AP European History Short Answer Questionanswersperiod 1

AP European History Short Answer QuestionANSWERSPeriod 1

Question 1 is based on the map below.

The map above shows the major participants and the major battles of the Thirty Years’ War, 1618-1648. Using the map and your knowledge of European history, answer parts A, B, and C of the question below.

A) Briefly explain ONE way in which the Thirty Years’ War became an international struggle.

B) Use at least ONE historical example to support your explanation.

C) Briefly explain ONE consequence of the Thirty Years’ War.

Answer

A/B) Explanations and examples of ways in which the Thirty Years’ War became an international struggle may include the following:

Multiple European monarchs and nobles attempted to use a shifting balance of power away from the Habsburg monarchies as their opportunity to aggrandize themselves.
The assumption of the Bohemian throne by Frederick, the Elector of the Palatinate, was an attempt to expand his dynasty’s power and influence in Europe.
The French monarchy sought to use the fighting in the Holy Roman Empire as a means to weaken its Habsburg rivals in both the Empire and Spain.
The Swedish king, Gustavus Adolphus, sought to use the conflict as a means to gain a dominant position in northern Germany and gain a position of prominence in European affairs for himself and his country.
Many Protestant German princes used the Emperor’s attack upon Bohemia as a pretext to assert their own independence from his power.

Religious conviction motivated various rulers and subjects to intervene on behalf of their denominational compatriots and pursue the defeat of their religious rivals in the name of what each viewed as the “true” Christian faith.
The King of Spain, partly motivated by religious ideals, sought to aid his Austrian cousins in suppressing the Protestant religion in the Holy Roman Empire.
The Kings of Denmark and Sweden attempted to assume a role as champion of Lutheranism by coming to the aid of the Lutheran princes of northern Germany.
Although the initial conflict was over the throne of Bohemia, the Emperor Ferdinand II attempted to use the opportunity to impose his will upon all of Germany and mandate a return to Catholicism, as seen in the Edict of Restitution (1629) ordering all Protestant lands to be returned to Catholicism.

C) Analysis of the consequences of the Thirty Years’ War may include ONEof the following:

The German population was decimated by the conflict, with estimates of up to 30% of the population lost through combat, rapine, disease, and famine.
The German economy was ravaged by the excesses and needs of the various armies that traversed the countryside during the war. The damage to the farms and towns of Germany would take decades to repair.
The aftermath of the fighting saw attempts to establish a “balance of power” among the competing nations of Europe in the hope that it would prevent future conflicts.
The conflict bankrupted the Spanish monarchy, and Spain’s military and territorial losses from the war signaled the decline of the Spanish from their once preeminent position in European politics.
The conflict severely strained the finances of the various European monarchies. France, England, Sweden, and the Austrian Habsburgs all ran into conflict with their own citizens over the financing of the wars.
The Peace of Westphalia, ending the Thirty Years’ War, enshrined the concept of the freedom to practice one’s religion openly--albeit not universally recognized or enforced.
The Thirty Years’ War proved to be the last major conflict motivated largely by religion. Thenceforward, European rulers realized the costliness of attempting to enforce religious unity and the difficulty in achieving it.
The turmoil and settlements from the Thirty Years War ensured that Germany and the Holy Roman Empire would remain fragmented and stubbornly protective of individual state independence.
The Thirty Years’ War saw a shift from the small armies of Europe’s feudal past to the mass armies that would be the future for European conflicts with all the expense and danger these armies would entail.

Question 2 is based on the passage below.

“15. In order to bring peace into the holy Roman Empire of the German Nation between the Roman Imperial Majesty and the Electors, Princes and Estates, let neither his Imperial Majesty nor the Electors, Princes, etc., do any violence or harm to any estate of the empire on the account of the Augsburg Confession, but let them enjoy their religious belief, liturgy and ceremonies as well as their estates and other rights and privileges in peace; and complete religious peace shall be obtained only by Christian means of amity, or under threat of punishment of the imperial ban.

16. Likewise the Estates espousing the Augsburg Confession shall let all the Estates and Princes who cling to the old religion live in absolute peace and in the enjoyment of all their estates, rights and privileges.”

The Peace of Augsburg, 1555

2. Use the passage above and your knowledge of European history to answer parts A, B, and C.

A) Select ONE of the groups below and briefly explain the significance of the Peace of Augsburg.

Lutherans (adherents of the Augsburg Confession)
Catholics
The Habsburg Emperors
German princes

B) Briefly evaluate the extentto which the Peace of Augsburg was a source of continuity for the group you selected in A) above.

