Comprehensive NYS Global History & Geography II Regents Review Guide

Overview of NYS Global History & Geography II Regents Review

  • Review Focus: This review is designed for students who have completed AP World History Modern but are preparing for the New York State Regents Exam.
  • Emphasized Skills and Topics: The Regents exam prioritizes specific analytical lenses over simple memorization:
    • Cause and Effect
    • Turning Points
    • Historical Context
    • Geography
    • Nationalism
    • Industrialization
    • Imperialism
    • Human Rights
    • Document Analysis
  • Goal: Focus on understanding major historical developments rather than isolated details.

Unit 1: Enlightenment & Revolutions

  • Essential Question: How did Enlightenment ideas change governments and societies?
  • Key Enlightenment Thinkers:
    • John Locke: Advocated for Natural Rights, specifically Life, Liberty, and Property.
    • Montesquieu: Argued for the Separation of Powers within government.
    • Rousseau: Proposed the concept of the Social Contract.
    • Voltaire: Supported Religious Tolerance.
    • Mary Wollstonecraft: Championed Women's Rights.
  • Key Terms:
    • Natural Rights: Inherent rights that all humans possess from birth.
    • Social Contract: An implicit agreement among the members of a society to cooperate for social benefits.
    • Separation of Powers: Vesting the legislative, executive, and judicial powers of government in separate bodies.
    • Consent of the Governed: The idea that a government's legitimacy and moral right to use state power is only justified when consented to by the people or society over which that political power is exercised.
    • Enlightenment: A philosophical movement that emphasized reason and individualism rather than tradition.
  • Check Your Understanding:
    1. Which Enlightenment thinker believed governments should protect natural rights?
    2. Which thinker argued for separation of powers?
    3. How did Enlightenment ideas influence revolutions?

The French Revolution

  • Causes:
    • Political: Existence of an absolute monarchy and weak leadership.
    • Social: The unequal Estates System.
    • Economic: Accumulation of national debt, high taxes, and severe food shortages.
    • Intellectual: The spread of Enlightenment ideas.
  • Important Events and Significance:
    • Storming of the Bastille: Marks the beginning of the Revolution.
    • National Assembly: Occurred when the Third Estate challenged the authority of the King.
    • Declaration of the Rights of Man: A document where Enlightenment ideas were codified into law.
    • Reign of Terror: Represented the radical phase of the revolution.
    • Rise of Napoleon: This event brought an end to the revolutionary chaos.
  • Regents Review Questions:
    1. What were the three estates?
    2. Why was the Third Estate unhappy?
    3. What was the purpose of the Declaration of the Rights of Man?

Napoleon Bonaparte

  • Profile: Military leader and Emperor of France.
  • Key Actions:
    • Responsible for the spread of revolutionary ideas.
    • Established the Napoleonic Code.
    • Faced final defeat at the Battle of Waterloo.
  • Impact:
    • Positive Effects: Established equality before the law and merit-based advancement.
    • Negative Effects: Established a dictatorship and engaged in widespread warfare across Europe.
  • Check Your Understanding:
    • Why is Napoleon considered both a revolutionary and a dictator?

Haitian and Latin American Revolutions

  • Haitian Revolution:
    • Important Person: Toussaint L'Ouverture.
    • Causes: Enslavement, Enlightenment ideas, and the influence of the French Revolution.
    • Results: Haiti achieved independence; this was the first successful slave revolt in history.
    • Regents Review: How did Enlightenment ideas influence Haiti?
  • Latin American Revolutions:
    • Important People:
      • Simón Bolívar: Active in Northern South America.
      • José de San Martín: Active in Southern South America.
    • Causes: Nationalism, Enlightenment ideas, and a desire for self-government.
    • Results: Independence from Spain was achieved, leading to the creation of new nations.
    • Review Question: Why is Simón Bolívar called "The Liberator"?

The Industrial Revolution

  • Essential Question: How did industrialization change life?
  • The Agricultural Revolution:
    • Key Components: The Enclosure Movement, Crop Rotation, and New Technology.
    • Result: Increased food production, which led to significant Population Growth.
  • The Industrial Revolution Core:
    • New Inventions: The Steam Engine, the Factory System, and general Mechanization.
    • Positive Effects: Production of more goods and overall economic growth.
    • Negative Effects: Child labor, pollution, and poor living conditions.
  • Urbanization:
    • Definition: Movement of people from rural areas to cities.
    • Problems: Overcrowding, disease, and poor sanitation.
  • Regents Review:
    1. Why did urbanization occur?
    2. What was one positive effect of industrialization?
    3. What was one negative effect of industrialization?

Imperialism

  • Motivations for European Empire Building:
    • Economic: The need for raw materials and the development of new markets.
    • Political: Global competition and national prestige.
    • Social: Ideologies such as Social Darwinism and the "Civilizing Mission."
  • The Scramble for Africa:
    • Berlin Conference: An event where European powers divided the African continent among themselves without any African participation.
  • Important Terms:
    • Colony: A country or area under the full or partial political control of another country.
    • Imperialism: A policy of extending a country's power and influence through diplomacy or military force.
    • Sphere of Influence: A country or area in which another country has power to affect developments although it has no formal authority.
    • Nationalism: Pride and loyalty to one's nation.
  • Review Questions:
    1. Why did Europeans want African colonies?
    2. What was the purpose of the Berlin Conference?

