AP European History

Unit 3 – Absolute Monarchs in Theory and Practice compared to Constitutional Governments (Chapters 16 & 17)

In Class / Homework
Day 1
10/29
Tuesday / Review Unit 2 Test / Read pp. 531-537 (up to Absolute Monarchy of Louis XIV)
  1. Define absolutism.
  2. Why was Henry IV such a popular king?
  3. How did Sully help Henry IV and France to become so strong?
  4. In what ways does the French minister Richelieu symbolize absolutism? What were his achievements? Give examples of how he enforced his rules.
  5. Explain how the intendant system worked.
  6. What is the significance of the Fronde and what effect did it have on the future of France?

Day 2
10/30
Wednesday / Primary Source: Cardinal Richelieu - The Political Testament
Teacher Notes on Louis XIV / Read pp. 537-541 (up to Revocation of the Edict of Nantes)
  1. Why do scholars refer to Louis XIV's reign as the "Grand Century" or "Age of Magnificence?"
  2. Some scholars consider Louis XIV to be absolute in his power - how does McKay (author of your book) refute that assessment?
  3. What aspects of French culture/society were exported throughout Europe? To what extent?
  4. Why can it be said that the palace of Versailles was used as a device to ruin the nobility of France? Was Versailles a palace or a prison?
  5. How did Louis XIV structure the government so that France was the strongest and most centralized country in Europe by 1685?
  6. How did the French tax system work?
  7. Define mercantilism. How did Colbert try to make mercantilism work for France?
  8. How successful was mercantilism in France?

Day 3
10/31
Thursday / Discuss Intendants, Mercantilism, and Louis XIV’s Palace of Versailles / Read pp. 541-544 (up to The Decline of Absolutist Spain in the 17th Century)
  1. Why did Louis XIV revoke the Edict of Nantes?
  2. Was the revocation of the Edict of Nantes an error on the part of Louis XIV?
  3. How did playwright Moliere show himself to be a social critic?
  4. How was France able to create and maintain a national fighting force of 250,000?
  5. In France's 33 years of war, what was Louis XIV's main objective?
  6. As the wars progressed, how did Louis XIV financially support his army?
  7. What were two reasons the Grand Alliance went to war against France?
  8. What were the causes of the War of Spanish Succession?
  9. What did the Peace of Utrecht do?

Day 4
11/1
Friday / Discuss Louis XIV
Essay outline - Louis XIV declared his goal was “one king, one law, and one faith.”
Analyze the methods the king used to achieve this objective and discuss the extent to which he was successful.
1st body paragraph - "one king" should discuss the purpose for the Palace of Versailles
2nd body paragraph - "one law" should discuss the purpose for intendants
3rd body paragraph - "one faith" should discuss the purpose of Louis XIV revoking the Edict of Nantes. / Read pp. 544-548 (up to Constitutionalism)
  1. What were the factors that led to the decline of Spain?
  2. In the early 17th century, why did Spain's trade with its colonies fall by 60%
  3. How many times did Spain go bankrupt? How did those actions affect the perception of Spain?
  4. Why was it a problem for Spain to only have a tiny middle-class?
  5. What was the problem with the kings of Spain between 1598-1700?
  6. Explain the significance of the Treaty of the Pyrenees.
  7. How did the culture of Spain, especially among the ruling classes, contribute to the decline of Spain?
  8. Explain why Cervantes's book Don Quixote is important.

Day 5
11/4
Monday / Discuss Essay #1
Discuss Nightly Reading
Outline Essay #2
In 1490, there was no such country as Spain, yet within a century it had become the most powerful nation in Europe and within another had sunk to the status of a third-rate power. Describe and analyze the major social, economic, and political reasons for Spain’s rise and fall. / Finish Essay Outline
In 1490, there was no such country as Spain, yet within a century it had become the most powerful nation in Europe and within another had sunk to the status of a third-rate power. Describe and analyze the major social, economic, and political reasons for Spain’s rise and fall.
Day 6
11/5
Tuesday / Discuss Essay #2
Discuss the Rise of Hohenzollern Prussia / Read pp. 565-573 (up to Prussia in the Seventeenth Century)
  1. What were the reasons for the re-emergence of serfdom in eastern Europe in the early modern period?
  2. In western Europe the conflict between the kings and his vassals (nobles) resulted in gains for the common man. Why did this not happen in eastern Europe?
  3. How did the Thirty Years War and invasion by the Ottoman Turks help the Habsburgs consolidate power?
  4. What was the Pragmatic Sanction and why were the Hungarian and Bohemian princes opposed to it?

