AP Euro

Unit 1: Renaissance

  • Humanism:

Enlightenment thinkers

John Locke:

  • Natural rights (life, liberty, property)

  • Government’s job to protect rights but if they fail to protect, then people have the right to revolt.

  • Two Treatises of Government

  • He inspired liberalism, American Revolution, later democratic revolutions

Voltaire:

  • Freedom of speech, religious tolerance, criticism of organized religion and absolutism

  • Championed civil liberties and secular government

Montesquieu:

  • Separation of power, checks and balances in government

  • The Spirit of the Laws

  • Heavily influenced the US Constitution and modern political theory

Rousseau:

  • Social contract theory, government must reflect the general will of the people, importance of popular sovereignty

  • The Social Contract

  • Inspired radical democratic ideas (ex: French Revolution)

Diderot:

  • Knowledge should be accessible, attacked religious intolerance and promoted secular education

  • Encyclopedia

  • Spread Enlightenment ideas widely by compiling major knowledge of the time

Smith:

  • Free-market economics, “invisible hand”, criticized mercantilism

  • The Wealth of Nations

  • Father of modern capitalism

Wollstonecraft:

  • Advocated for women’s rights and education equality

  • A Vindication of the Rights of Woman

  • Early Feminism, challenged the male-dominated Enlightenment movement

Thomas Hobbes:

  • Believed everyone’s human nature was selfish and violent

  • Advocated for absolutism due to the fact that people were naturally chaotic (centralized authority was necessary)

  • Supported the Social Contract (Right of Revolution) however people can’t revolt

  • Argued all of this in Leviathan (1651)

  • All Enlightenment thinkers believed in reason over tradition

  • Skepticism of absolute monarchy and the Church

  • Focus on liberty, equality, and secular government

  • push for education and scientific thinking

Monarchs

Louis XIV: France

  • “The Sun King”

  • Absolute monarch

  • I am the State

  • Built the Palace of Versailles; centralized all power around himself

  • War of Spanish Succession

  • Left France in debt during his reign

Peter the Great: Russia

  • Absolute monarch

  • Westernization of Russia; modernized army and navy; forced nobles to serve the state

  • Made Russia a major European power; founded St. Petersburg “Window to the West”

Catherine the Great: Russia

  • Somewhat Enlightened absolutist

  • Patron of arts and Enlightenment ideas; expanded Russian territory; repressed serf revolts (Pugachev Rebellion)

  • Continued Westernization but kept autocracy strong

Fredrick the Great: Prussia

  • Enlightened absolutist

  • “First servant of the state”; promoted education, religious tolerance, legal reforms; strong military leader

  • Made Prussia a major European power; balanced Enlightenment reforms with absolute rule

Maria Theresa: Austria

  • Absolutist but also reform-minded

  • Centralized government, limited noble power slightly; improved taxation and military

  • strengthened Austria but resisted many Enlightenment ideas

Joseph II: Austria

  • Mother Theresa’s son

  • Enlightened absolutist

  • Radical reforms- abolished serfdom, promoted religious tolerance, reformed laws

  • most reforms were rolled back after his death because they were too radical

Louis XVI: France

  • Ineffective monarch

  • Attempted minor reforms but resisted major changes; called the Estates-General ——> Led to the French Revolution

  • Executed during the French Revolution

Absolute monarchy: complete control

  • Louis XIV

  • Peter the Great

Enlightened absolutism: Monarchs adopted Enlightenment ideas selectively without giving up power

  • Catherine the Great

  • Fredrick the Great

Decline of absolutism: challenges to royal power

  • French Revolution against Louis XVI

Major Wars

Thirty Years’ War: (1618-1648)

  • Holy Roman Empire (Mostly Germany)

  • It was caused by religious tensions between Protestants and Catholics and political power struggles

  • Peace of Westphalia- ended religious wars, weakened the Holy Roman Empire, strengthened France

  • It resulted in huge death toll, rise of state sovereignty

War of Spanish Succession: (1701-1714)

  • Spain, France vs Grand Alliance: Britain, Austria, etc.

  • Caused by the argument of who would inherit the Spanish throne after King Charles II died without an heir

  • Treaty of Utrecht- Spain and France couldn’t unite crowns; Britain gained Gibraltar

  • Balance of power maintained; Britain rose in influence

War of Austrian Succession: (1740-1748)

  • Austria, Prussia, Britain vs France, Spain, etc.

  • caused by the dispute over Maria Theresa’s succession to the Austrian throne

  • Maria Theresa kept throne but Prussia got Silesia

  • Prussia rose as a major power

Seven Years’ War: (1756-1763)

  • French and Indian War

  • Caused by the global conflict over land, colonies, and power; Austria tried to regain Silesia

  • Treaty of Paris- Britain got huge colonial gains

  • Britain became leading power in colonial and naval power, financial strain led to American and French Revolutions

French Revolutionary Wars: (1792-1802)

  • France vs most European monarchies

  • Caused because Revolutionary France fought to spread revolutionary ideas and defend against monarchist attacks

  • Resulted in spread of revolutionary ideas and the collapse of old monarchies

Napoleonic Wars: (1803-1815)

  • All across Europe

  • Caused by Napoleon’s expansion of French empire and spread of revolutionary principles

  • Battle of Waterloo- Napoleon defeated

  • Resulted in the end of Napoleon, Congress of Vienna restored conservative order

Hub Dates

1492: Reconquista and Columbus sail to the Americas

  • Columbus sailed because King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain was competing with Portugal and so Spain wanted to look for new trade routes along Asia and wanted him to spread Christianity.

  • This led to the Columbus exchange which was the massive exchange of plants, animals, slaves, technology, diseases, and ideas

1517: Martin Luther posts the 95 Theses

1555: Peace of Augsburg

1588: Defeat of the Spanish Armada

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