Summary
Highlights
The session begins with an introduction to the 5-hour AP European History cram review. The host, Steven, explains that the chat is disabled for streamlining but the Q&A section on the Fiveable website and Discord are available for questions. He also mentions a social media contest where participants can win $100 by using #yeswecram when posting about AP exams and Fiveable. The session is recorded and will be available for rewatching.
Unit 1 covers pre-Renaissance Europe, the Renaissance, and the Age of Exploration. Key topics include the Crisis of the Late Middle Ages (Black Death, Hundred Years' War, Avignon Papacy), Renaissance characteristics (return to Greek/Roman thinking, secularism, individualism), the printing press, and key figures like Petrarch and Machiavelli. The Northern Renaissance and its focus on Christian humanism (Erasmus, More) and more realistic art (Jan van Eyck, Albrecht Dürer) are discussed. The Age of Exploration details motivations (God, glory, gold), technological advancements, leading explorers (Portugal, Spain), and the impact (Columbian Exchange, African slave trade, commercial revolution).
Unit 2 delves into the Reformation led by figures like Martin Luther (salvation by faith alone, 95 Theses) and John Calvin (predestination). The English Reformation, driven by Henry VIII and solidified by Elizabeth I (Elizabethan Compromise), is contrasted. The Catholic Counter-Reformation (Council of Trent, Jesuits) and the Wars of Religion (French Wars of Religion, Dutch Independence Movement, Thirty Years' War, Peace of Westphalia) are examined. Key events include the St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre and the Edict of Nantes. The Peace of Westphalia is highlighted as a critical turning point that ended major religious conflicts and reshaped Europe.
Unit 3 focuses on the contrasting political ideologies of Absolutism and Constitutionalism. Absolutism is explored through French monarchs like Louis XIII (Cardinal Richelieu) and Louis XIV (“Sun King”, mercantilism under Jean-Baptiste Colbert), and Russian leader Peter the Great (westernization). Constitutionalism is traced through England's Magna Carta, the Stuart monarchs (James I, Charles I), the English Civil War, and the Glorious Revolution (English Bill of Rights), which firmly established parliamentary power. The philosophical foundations of these ideologies are discussed with Hobbes and Locke.
Unit 4 examines the Scientific Revolution and the Enlightenment. The Scientific Revolution saw figures like Copernicus (heliocentric theory), Kepler (elliptical orbits), Galileo (telescopic observations), and Newton (gravity, calculus) challenge traditional thought and popularize empirical evidence. The Enlightenment, a 18th-century intellectual movement, built upon these scientific advancements, growing skepticism towards authority, expanding print culture, and accessing new cultures. Key Enlightenment thinkers discussed include Voltaire, Rousseau, Diderot, Beccaria, Montesquieu, and Wollstonecraft. The concept of “enlightened despotism” is introduced with Catherine the Great, Frederick the Great, and Joseph II.
Unit 5 covers the French Revolution and the rise and fall of Napoleon. The causes of the French Revolution (absolutism, Enlightenment ideas, social inequality, economic crisis) are discussed, leading to the Estates General, Tennis Court Oath, and Storming of the Bastille. The Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen and Olympe de Gouges’ Declaration of the Rights of Women are mentioned. The radicalization of the revolution, including the Jacobin Club, execution of Louis XVI, the Committee of Public Safety, and the Reign of Terror (Robespierre), is covered. Napoleon’s rise to power, reforms (Napoleonic Code), military campaigns (Continental System, invasion of Russia), and ultimate defeat are detailed.
Unit 6 explores industrialization and its societal impact. The Congress of Vienna (1815) aimed to establish lasting peace and conservative rule after Napoleon. Competing ideologies of conservatism, liberalism, and nationalism shaped 19th-century Europe. The Agricultural Revolution (new techniques, enclosure movement, cottage industry) laid the groundwork for the Industrial Revolution. Topics include Britain’s lead in industrialization (textile industry), the Second Industrial Revolution (steel, electricity, oil), and advancements in transportation and communication. The growth of the middle class and persistent poverty are also highlighted.
Unit 7 covers major developments of the 19th century, including the unification movements in Italy (Count Camillo Cavour, Giuseppe Garibaldi) and Germany (Otto von Bismarck). The rise of socialism and communism is discussed, with utopian socialists like Robert Owen and Karl Marx’s theories (Communist Manifesto). The spread of socialist ideas into labor unions and political parties (SPD) is noted. The section concludes with “new imperialism” in the late 1800s, motivated by economic and nationalistic factors, with a focus on partitioning Africa (Berlin Conference) and European influence in India and China (Opium Wars).
Unit 8 covers World War I, the Interwar Years, and World War II. World War I's causes (MAIN - Militarism, Alliances, Imperialism, Nationalism) and triggering event (Archduke Franz Ferdinand's assassination) are explained. The nature of trench warfare, total war, and the eventual entry of the US are highlighted, leading to the Treaty of Versailles' harsh terms for Germany. The Russian Revolution (March Revolution, Bolsheviks, establishment of the Soviet Union) is discussed. The Interwar Years are characterized by the Great Depression and rise of totalitarianism (fascism, communism) in Germany (Weimar Republic, Nazi Party, Hitler, anti-Semitism, Kristallnacht) and the Soviet Union (Stalin, Five-Year Plans, collectivization). World War II's causes (German aggression) and key events (invasion of Poland, invasion of Soviet Union, D-Day, the Holocaust) are outlined. The unit concludes with the Nuremberg Trials and the Zionist movement's implications.
Unit 9 focuses on the Cold War and the rebuilding of Europe. The Cold War’s ideological conflict between the US (democracy, capitalism) and USSR (communism) led to proxy wars and the “domino effect”. Key US policies like the Truman Doctrine and Marshall Plan aimed to rebuild Europe and resist communism. The division of Germany and the “economic miracle” through cooperation (ECSC, EEC) are discussed. Decolonization of imperial territories also accelerated after WWII. Soviet leadership changes (Khrushchev’s de-Stalinization, Brezhnev’s re-Stalinization, Gorbachev’s glasnost and perestroika) lead to the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991. The unit concludes with the reunification of Germany and the establishment of the European Union.
This section provides essential tips for approaching multiple-choice questions on the AP European History exam. The importance of time management is stressed, with a reminder of having approximately one minute per question and not leaving any questions blank. Strategies such as skipping difficult questions and returning to them later, and reading the questions before engaging with stimulus material, are advised to optimize efficiency and maximize points.
This segment focuses on strategies for successfully answering Short Answer Questions (SAQs), which are worth three points each. Key advice includes getting straight to the point, answering each part of the question clearly and specifically, avoiding leaving any parts blank, and refraining from overly fancy language. A practice SAQ is presented, emphasizing the importance of reading questions first, sourcing documents (who, when, what), and analyzing differences and influences between sources, like the contrast between a Calvinist minister's and a historian's view on economic prosperity.
The session concludes with strategies for DBQs and LEQs. For DBQs, the importance of understanding the 7-point rubric is highlighted to maximize points, emphasizing thesis construction, contextualization, document use, outside evidence, and HIP analysis (Historical context, Intended audience, Purpose, Point of view). For LEQs, similar rubric elements apply, but students must provide their own evidence, often from a broader range of topics. A sample LEQ comparison between the Glorious and French Revolutions is used to illustrate how to develop a strong thesis and organize evidence. Overall advice includes meticulous time management and a direct, clear writing style for all essay types.