gender,
race, class, religious, nationalities)
Elaborate means of transportation
and communication
Advanced science, medicine,
hygiene, agriculture
Sophisticated means for fighting or
negotiating peace
Complex networks of finance and
trade
Michelangelo’s “David”
•Pressures for increased democracy
•Loosening of old customs
•Questioning of ancestral religions;
increased secularization
•Demands for individual liberation
•Expectation of a higher standard of
living
•Drive for more equality (gender, race,
class, religious, nationalities)
•Elaborate means of transportation and
communication
•Advanced science, medicine, hygiene,
agriculture
•Sophisticated means for fighting or
negotiating peace
•Complex networks of finance and trade
How can you perform well in this class?
• Cultivate your mind by being curious and by seeking
meaning. Ask, “well, how did we get here?”
• Effort creates achievement. Each day offers a chance for
improvement. Persevere despite setbacks or challenges.
Practice makes better.
• Practice civic discourse: engage in discussion actively and
courteously and work to improve your communication skills, in
writing and in discussion
• Strive for excellence: expect the best from yourself daily, and
exercise mental stamina and self-control.
How can you perform
well in this class?
• Be nice.
• Work hard.
• Have fun.
“Men are pretty much alike; it is
Learning and practice that set
Them apart” - Confucius
Effort creates achievement. Your work ethic
will determine your success in this course!
“The Unexamined Life Is Not Worth Living”
Your curiosity about
the past is crucial
to your success in
this class.
Expectations:
• Read nightly from among several college level texts, both
secondary and primary sources.
• Improve your ability to engage in civic discourse by actively
practicing public speaking skills and leadership in class;
• Cultivate your ability to research, analyze and interpret
history;
• Strive to make meaning by consciously using the 6 “C”s of
history
“Adolescents entering the adult
world in the 21st century will
read and write more than at any
other time in human history.
They will need advanced levels
of literacy to perform their jobs,
run their households, act as
citizens , and conduct their
personal lives”.
-Richard Vacca
The USA is currently the most powerful empire in the
world. With empire comes responsibilities.
Are YOU up for the challenge ?