AP European History - Study Guides, Flashcards, AP-style Practice & Mock Exams
Prepare for the test with our AP European History exam prep, a structured course designed to guide you through every historical period. Navigate essential units, explore key topics, and test your knowledge with extensive practice materials, ensuring you're thoroughly equipped to articulate complex historical arguments with precision.
Course Overview
This course surveys European history from c. 1450 to the present, examining the political, social, and cultural developments that shaped the modern world. Students will develop critical historical thinking skills, including causation, comparison, and continuity and change over time (CCOT). A central component involves the analysis of primary and secondary sources through sourcing and contextualization to construct sound historical argumentation. These analytical abilities are directly assessed in the exam's three free-response formats: the Short-Answer Questions (SAQs), the Long Essay Question (LEQ), and the Document-Based Question (DBQ), requiring a firm grasp of periodization and rubric language for success.
The course is structured for systematic preparation across its 9 units and 88 topics. Students should progress sequentially, using AP-style quizzes after each topic as immediate progress checks. This allows for targeted review of challenging concepts before tackling the comprehensive unit exams that consolidate learning. This cyclical process of learning, assessment, and review culminates in three full-length mock exams designed to simulate the format and pacing of the actual exam. This structured approach ensures thorough coverage of the material and builds confidence for the final assessment.
Units & Topics
Unit 1: Renaissance and Exploration
expand_more
We will analyze the causation linking Europe's cultural rebirth and political centralization to an age of global expansion that reshaped economies and societies worldwide.
- 1.0Unit Overview
- 1.1Contextualizing Renaissance and Discovery
- 1.2Italian Renaissance
- 1.3Northern Renaissance
- 1.4Printing
- 1.5New Monarchies
- 1.6Technological Advances and the Age of Exploration
- 1.7Rivals on the World Stage
- 1.8Colonial Expansion and Columbian Exchange
- 1.9The Slave Trade
- 1.10The Commercial Revolution
- 1.11Causation in the Renaissance and Age of Discovery
- 1.12Unit Exam
Unit 2: Age of Reformation
expand_more
The complex causation of religious schisms shattered European unity, sparking widespread conflicts that reshaped political structures, societal norms, and artistic expression in this era.
- 2.0Unit Overview
- 2.1Contextualizing 16th- and 17th-Century Challenges and Developments
- 2.2Luther and the Protestant Reformation
- 2.3Protestant Reform Continues
- 2.4Wars of Religion
- 2.5The Catholic Reformation
- 2.616th-Century Society and Politics
- 2.7Art of the 16th Century: Mannerism and Baroque Art
- 2.8Causation in the Age of Reformation and the Wars of Religion
- 2.9Unit Exam
Unit 3: Absolutism and Constitutionalism
expand_more
A comparison of absolutist and constitutional models reveals how states centralized authority, managed economic competition, and sought a precarious new balance of power.
- 3.0Unit Overview
- 3.1Contextualizing State Building
- 3.2The English Civil War and the Glorious Revolution
- 3.3Continuities and Changes to Economic Practice and Development
- 3.4Economic Development and Mercantilism
- 3.5The Dutch Golden Age
- 3.6Balance of Power
- 3.7Absolutist Approaches to Power
- 3.8Comparison in the Age of Absolutism and Constitutionalism
- 3.9Unit Exam
Unit 4: Scientific, Philosophical, and Political Developments
expand_more
This unit explores the chain of causation from new scientific discoveries to revolutionary ideas about society, government, and human reason in the 18th century.
- 4.0Unit Overview
- 4.1Contextualizing the Scientific Revolution and the Enlightenment
- 4.2The Scientific Revolution
- 4.3The Enlightenment
- 4.418th-Century Society and Demographics
- 4.518th-Century Culture and Arts
- 4.6Enlightened and Other Approaches to Power
- 4.7Causation in the Age of the Scientific Revolution and the Enlightenment
- 4.8Unit Exam
Unit 5: Conflict, Crisis, and Reaction in the Late 18th Century
expand_more
We will analyze the chain of causation from rising global trade and state competition to revolutionary wars, the Napoleonic empire, and a conservative restoration.
- 5.0Unit Overview
- 5.1Contextualizing 18th-Century States
- 5.2The Rise of Global Markets
- 5.3Britain’s Ascendency
- 5.4The French Revolution
- 5.5The French Revolution’s Effects
- 5.6Napoleon’s Rise, Dominance, and Defeat
- 5.7The Congress of Vienna
- 5.8Romanticism
- 5.9Continuity and Change in 18th-Century States
- 5.10Unit Exam
Unit 6: Industrialization and Its Effects
expand_more
This unit examines the causation of industrialization, a force that reshaped society and prompted competing ideologies, revolutionary challenges, and conservative political reactions.
- 6.0Unit Overview
- 6.1Contextualizing Industrialization and Its Origins and Effects
- 6.2The Spread of Industry Throughout Europe
- 6.3Second Wave Industrialization and Its Effects
- 6.4Social Effects of Industrialization
- 6.5The Concert of Europe and European Conservatism
- 6.6Reactions and Revolutions
- 6.7Ideologies of Change and Reform Movements
- 6.819th-Century Social Reform
- 6.9Institutional Responses and Reform
- 6.10Causation in the Age of Industrialization
- 6.11Unit Exam
Unit 7: 19th-Century Perspectives and Political Developments
expand_more
This unit investigates the causation behind emergent nationalisms, state consolidation, and a new wave of imperialism justified by scientific and cultural notions of progress.
