Week of October 2nd

We'll be concluding our introductory unit on twentieth-century European history this week. We have discussed a number of very complex issues that are deeply rooted in several centuries of European history that we have not yet worked our way through. Good job with that! I'm looking forward to going back to the Renaissance next week and then working our way to the present in a linear fashion.

Tuesday, Oct.4
  • Read: Merriman 1160-1175
  • Lecture: Decolonization
  • Due: 3-part summary
    1. timeline/outline of major developments discussed in reading
    2. brief biographical sketch of 4 important figures from the period
    3. reading question: Give three primary reasons that European powers lost control of their colonial holdings in the decades following WWII.
Thursday, Oct.6
  • Read: none
  • Homework: review sheet
  • In class: exam review
**Looking Ahead**

Tuesday, Oct.11
  • In class: Exam 1

Week of September 25

Cold War Week!!

I read your 3-part summaries over the weekend and was pretty pleased with how they turned out. I think these will be an excellent way to help you build a body of knowledge for your AP review in the spring. Let's do another one for this week's reading on the Cold War. Please turn it in as one assignment on Friday, but make it cover both days' reading. This time the three parts should include:
  1. Separate timelines for the Fall of Soviet Union and Cold War periods (be sure to emphasize major trends rather than details)
  2. Examples of leaders from each major period in Soviet history (do 7 total - at least 3 should be from outside Soviet Union - be sure to make explicit the trends they represent)
  3. In one substantial paragraph, answer the following questions: How were the seeds of the Soviet Union's decline sown during the height of the Cold War? To what extent did it result from poor leadership within Soviet Russia, and to what extent were challenges from other nationalities to blame?

Tuesday Sept. 27
  • 1188-1196; 1213-1218
Friday Sept 30
  • 1147-1160
**Please remember that we will be hosting several guests on Friday to discuss the headscarf controversy. Bring your book to class on Tuesday so we can review some key points and I will ask you to prepare some questions ahead of time to bring on Friday. You will submit them for a homework grade.

Week of Sept. 18

We will only meet one time this week due to the senior class trip Wednesday through Friday. On Monday I will hand out our first DBQ exercise, we will discuss strategy as a class, and you will then submit it the following Tuesday.

Monday Sept. 19
  • Read: Merriman 1176-1186
  • DUE: 3-part summary, see below
Three-part summary
  1. create a simple timeline of the political trends that swept Western and Southern Europe from 1968 to present (separate timelines for each region)
  2. choose the one political leader for each of the following countries that you think is most important, and briefly state how they fit into the trends outlined above: Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Spain & Portugal
  3. briefly compare the two regions, noting at least one similarity and one difference

Week 1 - Welcome & Introduction

Welcome to Modern European History. In the first week of school we will introduce the course and discuss its various elements, one of which is this blog. Please know that homework and reading assignments are posted here weekly. For this week they are:
  • Thursday Sept. 15th
    • Read: Merriman, 1219-1226
    • DUE: Summer reading assignment
See you soon...

End of Year for Seniors

Congratulations on completing your high school career!! I also wanted to take a moment to thank you for a great year in Modern European History. It has been great to work with you all as a class and get to know you as individuals. I know that you are all destined for great things, and I wish you the best in all your future endeavors.

Two-Week Review

The AP exam in European History will take place on May 6th, at 12:15 pm in the basement of the Pebble Hill Church. Until test day, our efforts in class will focus on preparing for the exam through practice tests, broad thematic review and test-taking strategies. The following is an outline of the coming two weeks:

Tuesday, April 26
  • in class - practice Multiple Choice
Thursday, April 28
  • in class - practice DBQ
  • due -  corrections of MC section
    • for each of the questions you got wrong, please write one sentence describing why the "correct" answer is the "best" answer
Monday, May 2
  • in class - practice FRQs
  • due - scored practice DBQ (including written explanation of score)
    • Please type up a lengthy paragraph that explains the score you gave on each of the criteria. Please be fairly hard on yourself. You won't benefit by convincing yourself the work is better than it is.
  • due - Key Terms flashcards (distributed April 26)
    • OK - so I hit you with a lot of terms to review. I wanted to give you as much material as I could. Why don't you select 30-40 of the terms, events, people that you think will be the most useful for you to review before the test (ie. the ones you don't know already). Do the best you can...
Wednesday, May 4
  • in class - final review discussion (and pep talk)
  • due scored practice FRQs (including written explanation of score)

Week of April 10th

Plan for the week:

Tuesday
  • Read Merriman 1160-1175 (and be sure to complete Friday's reading if you have not already done so)
  • Lecture on end of WWII and its legacy
Thursday
  • Last regular exam of the year, covering Russian Revolution, Inter-war years, WWII
** That concludes the new material for the course. After Spring Break we will conduct 2 weeks of review prior to the AP exam. Enjoy your break!!