C) Briefly explain why ONE group from that period would have been dissatisfied with the terms of the Peace of Augsburg.

Learning Objective / Historical Thinking Skill / Key Concepts in the
Curriculum Framework
SP-3Trace the changing relationship between states and ecclesiastical authority and the emergence of the principle of religious toleration.
SP-11Analyze how religious and secular institutions and groups attempted to limit monarchical power by articulating theories of resistance to absolutism, and by taking political action. / Historical Causation
Patterns of Continuity and Change over Time
Interpretation / 1.3.II.A

Answer

A)Explanations of the significance of the Peace of Augsburg to ONE group may include the following:

Lutherans

The Peace of Augsburg officially recognized Lutheranismas an accepted religion within the Holy Roman Empire.
Lutheran princes/nobles were granted the right to establish their faith as the official religion within their territories.
Lutherans were free to move from a territory that professed Catholicism as the official religion.
The Peace of Augsburg provided at least a temporary respite from the conflict between Catholics and Protestants in the Holy Roman Empire.

Catholics

Catholics were forced to accept the nominal equality of Lutherans as a religious group within the Empire.
Catholics were free to move from a territory that professed Lutheranism as the official religion.
The Peace of Augsburg provided at least a temporary respite from the conflict between Catholics and Protestants in the Holy Roman Empire.

The Habsburg Emperors

The Habsburg, Holy Roman Emperors of this era, no longer could assert that they could dictate the religion of the Empire.
The Peace of Augsburg signified a victory for the rights of nobles over the prerogative of the Emperor.
The Peace of Augsburg provided at least a temporary respite from the conflict between the Protestant princes and the Catholic supporters of the Holy Roman Emperor.

German princes

The Peace of Augsburg guaranteed the rights of nobles against the centralizing aims of the Emperors.
The princes gained the right to dictate the official religion in their territories.
The Peace of Augsburg provided at least a temporary respite from the conflict between the Protestant princes and the Catholic supporters of the Holy Roman Emperor.

B) Analysis of the Peace of Augsburg as a source of continuity may include the following.

Lutherans

Lutherans were able to continue the practice and growth of their religion following the Peace of Augsburg.
Lutheran princes/nobles were granted the right to establish their faith as the official religion within their territories.

Catholics

Catholics continued to be the largest religion group within the Empire.
The Empire continued to be ruled by the Catholic, Habsburg dynasty.

The Habsburg Emperors

The Habsburg Holy Roman Emperors of this era continued to be faced by powerful nobles opposed to an expansion of the Emperor’s power.
The Habsburg dynasty continued to rule a vast, decentralized empire.

German princes

The Peace of Augsburg guaranteed the traditional rights of nobles against the centralizing aims of the Emperors.
The German princes continued to be the dominant force in imperial politics and maintained their rights to control their territories independently.

C) Explanations of dissatisfaction with the Peace of Augsburg may include the following.

Some hard-line Lutherans were not content with simply achieving recognition of their religion, but sought greater independence and freedom for their states to develop in their own direction.
Many Catholics, including the Emperor and Pope, were displeased with the formal split within Christianity that the Peace of Augsburg confirmed.
Many people of both religions despised the fact that it was the rulers that dictated the religion of their region. Thus, they were forced to either convert to the prescribed religion or leave their homes.
Calvinists, despite being the largest Protestant denomination at that point, were left out of the agreement, giving them no legal standing within the Empire and nowhere that they could officially reside.

Question 3 is based on the passage below.

“That those of Confession of Augsburg, and particularly the inhabitants of Oppenheim [Lutherans], shall be put in possession again of their Churches, and Ecclesiastical Estates, as they were in the Year 1624, as also that all others of the said Confession of Augsburg, who shall demand it, shall have the free Exercise of their Religion, as well as in publick Churches at the appointed Hours, as in private in their own Houses, or in others chose for this purpose by their Ministers, or by those of their Neighbours, preaching the Word of God.”

Article XXVIII, Treaty of Westphalia

Use the passage above and your knowledge of European history to answer parts A, B, and C.

A) Explain one similarity between the Peace of Augsburg and the Treaty of Westphalia.

B) Explain one difference between the Peace of Augsburg and the Treaty of Westphalia.

C) Briefly explain how the Treaty of Westphalia illustrated a shift in religious policy by political rulers.