- 7.0Unit Overview
- 7.1Contextualizing 19th-Century Perspectives and Political Developments
- 7.2Nationalism
- 7.3National Unification and Diplomatic Tensions
- 7.4Darwinism, Social Darwinism
- 7.5The Age of Progress and Modernity
- 7.6New Imperialism: Motivations and Methods
- 7.7Imperialism’s Global Effects
- 7.819th-Century Culture and Arts
- 7.9Causation in 19th-Century Perspectives and Political Developments
- 7.10Unit Exam
Unit 8: 20th-Century Global Conflicts
expand_more
This unit analyzes the complex causation behind a half-century of global conflict, from total war and economic depression to totalitarian ideologies and unprecedented genocide.
- 8.0Unit Overview
- 8.1Contextualizing 20th-Century Global Conflicts
- 8.2World War I
- 8.3The Russian Revolution and Its Effects
- 8.4Versailles Conference and Peace Settlement
- 8.5Global Economic Crisis
- 8.6Fascism and Totalitarianism
- 8.7Europe During the Interwar Period
- 8.8World War II
- 8.9The Holocaust
- 8.1020th-Century Cultural, Intellectual, and Artistic Developments
- 8.11Continuity and Changes in an Age of Global Conflict
- 8.12Unit Exam
Unit 9: Cold War and Contemporary Europe
expand_more
This unit examines continuity and change as Europe rebuilt from war, navigated a bipolar world, and confronted new social, technological, and global challenges.
- 9.0Unit Overview
- 9.1Contextualizing Cold War and Contemporary Europe
- 9.2Rebuilding Europe
- 9.3The Cold War
- 9.4Two Super Powers Emerge
- 9.5Postwar Nationalism, Ethnic Conflict, and Atrocities
- 9.6Contemporary Western Democracies
- 9.7The Fall of Communism
- 9.820th-Century Feminism
- 9.9Decolonization
- 9.10The European Union
- 9.11Migration and Immigration
- 9.12Technology
- 9.13Globalization
- 9.1420th- and 21st-Century Culture, Arts, and Demographic Trends
- 9.15Continuity and Change in the 20th and 21st Centuries
- 9.16Unit Exam
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the structure of the AP European History exam?
expand_more
The exam has two sections and takes 3 hours and 15 minutes to complete. Section I includes Multiple-Choice Questions and Short-Answer Questions (SAQs), while Section II consists of the Document-Based Question (DBQ) and the Long Essay Question (LEQ), which test your historical argumentation skills.
What are the main historical thinking skills I need to master?
expand_more
You will need to master skills like causation, comparison, and continuity and change over time (CCOT). These are essential for analyzing historical events and are applied across all 9 units of the course, forming the foundation for your analysis in the SAQ, DBQ, and LEQ responses.
How should I structure my studying on this platform?
expand_more
We recommend a sequential approach to master the ~71 hours of content. Work through the Units and their 88 Topics, test your knowledge with AP-style quizzes and Unit Exams, and then synthesize your learning by taking the full-length mock exams to simulate test day conditions and pacing.
How do I correctly use the documents in the DBQ?
expand_more
You must go beyond summarizing the documents by analyzing them as historical evidence. For several documents, you need to perform sourcing analysis—evaluating a document's point of view, purpose, historical situation, or audience—to support your overall historical argumentation and earn the associated rubric points.
What is the best way to answer the Short Answer Questions (SAQs)?
expand_more
Answer each part of the prompt directly and concisely, as SAQs do not require a thesis. You should make a specific claim, provide a piece of historical evidence to support it, and then briefly explain the connection. This format ensures you address all parts of the question efficiently.
What is the main difference between the LEQ and the DBQ?
expand_more
The primary difference is the evidence used. The LEQ requires you to recall and use your own specific historical knowledge to support an argument, while the DBQ provides seven documents to analyze and incorporate. Both essays require a strong thesis and proper contextualization to score well.
Why is understanding periodization so important for this course?
expand_more
Periodization is the skill of organizing history into distinct eras, which is fundamental to the course structure from 1450 to the present. Understanding it helps you establish proper contextualization for your essays and recognize the major turning points that define historical developments and processes.
How can I use the practice materials to prepare for the exam?
expand_more
Use the 1225 practice questions and 1898 flashcards to reinforce your knowledge of key terms, events, and concepts. Consistent practice with both primary and secondary sources helps you master content, identify patterns in question types, and improve your pacing for the multiple-choice section.
How are the DBQ and LEQ essays scored?
expand_more
Essays are scored using rubrics that award points for specific components. To earn a high score, you must develop a defensible thesis, provide contextualization, use evidence effectively, and demonstrate complex understanding. Familiarity with this rubric language is key to structuring a successful response.
Why are the full-length mock exams so important?
expand_more
The 3 mock exams are crucial for building stamina and refining your time management skills under realistic pressure. They provide a complete simulation of the exam, allowing you to practice transitioning between the MCQ, SAQ, DBQ, and LEQ sections and identify areas for final review.
Ready to study smarter for AP EH?
Get instant access to all study materials, practice questions, and mock exams. Join thousands of students mastering AP European History with PrepGo.