Day 7
11/6
Wednesday / Discuss the Rise of Hohenzollern Prussia
Teacher notes (hyperlinked on my School Loop webpage) / Read pp. 573-576 (up to the end of the page)
  1. How did the 30 Years War help Frederick William The Great Elector establish absolute rule?
  2. How was Frederick William the Great Elector able to build a large army? How did the army help him? How did the Junkers inadvertently reduce their own power and give it to the Great Elector?
  3. Discuss King Frederick William I's (the Soldier King) personality and leadership.
  4. How did King Frederick William I incorporate the Junkers into his absolutist state?
  5. Prussia has traditionally been considered one of the most militaristic states in Europe. How do you explain this development? Who or what was responsible?
Read about Frederick the Great
Day 8
11/7
Thursday / Essay outline #3
Analyze the military, political, and social factors that account for the rise of Prussia between 1640 and 1786. / Read pp. 577-585 (up to Absolutism and Baroque Architecture)
  1. How did the Mongols rule Moscow?
  2. What were the highlights of Ivan the Terrible's reign?
  3. Who were the Cossacks?
  4. Explain the Time of Troubles.
  5. How did Michael and Alexis Romanov's reign affect the common man or peasant/serf?
  6. What was the crisis that the Russian Orthodox Church went through starting in 1652?
  7. What reforms did Peter the Great implement in Russia?
  8. Explain the major events of the Great Northern War.
  9. What effect did the war have on Russian society and Russia's political presence in the region?

Day 9
11/8
Friday / Quiz possibility
Video - Peter the Great / Read pp. 585-589 (up to the end of the chapter)
  1. What was the relationship between baroque architecture and European absolutism? Give examples.
  2. It has been said that the common man benefited from the magnificent medieval cathedrals as much as the princes. Can the same be said about the common man and the building projects of the absolute kings and princes? Explain.
  3. What were the positive and negative aspects in building St. Petersburg?

Day 10
11/11
Monday / NO SCHOOL – VETERAN’S DAY / Read pp. 548-551 (up to Puritanical Absolutism in England)
  1. What is constitutionalism? How does it differ from a democratic form of government? From absolutism?
  2. What were the attitudes and policies of James I that made him so unpopular with his subjects?
  3. How did society change during the 16th century and how did those changes affect the House of Commons?
  4. Why was Calvin's theology to attractive to English people?
  5. Who were the Puritans and what was their goal? Why did they come into conflict with James I
  6. How did William Laud attempt to bring about religious uniformity? What was the people's reaction?
  7. How did Charles I's actions lead to civil war between 1642-1649?

Day 11
11/12
Tuesday / Discussion of the Westernization of Russia During the Time of Peter the Great 1689-1725 / Essay outline #4
Analyze the major ways through which Tsar Peter the Great (1689-1725) sought to reform his society and its institutions in order to strengthen Russia and its position in Europe.
Day 12
11/13
Wednesday / Quiz possibility
Discuss Essay #4 / Read pp. 551-555 (up to The Dutch Republic in the Seventeenth Century)
  1. How did the English government operate under Cromwell?
  2. During the restoration, what was the purpose of the Test Act?
  3. What is the importance of the Cabal?
  4. How did James II make Protestant England fearful?
  5. What two events helped spur the Glorious Revolution?
  6. What were the basic beliefs in the Bill of Rights?
  7. Why is it said that Locke was the spokesman for the liberal English Revolution of 1689 and for representative government?

Day 13
11/14
Thursday / Lecture - The End of Absolutism in England
TEACHER NOTES ON THE GLORIOUS REVOLUTION /
  • Primary Source - Hobbes: Leviathan
  • Primary Source – Locke: Second Treatise on Government

Day 14
11/15
Friday / Finish Lecture about Glorious Revolution / Essay outline #5
Analyze the ways in which both the theory and the practice of monarchy evolved in England from 1603 (the death of Elizabeth I) to 1688-1689 (the Glorious Revolution).
Day 15
11/18
Monday / Discuss Outline #5
Read pp. 555-559 (up to the end of the chapter)
  1. Describe the Dutch system of government. How was it different from that of other western European states?
  2. What was unusual about the Dutch attitudes toward religious beliefs?
  3. How did religious toleration help the Dutch economy?
  4. How does a joint stock company, like the Dutch East Company, operate?
  5. What kind of good fortune came to the Netherlands as a result of their trade and commerce?
What factors led to the decline of Dutch prominence in financial affairs? / Finish Reading
Review for Test
Day 16
11/19
Tuesday / Multiple Choice Test - (60 questions covering units 1-3) / Prepare for Essay Test
Day 17
11/20
Wednesday / Essay Test / Read pp. 595-602 (up to Causes of the Scientific Revolution)
  1. Explain the Aristotelian view of the universe.
  2. Why were Aristotle's views accepted for over 2,000 years?
  3. What were the scientific and religious implications of Copernicus's theory?
  4. What are the contributions of Copernicus, Brahe, Kepler, Galileo, and Newton?
  5. What is meant by Newton's "synthesis"?
  6. Read Primary Source - Galileo's Letter to the Grand Duchess Christina
Read pp. 602-605 (up to the Enlightenment)
  1. What four factors caused the scientific investigation leading to the Scientific Revolution?
  2. How did Bacon and Descartes contribute to the development of modern scientific method?
  3. Did the Catholic and Protestant churches slow down or help scientific investigation? Explain.
What were the consequences of the rise of modern science?