Learning Objective / Historical Thinking Skill / Key Concepts in the
Curriculum Framework
OS-3 Explain how political revolution and war from the 17th century on altered the role of the church in political and intellectual life and the response of religious authorities and intellectuals to such challenges.
SP-1 Explain the emergence of civic humanism and new conceptions of political authority during the Renaissance, as well as subsequent theories and practices that stressed the political importance and rights of the individual.
SP-2Explain the emergence of and theories behind the New Monarchies and absolute monarchies, and evaluate the degree to which they were able to centralize power in their states.
SP-3 Trace the changing relationship between states and ecclesiastical authority and the emergence of the principle of religious toleration. / Historical Causation
Comparison
Interpretation / 1.2.I.B

Answer

A) Explanations of ONE similarity between the Peace of Augsburg and the Treaty of Westphalia may include the following:

Each agreement attempted to resolve the conflict between Protestants and Catholics within the Holy Roman Empire.
Both treaties were forced upon the Emperor after failed attempts to enforce Catholic orthodoxy within the Empire.
Both treaties gave the ruler the right to dictate the official religion in his territory.

B)Explanations of ONE difference between the Peace of Augsburg and the Treaty of Westphalia may include the following:

The Treaty of Westphalia addressed the status of Calvinists and other reform groups that were not considered in the Peace of Augsburg.
The Treaty of Westphalia provided for the free practice of religion for those Christians who did not follow the religion of their ruler whereas the Peace of Augsburg left only the option to convert or leave.
The Treaty of Westphalia included some significant territorial settlements, including the independence of the Netherlands, whereas the Peace of Augsburg was a primarily religious settlement.

C) Explanations of the Treaty of Westphaliaas an illustration of changing religious policy may include the following:

The Treaty of Westphalia was a first step in outlining the right to free practice of religion.
The tenets of the Treaty of Westphalia showed that rulers were losing interest in attempting to enforce religious orthodoxy within their territories as it proved to be an unachievable goal.
The Treaty of Westphalia, and the Thirty Years’ War as a whole, showed how political concerns were beginning to outweigh religious concerns in government decision-making.

Question 4 is based on the passage below.

“Now as to the popes of Rome, who pretend themselves Christ’s vicars, if they would but imitate his exemplary life, in the being employed in an unintermittedcourse of preaching.In the being attended with poverty, nakedness, hunger, and a contempt of this world; if they did but consider the import of the word pope, which signifies a father; or if they did but practice their surname of most holy, what order or degrees of men would be in a worse condition? . . . Though indeedthe church has no enemies more bloody and tyrannical than such impious popes, who give dispensations for the not preaching of Christ; evacuate the main effect and design of our redemption by their pecuniary bribes and sales; adulterate the gospel by their forced interpretations, and undermining traditions; and lastly, by their lusts and wickedness grieve the Holy Spirit, and make their Saviour’s wounds to bleed anew.”

Desiderius Erasmus, The Praise of Folly, 1511

4. Use the passage above and your knowledge of European history to answer parts A, B, and C.

A) Explain the point of the passage in the context of religious reform.

B) Briefly explain how a supporter of the criticism in the passage could use ONE piece of evidence from the period to support the need for reform.

C) Briefly explain how an opponent of the view expressed in the passage could use ONE piece of evidence from the period to support the need for reform.

Learning Objective / Historical Thinking Skill / Key Concepts in the
Curriculum Framework
OS-2Analyze how religious reform in the 16th and 17th centuries, the expansion of printing, and the emergence of civic venues such as salons and coffeehouses challenged the control of the church over the creation and dissemination of knowledge.
OS-11Explain how and why religion increasingly shifted from a matter of public concern to one of private belief over the course of European history. / Historical Argumentation
Appropriate Use of Relevant Historical Evidence / 1.3.I.A

Answer

A) Explanations of the passage in the context of religious reform may include the following:

Erasmus criticized the abuses of power and the corruption of Christianity caused by the actions of the impious popes of the Renaissance period.
Erasmus, through his criticism of the popes, questioned the reliance of Christianity upon authority and formal Church hierarchy.
The impious acts of the popes led to a call for reform, or even abolition, of the papacy.

B)Explanations of how a supporter of the criticism in the passage could use ONE piece of evidence from the period to support the need for reform may include the following:

The sale of Indulgences as approved by various popes of the period was a sign of placing economic gain ahead of the interests of the Church’s followers.
The actions of Pope Julius II in leading armies in the conquest of territories in Italy stood in stark contrast to the role of peaceful, spiritual leader that most believers expected from a pope.
Pope Alexander VI, through his own actions and those of his Borgia children, impugned the moral integrity of the papacy and showed a thirst for conquest and territorial expansion.
The building projects and focus upon the beautification of Rome by the Popes led many to believe they cared more for luxury and wealth than for religion.

C) Explanations ofhow an opponent of the view expressed in the passage could use ONE piece of evidence from the period to support the need for reform may include the following: