Pre-AP World History Midterm Exam

2025

Effects of the Printing Press

1. Books became cheaper and widely available

2. motivated people to read, raising literacy rates over Europe

3. Rapid spread of ideas*

4. language standardization

Renaissance art perspective

illusion of three-dimensional space and depth on a two-dimensional surface, supported realism and naturalism

the art of drawing solid objects on a two-dimensional surface so as to give the right impression of their height, width, depth, and position in relation to each other when viewed from a particular point.

What was the Renaissance?

a fervent period of European cultural, artistic, political, and economic "rebirth" following the Middle Ages.

Where did the Renaissance begin?

Florence, Italy

What ancient civilizations inspired the Renaissance?

Ancient Greece and Rome

How did the plague affect the Renaissance movement?

• disrupted feudalism,

• increasing labor value

• fostering individualism

• prompting new ways of thinking about life, death, and the human condition

Causes of the Renaissance:

• rediscovery of classical knowledge

• Growth of trade and cities

• fall of feudalism,

• humanism,

• printing press,

• black death plague

Effects of the Renaissance

• Artistic revolution,

• scientific advancement

• secularism & individualism

• religious reformation

• age of exploration

• increased literacy

Impact of the Medici family. Why were they wealthy?

The Medici family became wealthy and influential through

• pioneering banking,

• dominating the Florentine wool/textile trade

• shrewd investments,

  • becoming Europe's leading bankers and popes' financiers

Leonardo DaVinci’s contributions

anatomical studies, and inventing techniques like sfumato (soft blending) and chiaroscuro (light/shadow play).

Michelangelo’s contributions

muscular figures and intense emotion.

Raphael’s contributions

Dontatello’s contributions

reintroduced naturalistic poses (contrapposto) from classical art. (Humanism, Linear Perspective, Anatomy, New techniques 

What is theology

 the study of the nature of God and religious belief.

What is a denomination

a recognized autonomous branch of the Christian Church.

Define Humanism

The renaissance idea focusing on human potential, reason, and ethics to lead fulfilling lives, emphasizing human well-being, rights, and dignity, and finding meaning through human effort and compassion rather than relying on the supernatural or divine.

What was a patron?

a wealthy, influential person who provided financial or other support to an artist, writer, charity, or institution, essentially sponsoring their work or cause

How did the Silk Road cause the Renaissance?

 by generating immense wealth in Italian city-states, which then funded art and scholarship.

Why was DaVinci a Renaissance man?

his genius spanned numerous fields including art, science, engineering, anatomy, invention, which was the Renaissance ideal of universal knowledge, driven by insatiable curiosity, keen observation, and a belief in integrating art with scientific study

Define protestant

a Christian belonging to one of the denominations that emerged from the Protestant Reformation

Define reformation

a 16th-century movement for the reform of abuses in the Roman Catholic Church

What was the Counter-Reformation?

The Counter-Reformation was the Catholic Church's response to the Protestant Reformation

what were the reasons for the decline in the power of the Catholic Church

• internal corruption

• the Protestant Reformation splitting Christianity

• rising nationalism challenging papal authority

• the Enlightenment promoting reason over faith

• political conflicts with monarchs

• internal scandals

Why was Martin Luther upset with the Catholic Church?

over the sale of indulgences// corrupted church

According to Luther, what was the supreme source of religious authority?

The Bible

What was the Ninety-Five Thesis?

The 95 Theses were a list of propositions for academic debate, written by Martin Luther in 1517, challenging the Catholic Church's practice of selling "indulgences"

What is an indulgence?

 the remission of temporal punishment due for sins already forgiven

Who was Tetzel? What did he do that upset Luther?

He was a friar famous for aggressively selling indulgences

Henry VIII and the Church of England - why did he want to break away from the Catholic Church?

To get a male heir and annul his marriage to Catherine of Aragon

Effects of the Reformation

it split Christianity into Catholic and Protestant boosted Bible reading in common languages, sparking literacy, empowering individual faith, and reducing Church power.

How did the Renaissance impact the Reformation?

• promoted humanism, encouraging critical thinking

• reviving classical texts (including the Bible in original languages)

• leveraged the printing press, which together fostered individual interpretation, challenged Church authority, exposed corruption spread reformist ideas rapidly, ultimately paving the way for religious transformation and splintering Christianity.

What type of government did the Enlightenment threaten?

absolute monarchy

Who wrote Common Sense? What was its purpose?:

Thomas Paine, it was to persuade American colonists to declare independence from Great Britain

What were John Locke’s ideas?

• natural rights (life, liberty, property)

• the social contract (government by consent) the right to revolution if government fails

• religious toleration

Who was the major contributor to the Declaration of Independence?

