AP European History
Mr. Greg Biniukow
gbiniukow@whrhs.org
Welcome to AP European History (APEH). Our class will be a college-level survey of
European History from the end of the Middle Ages, around 1000 AD, through the fall of
Communism in the early 1990s. It will conclude with the current strengthening of the European
Union. We will focus on political, economic, religious, and social topics that helped shape the
history of Europe and the world over the past 1,000 years.
Over the next 9/10 months, you will learn about the following main topics:
Middle Ages
Renaissance
Reformation
Age of Absolute Rulers and Wars of Religion
Scientific Revolution
Enlightenment
French Revolution and the Rise and Fall of Napoleon
Industrial Revolution
Rise of Nationalism and Restoration of Germany and Italy
World War I
Russian Revolution
Rise of Dictators in Europe
World War II
The Holocaust
Cold War and the Fall of Communism
European Union
Students will be assessed based on their performance on a variety of
assessments….reading outlines, reading quizzes, content quizzes, graded discussions,
simulations, Document-Based Questions (DBQs), Free-Response Questions (FRQs),
response papers, projects, mini-debates, and unit tests.
This class is a college-level class, and you will be assigned a copious amount of work.
You will also participate in workshops and complete writing assignments that will prepare you
for the AP European History exam. This class will also blend in other assignments and
activities that will ensure you enjoy and appreciate all of the topics in European History.
Finally, my ultimate goal for this year is to see that every student succeeds in this class.
Therefore, if you feel you need extra help before or after school, do not hesitate to speak with
me about scheduling a time to review material.
If you need to get an update on homework assignments and topics covered in class,
visit my school webpage http://whrhs.schoolwires.net and find my name in the Teacher Pages
section of the website.
Essential Questions for APEH
These are the following questions that will be addressed throughout the
year:
1. How does European history reflect the political, economic, religious,
social, artistic, and intellectual changes of Western civilization?
2. How did the development of the modern European state from
feudalism to monarchy to “democracy”, give rise to the current World
Order, and what role does Europe play in that World Order?
3. How has international conflicts affected the balance of power in
Europe throughout the modern era?
4. How has nationalism been both a unifying and dividing force
throughout European history?
5. How did the Scientific Revolution and the Enlightenment influence
Europe intellectually, socially, politically and religiously?
6. What role has military conflict played in European History? Why did
it change from religious-dynastic to territorial goals?
7. How has religion played a role in the formation of the current
European state?
8. How has the European geography affected the development of the
various European societies?