AP Euro Semester 1

1. Renaissance and Exploration (c. 1350–1550)

  • Key Themes: Humanism, individualism, secularism, revival of classical texts

  • Key Figures: Petrarch ("Father of Humanism"), Erasmus, Machiavelli (The Prince), Castiglione (The Courtier)

  • Art and Architecture:

    • Characteristics: Perspective, realism, focus on the individual

    • Notable Artists: Leonardo da Vinci (Mona Lisa), Michelangelo (David), Raphael (School of Athens)

  • Northern Renaissance: More religious focus; Erasmus (In Praise of Folly), Thomas More (Utopia)

  • Age of Exploration:

    • Motivations: God, Gold, Glory

    • Key Explorers: Columbus, Vasco da Gama, Magellan

    • Consequences: Columbian Exchange, colonial empires, impact on indigenous populations

2. Reformation and Religious Wars (1517–1648)

  • Martin Luther and the Protestant Reformation:

    • 95 Theses (1517): Critique of indulgences

    • Key Beliefs: Sola fide, sola scriptura, priesthood of all believers

  • Other Reform Movements:

    • Calvinism (predestination, John Calvin)

    • Anglicanism (Henry VIII, Act of Supremacy)

  • Catholic Counter-Reformation:

    • Council of Trent (1545–1563): Reaffirmation of Catholic doctrines

    • Jesuits (Ignatius of Loyola)

  • Religious Wars:

    • German Peasants' War, French Wars of Religion (St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre)

    • Peace of Augsburg (1555): "Cuius regio, eius religio"

    • Thirty Years' War (1618–1648): Treaty of Westphalia (1648)

3. Absolutism and Constitutionalism (1600–1715)

  • Absolutism:

    • Key Figures: Louis XIV (l'État, c'est moi), Peter the Great (Westernization of Russia)

    • Features: Centralized control, standing armies, control of nobility

    • Key Events: Palace of Versailles, revocation of the Edict of Nantes

  • Constitutionalism in England:

    • English Civil War (1642–1651): Cavaliers vs. Roundheads

    • Glorious Revolution (1688): William and Mary, English Bill of Rights (1689)

    • Key Thinkers: Hobbes (Leviathan), Locke (Two Treatises of Government)

4. Scientific Revolution and Enlightenment (16th–18th centuries)

  • Scientific Revolution:

    • Key Figures: Copernicus (heliocentrism), Galileo (telescope, inertia), Newton (Principia, universal gravitation)

    • Impact: Shift to empirical observation and reason

  • The Enlightenment:

    • Core Ideas: Reason, natural rights, social contract

    • Key Philosophes: Voltaire (freedom of speech), Rousseau (The Social Contract), Montesquieu (The Spirit of Laws)

    • Spread of Ideas: Salons, Encyclopédie (Diderot)

    • Economic Thought: Adam Smith (Wealth of Nations, laissez-faire)

5. Early Modern Society and Economy

  • Demographic and Economic Trends:

    • Agricultural Revolution: Enclosure movement, crop rotation

    • Population Growth: Decline of plague, improved nutrition

  • Social Structures:

    • Nobility, clergy, peasantry

    • Role of Women: Limited rights; key figures include Mary Wollstonecraft (A Vindication of the Rights of Woman)

  • Culture and Daily Life:

    • Witch hunts (peak in 16th–17th centuries)

    • Popular vs. elite culture (oral traditions vs. literature)

6. The Age of Revolution and Reform (1700–1815)

  • Pre-French Revolution Developments:

    • Enlightened Absolutists: Frederick the Great, Catherine the Great

    • Financial crises in France

  • French Revolution (1789–1799):

    • Phases: Moderate (National Assembly, Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen), Radical (Reign of Terror, Robespierre), Directory

    • Key Events: Storming of the Bastille, Women’s March on Versailles

  • Napoleonic Era:

    • Reforms: Napoleonic Code, Concordat of 1801

    • Military Campaigns: Continental System, invasion of Russia

    • Fall: Battle of Waterloo (1815), Congress of Vienna (1815)

    • Key Terms with Definitions

      • Humanism: Renaissance intellectual movement focusing on human potential and achievements, emphasizing classical texts.

      • Heliocentrism: Astronomical theory proposed by Copernicus, stating the sun is at the center of the solar system.

      • Predestination: Calvinist belief that God has already determined who will achieve salvation.

      • Absolutism: Political system in which a ruler holds total power, often justified by divine right.

      • Social Contract: Enlightenment idea (e.g., Rousseau) that society agrees to be governed by its general will.

      • Laissez-faire: Economic theory advocating minimal government interference in the economy, promoted by Adam Smith.

      • Napoleonic Code: Legal code established by Napoleon, emphasizing equality before the law and securing property rights.

      • Cuius regio, eius religio: Principle of the Peace of Augsburg allowing rulers to choose the religion of their territory.

      • Enclosure Movement: Process in England of consolidating small landholdings into larger farms, contributing to agricultural efficiency.

      • Salons: Social gatherings where intellectuals discussed ideas during the Enlightenment.

      • Mercantilism: Economic policy emphasizing national wealth as a source of power, focusing on a favorable balance of trade.

      • Witch Hunts: Persecution of individuals (mainly women) accused of witchcraft, peaking in the 16th and 17th centuries.

      • Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen: Revolutionary document asserting individual freedoms and equality in France.

      • Continental System: Napoleon's blockade aimed at weakening Britain economically by restricting trade.

      • Treaty of Westphalia: Treaty ending the Thirty Years' War, establishing principles of sovereignty and non-interference.