Thomas jefferson

Define Natural Rights

Natural rights are fundamental, inherent, and inalienable rights (like life, liberty, property/happiness) that all humans possess from birth

What were Rousseau’s ideas

centered on the belief that humans are naturally good but corrupted by society

Montesquieu’s idea regarding government:

the separation of powers, advocating for dividing state authority into legislative, executive, and judicial branches, each checking the others to prevent tyranny and preserve political liberty,

What were Hobbes’ ideas

to escape a chaotic "state of nature," individuals enter a social contract, surrendering some freedom to an absolute sovereign (a monarch or group) for security and peace, laying groundwork for modern political thought by emphasizing individual rights (like liberty) and consent-based rule

What were Voltaire's ideas

 reason, religious tolerance, and freedom of speech

What were Copernicus’ ideas

The heliocentric model—placing the Sun at the center with Earth and planets revolving around it

Heliocentric theory vs Geocentric:

Geocentric puts Earth at the center with everything revolving around it, while Heliocentric (the correct model) places the Sun at the center of the solar system, with Earth and other planets orbiting it

Elliptical orbits

an oval-shaped path a celestial body takes around another

Newton’s Laws of Motion

1: Law of Inertia, 2: Force and acceleration, 3: Action-reaction

Scientific Method

a systematic process for objective investigation a systematic process for objective investigation 

What were Kepler’s ideas

Three Laws of Planetary Motion: planets move in ellipses (not circles) with the Sun at one focus, sweep out equal areas in equal times (meaning they speed up near the Sun), and have orbital periods related to their distance by a precise mathematical formula (the "Law of Harmonies")

Causes of the Scientific Revolution:

• Renaissance humanism questioning old texts

• the rise of exploration demanding new navigation tools

• the invention of the printing press spreading new ideas

• the establishment of scientific institutions

• a new emphasis on math and systematic experimentation (empiricism)

• the ambition to conquer and understand the natural world

Why were the American colonists upset?

• unfair taxation without representation (like the Stamp & Tea Acts)

• restrictions on trade

• forced quartering of British soldiers

• a feeling that their rights as British subjects were being violated by laws like the Intolerable Acts, leading to demands for self-governance and independence.

What were the Articles of Confederation

the United States' first constitution during the American Revolution, in effect from 1781 to 1789

Declaration of Independence

the foundational U.S. document announcing the 13 American colonies' separation from Great Britain, articulating Enlightenment ideals of natural rights 

US Constitution

the supreme law of the United States, establishing the framework for the federal government and defining the rights and liberties of American citizens.

The 3 estates (population and taxation)

1. Clergy 1% of population pay little taxes

2.Nobility 2% pay no taxes

3. Peasants & Commoners 97%  pay lots of taxes

What was the Estates General

France's traditional representative assembly of the three social orders

What was The Storming of the Bastille

a pivotal event and the flashpoint of the French Revolution. A Parisian mob, seeking gunpowder and weapons to defend the newly formed National Assembly, assaulted the medieval fortress and prison that symbolized the French monarchy's arbitrary and oppressive rule.

Reign of Terror

violent phase of the French Revolution led by Maximilien Robespierre and the Committee of Public Safety, marked by mass arrests and executions

Guillotine

A guillotine is a tall, wooden machine with a heavy, angled blade used for beheadings 

Napoleon and his reforms

Napoleon's reforms modernized France by centralizing the state, establishing the Napoleonic Code, creating state-controlled education, stabilizing the economy 

Who was Robespierre?

a radical democrat and one of the most influential and controversial figures of the French Revolution. 

Who were the Jacobins?

The Jacobins were a radical political club during the French Revolution, who pushed for extreme republicanism, social equality, and centralized government, famously leading the Reign of Terror under figures like Maximilien Robespierre

Congress of Vienna's purpose and actions:

aimed to restore stability in Europe after Napoleon's defeat by redrawing borders, establishing a balance of power, restoring legitimate monarchies, and suppressing revolutionary ideas through the Concert of Europe, with major actions including containing France, strengthening border states and compensating victors with territories in Poland, Italy, and beyond, creating a conservative, peaceful order (though ignoring future national tensions

Contextualization: Evaluate the extent to which the Enlightenment ideas influenced the Third Estate and ultimately led to the French Revolution. ***

The Enlightenment ideas influenced the French Revolution because of the spread of rights for liberty and equality and the spreading of ideas that questioned the absolute monarchy. However, economic hardship and social inequality also influenced the French revolution.

Free response: A) Describe one significant cause of the French Revolution. ***

One significant cause of the french revolution was the widespread economic hardship like food shortages and high taxes on the common people. It included government debt and inequality fueling the demands for change.

Free Response: B) Describe one significant effect of the French Revolution. ***

A significant effect of the french revolution was getting rid of the monarchy and establishing a republic which altered France's political structure greatly. This also inspired revolutionary movements across Europe which promoted the ideas of equality and liberty.

Free Response: C) Describe one significant reform undertaken by Napoleon as the ruler of France***.

One significant reform undertaken by Napoleon was the Napoleonic Code, which standardized laws across France and promoted legal equality. This reform modernized the French legal system and influenced legal systems in other countries.