AP Euro Art Movements, Treaties, & Events

Renaissance

Cultural rebirth beginning in Italy (c. 1350); emphasized classical learning, humanism, and secularism in art and thought.

Northern Renaissance

Focused more on Christian humanism and social reform; figures include Erasmus and Thomas More.

Baroque Art

Dramatic, emotional, and grand style used by the Catholic Church and absolute monarchs to display power (e.g., Bernini, Rubens).

Neoclassicism

18th-century artistic movement inspired by ancient Rome and Greece; associated with Enlightenment ideals and order.

Romanticism

19th-century movement emphasizing emotion, nature, and individualism; reaction against Enlightenment rationalism.

Realism

Art and literature focusing on everyday life and the working class; emerged after 1848 Revolutions.

Impressionism

19th-century French art movement focused on capturing fleeting effects of light and color; artists include Monet and Degas.

Treaty of Westphalia (1648)

Ended the Thirty Years’ War; recognized state sovereignty and weakened the Holy Roman Empire.

Peace of Augsburg (1555)

Allowed German princes to choose between Lutheranism and Catholicism; "whose realm, his religion."

Edict of Nantes (1598)

Issued by Henry IV of France; granted religious freedom to Huguenots; revoked by Louis XIV in 1685.

Treaty of Utrecht (1713)

Ended the War of Spanish Succession; prevented Bourbon unification of France and Spain; rise of British power.

Congress of Vienna (1815)

Meeting of European powers after Napoleon’s defeat; restored monarchies and aimed to maintain balance of power.

Revolutions of 1848

Series of liberal and nationalist uprisings across Europe; mostly failed but showed rising demand for change.

Berlin Conference (1884–85)

European powers divided Africa without African input; led to “Scramble for Africa” and imperial rivalries.

Treaty of Versailles (1919)

Ended WWI; blamed Germany, imposed reparations, and created the League of Nations.

Marshall Plan

U.S. economic aid to rebuild Western Europe after WWII and prevent the spread of communism.

NATO

Military alliance formed in 1949 among Western powers to counter Soviet expansion.

Warsaw Pact

Soviet-led military alliance formed in response to NATO; symbolized the Eastern bloc during the Cold War.

Maastricht Treaty (1992)

Created the European Union and led to the adoption of the euro as a common currency.

The Enlightenment

Intellectual movement emphasizing reason, liberty, progress, and secular government; challenged traditional authority.

Deism

Enlightenment belief that God created the universe but does not intervene; reason and observation are primary sources of knowledge.

Mercantilism

Economic policy where nations seek to increase wealth through exports and colonies; used by absolutist states.

Capitalism

Economic system based on private ownership and free markets; advocated by Adam Smith.

Socialism

Political/economic system where means of production are controlled by the community or state; emerged in response to industrial capitalism.

Totalitarianism

Political system where the state controls all aspects of life; used by regimes like Nazi Germany and Stalinist USSR.

Conservatism

19th-century ideology supporting tradition, monarchy, and opposition to revolution and liberal change.

Liberalism

Belief in individual rights, constitutional government, and free markets; dominant ideology of the 19th century middle class.

Nationalism

Belief that people with a shared language and culture should form their own nation-state; key force in 19th-century revolutions.

Feminism

Movement for women's rights and gender equality; emerged during Enlightenment and grew in 19th and 20th centuries.

Zionism

Jewish nationalist movement seeking a homeland in Palestine; founded by Theodor Herzl in response to European anti-Semitism.

Appeasement

Policy of making concessions to avoid conflict; associated with Britain and France before WWII.

Decolonization

Post-WWII process of European colonies gaining independence; especially in Africa and Asia.

Detente

Cold War policy of easing tensions between the U.S. and USSR through diplomacy and arms reduction (1970s).

Brexit

Britain’s 2016 vote to leave the European Union; reflected rising nationalism and skepticism of EU integration.