Regional Imperialism: China and India

  • China and the Opium Wars:
    • Causes: Trade imbalances and the British sale of opium within China.
    • Results: The signing of unequal treaties, a loss of Chinese sovereignty, and the establishment of Spheres of Influence.
    • Review Question: How did the Opium Wars weaken China?
  • India Under British Rule:
    • Key Term: British East India Company.
    • Role of the Company: Controlled trade, expanded British influence, and helped create the British Raj.
    • Review Question: How did the East India Company gain power in India?

The Transformation of Japan

  • Tokugawa Shogunate:
    • Key Characteristics: Isolationism, Shogun rule, Daimyo (lords), and Samurai (warriors).
    • Sankin Kōtai: The system of Alternate Attendance used to control the Daimyo.
  • Meiji Restoration:
    • Changes: Rapid industrialization, the development of a modern military, the adoption of Western technology, and increased nationalism.
  • Regents Review:
    • How was Meiji Japan different from Tokugawa Japan?

Nationalism and Unification

  • Definition: Pride and loyalty to one's nation.
  • German Unification:
    • Key Figure: Otto von Bismarck.
    • Methods: Used war, diplomacy, and the policy of "Blood and Iron."
    • Result: Formation of the German Empire in 18711871.
  • Italian Unification:
    • Important People: Count Camillo di Cavour and Giuseppe Garibaldi.
    • Result: Creation of a united Italy.
  • Regents Review:
    • How did nationalism help unify Germany?

The Ottoman Empire and the Path to World War I

  • The Ottoman Empire:
    • Characteristics: It controlled important trade routes and was a multiethnic empire.
    • Decline: Experienced a decline during the 1800s1800s.
    • Nickname: Known as "The Sick Man of Europe."
  • Nationalism in the Balkans:
    • Impact: Led to independence movements, increased regional tensions, and ultimately contributed to the start of World War I.
  • Review Question:
    • Why was the Ottoman Empire weakening?

World War I

  • MAIN Causes:
    • M: Militarism.
    • A: Alliances.
    • I: Imperialism.
    • N: Nationalism.
  • Major Events:
    • The Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand.
    • Trench Warfare.
    • Total War (mobilization of all societal resources).
  • Results:
    • The Treaty of Versailles.
    • The creation of the League of Nations.
    • The formation of new nations.
  • Regents Review:
    • Which MAIN cause was most important and why?

World War II

  • Axis Powers: Germany, Italy, and Japan.
  • Allied Powers: Britain, Soviet Union, United States, and France.
  • The Holocaust:
    • Definition: The systematic murder of Jews and other targeted groups by Nazi Germany.
    • Key Term: Genocide (the intentional action to destroy a people in whole or in part).
  • Review Questions:
    1. What is genocide?
    2. Why is the Holocaust considered a human rights violation?

The Cold War

  • The Ideological Divide:
    • United States: Promoted Democracy and Capitalism.
    • Soviet Union: Promoted Communism.
  • Major Topics:
    • Containment: The policy of preventing the spread of communism.
    • Arms Race: Competition in the development and accumulation of weapons.
    • NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization).
    • Warsaw Pact.
    • Proxy Wars: Indirect conflicts where superpowers support opposing sides.
  • Review Question:
    • Why was the Cold War called a "cold" war?

Regents Enduring Issues and Final Vocabulary

  • Common Enduring Issues (Examples needed for each):
    • Nationalism
    • Conflict
    • Power
    • Human Rights Violations
    • Inequality
  • Final 20 Must-Know Terms for Definition:
    1. Enlightenment
    2. Natural Rights
    3. Social Contract
    4. Nationalism
    5. Industrialization
    6. Urbanization
    7. Imperialism
    8. Colony
    9. Sphere of Influence
    10. East India Company
    11. Opium War
    12. Meiji Restoration
    13. Sankin Kōtai
    14. Bismarck
    15. Unification
    16. Militarism
    17. Treaty of Versailles
    18. Genocide
    19. Communism
    20. Containment

Regents Success Checklist

  • Students should be able to:
    • Explain Enlightenment ideas.
    • Explain causes of the French Revolution.
    • Describe Napoleon's impact.
    • Explain Haitian and Latin American Revolutions.
    • Describe Industrialization and Urbanization.
    • Explain Imperialism in Africa, India, and China.
    • Explain the Meiji Restoration.
    • Explain Nationalism and German Unification.
    • Explain Ottoman decline.
    • Explain causes and effects of World War I.
    • Explain causes and effects of World War II.
    • Explain the Holocaust.
    • Explain the Cold War.
    • Write an Enduring Issues Essay.
    • Analyze political cartoons, maps, and documents.