Welcome to A.P. European History!

Why Study European History?

TASK:

1. Identify the authors’ thesis about why it is important to study European history.

2. Identify and be prepared to discuss how the authors support their thesis.

What’s a thesis?

What is the thesis of this course?

Why might this be controversial?

What is thesis?

A historian’s interpretation of the main causes, effects and significance of a historical event, based on an analysis of the evidence.

Some theses are more reasonable or plausible than others.

What is thesis? “The world of the historian, like the world of the scientist, is not a photographic copy of the real world, but rather a working model

which enables him more or less effectively to understand it and to master it. The historian

distils from the experience of the past rummaging through the ragbag of observed ‘facts’, selecting the relevant, rejecting the irrelevant, until what is sewn together is a logical and rational quilt of ‘knowledge’ …”

E.H.Carr, What is History?

What is the thesis of this course?

“To understand the modern world, it is necessary to begin by looking at Europe”

-Palmer & Colton,

A History of the Modern World

What are the indexes of modernity?• Pressures for increased democracy

• Loosening of old customs

• Questioning of ancestral religions; increased secularization

• Demand for individual liberation

• Expectation of a higher standard of living

• Drive for more equality (gender, race, class, religious, nationalities)

• Elaborate means of transportation and communication

• Advanced science, medicine, hygiene, agriculture

• Sophisticated means for fighting or negotiating peace

• Complex networks of finance and trade

The Renaissance 1450-1527Unit EQ:

Why does the Renaissance mark the beginning of the modern era?

“To understand the modern world, it is necessary to begin by looking at

Europe”WHY PROBLEMATIC? CONTROVERSIAL?

Eurocentric

Western bias

World Trade Center, Sept. 11, 2001:

America’s wake-up call?

Anti-Westernbacklash?

Why Study History? “Life must be lived

forward but can only be understood looking backward”

-Soren Kierkegaard,

Existential philosopher

“Since September 11, 2001, it has become imperative that Americans strive to be the most principled and well-informed global citizens we can be.” - Thomas Friedman, prize-winning journalist

Pax Romana Pax Britannica Pax Americana

40-500 CE 1700-1945 1945 to present

With power comes responsibilities….

Why Study History?“The purpose of history

is to enable every person to judge for himself what will secure or endanger his or her freedom.”

Why study history?

“The struggle of man against power is the struggle of memory against forgetting”

-Milan Kundera,

Czech writer

Why Study History?

“History is the mother

of all disciplines.”

Day 2: How Will We Study History in this Course?

How will we study

history in this course?

How can you perform

well in this class?

Course goals….• Sharpen your ability to interpret history, using evidence from

diverse sources of information and diverse points of view;

• Acquire a historic perspective on the lives of people both past and present;

• Develop an appreciation for the struggles of others to overcome hardship and create a better world.

What is the thesis of this course?

What is the thesis of this course?

“To understand the modern world, it is necessary to begin by looking at Europe”

-Palmer & Colton,

A History of the

Modern World

“SPICE FACTORS”• Social

• Political

• Intellectual Innovations

• Cultural: Art, music, creativity

• Economics and trade

Six History Habits of Mind (the “6 C’s”):Chronology: There is an order of events that narrates the past;

Complexity: Multiple factors explain why things happen in history ex., SPICE factors

Continuity & Change: Some things change, some endure or persist. Careful thinking will slowly reveal continuity and change.

Context: the surrounding circumstances and background; the “temper of the times” that must be understood to interpret an event, document, idea, motives;

Contingency: the different options people faced when making decisions in the past; often disproves “inevitability”

Causality: Events have long and short term causes and effects, and some causes are more important than others;

NEW MONARCHS ABSOLUTE MONARCHS ENLIGHTENED NATION-STATESDESPOTS - DEMOCRACY

-CONSTITUTIONAL MONARCHY -TOTALITARIANISM

1450 1500 1600 1700 1800 1900

Great Chain of Being Deism “God is Dead”

REFORMATION WARS OF RELIGION ENLIGHTENMENT REALISM SCI. REV. ROMANTICISM

OPENING OF ATLANTIC COMMERCIAL REV/ INDUSTRIAL REV. MERCANTILISM IMPERIALISM

SMITH MARX KEYNES

1453: 1555: 1648: 1756: 1815: 1919: 1945:CONSTANTINOPLE AUGSBURG WESTPHALIA PARIS VIENNA VERSAILLES

YALTA

SPAIN – UNIVERSAL MONARCHY FRENCH HEGEMONY/BALANCE OF POWER PAX BRITANNICA SUPER POWERS

SPAIN V.PORTUGAL DUTCH GOLDEN AGE FRENCH DONMINANCE BRITISH DOMINANCE

German, USSR Italian Unification

Renaissance Reformation Louis XIV French Rev. Nationalism

What are the indexes of modernity?• Pressures for increased democracy

• Loosening of old customs

• Questioning of ancestral religions; increased secularization

• Demands for individual liberation

• Expectation of a higher standard of living

• Drive for more equality (gender, race, class, religious, nationalities)

• Elaborate means of transportation and communication

• Advanced science, medicine, hygiene, agriculture

• Sophisticated means for fighting or negotiating peace

• Complex networks of finance and trade

Michelangelo’s “David”

• Pressures for increased democracy• Loosening of old customs• Questioning of ancestral religions;

increased secularization• Demands for individual liberation• Expectation of a higher standard of

living• Drive for more equality (gender,

race, class, religious, nationalities)• Elaborate means of transportation

and communication• Advanced science, medicine,

hygiene, agriculture• Sophisticated means for fighting or

negotiating peace• Complex networks of finance and

trade

•Pressures for increased democracy

•Loosening of old customs

•Questioning of ancestral religions; increased secularization

•Demands for individual liberation

•Expectation of a higher standard of living

•Drive for more equality (gender, race, class, religious, nationalities)

•Elaborate means of transportation and communication

•Advanced science, medicine, hygiene, agriculture

•Sophisticated means for fighting or negotiating peace

•Complex networks of finance and trade

How can you perform well in this class?

• Cultivate your mind by being curious and by seeking meaning. Ask, “well, how did we get here?”

• Effort creates achievement. Each day offers a chance for improvement. Persevere despite setbacks or challenges. Practice makes better.

• Practice civic discourse: engage in discussion

actively and courteously and work to improve your communication skills, in writing and in discussion

• Strive for excellence: expect the best from yourself daily, and exercise mental stamina and self-control.

How can you performHow can you perform well in this class? well in this class?

• Be nice.

• Work hard.

• Have fun.

Effort creates achievement. Your work ethic will determine your success in this course!

“Men are pretty much alike; it isLearning and practice that set

Them apart” - Confucius

“The Unexamined Life Is Not Worth Living”

Your curiosity aboutthe past is crucialto your success in

this class.

Expectations:• Read nightly from among several college level texts, both

secondary and primary sources.

• Improve your ability to engage in civic discourse by actively practicing public speaking skills and leadership in class;

• Cultivate your ability to research, analyze and interpret history;

• Strive to make meaning by consciously using the 6 “C”s of history

“Adolescents entering the adult world in the 21st century will read and write more than at any other time in human history. They will need advanced levels of literacy to perform their jobs, run their households, act as citizens , and conduct their personal lives”.

-Richard Vacca

The USA is currently the most powerful empire in the world. With empire comes responsibilities.

Are YOU up for the challenge ?