AP®︎ European History: Unit 8 Practice Test

Review: KC-4.1

Total war and political instability in the first half of the 20th century gave way to a polarized state order during the Cold War and eventually to efforts at transnational union.

Review: KC-4.1.I

World War I, caused by a complex interaction of long- and short-term factors, resulted in immense losses and disruptions for both victors and vanquished.

Review: KC-4.1.II

The conflicting goals of the peace negotiators in Paris pitted diplomatic idealism against the desire to punish Germany, producing a settlement that satisfied few.

Review: KC-4.1.III

In the interwar period, fascism, extreme nationalism, racist ideologies, and the failure of appeasement resulted in the catastrophe of World War II, presenting a grave challenge to European civilization.

Review: KC-4.2

The stresses of economic collapse and total war engendered internal conflicts within European states and created conflicting conceptions of the relationship between the individual and the state, as demonstrated in the ideological battle between and among democracy, communism, and fascism.

Review: KC-4.3

During the 20th century, diverse intellectual and cultural movements questioned the existence of objective knowledge, the ability of reason to arrive at truth, and the role of religion in determining moral standards.

Review: KC-4.3.II

Science and technology yielded impressive material benefits but also caused immense destruction and posed challenges to objective knowledge.

Review: KC-4.4

Demographic changes, economic growth, total war, disruptions of traditional social patterns, and competing definitions of freedom and justice altered the experiences of everyday life.

Review: KC-4.4.I

The 20th century was characterized by large-scale suffering brought on by warfare and genocide, but also by tremendous improvements in the standard of living.

Thematic Focus: States and Other Institutions of PowerSOP

European states and nations developed governmental and civil institutions from 1450 to the present to organize society and consolidate political power, with a variety of social, cultural, and economic effects.

Historical Developments: KC-4.1.I

World War I, caused by a complex interaction of long- and short-term factors, resulted in immense losses and disruptions for both victors and vanquished.

Historical Developments: KC-4.1.I.A

A variety of factors—including nationalism, military plans, the alliance system, and imperial competition—turned a regional dispute in the Balkans into World War I.

Thematic Focus: Technological and Scientific InnovationTSI

Scientific and technological innovations have increased efficiency, improved daily life, and shaped human development and interactions, having both intended and unintended consequences.

Historical Developments: KC-4.1.I.B

New technologies confounded traditional military strategies and led to trench warfare and massive troop losses.

Thematic Focus: Interaction of Europe and the WorldINT

Motivated by a variety of factors, Europe's interaction with the world led to political, economic, social, and cultural exchanges that influenced both European and non-European societies.

Historical Developments: KC-4.1.I.C

The effects of military stalemate, national mobilization, and total war led to protest and insurrection in the belligerent nations and eventually to revolutions that changed the international balance of power.

Historical Developments: KC-4.1.I.D

The war in Europe quickly spread to non-European theaters, transforming the war into a global conflict.

Historical Developments: KC-4.1.I.E

The relationship of Europe to the world shifted significantly with the globalization of the conflict, the emergence of the United States as a world power, and the overthrow of European empires.

Thematic Focus: States and Other Institutions of PowerSOP

European states and nations developed governmental and civil institutions from 1450 to the present to organize society and consolidate political power, with a variety of social, cultural, and economic effects.

Historical Developments: KC-4.2.I

The Russian Revolution created a regime based on Marxist–Leninist theory.

Historical Developments: KC-4.2.I.A

In Russia, World War I exacerbated long-term problems of political stagnation, social inequality, incomplete industrialization, and food and land distribution, all while creating support for revolutionary change.

Historical Developments: KC-4.2.I.B

Military and worker insurrections, aided by the revived Soviets, undermined the Provisional Government and set the stage for Lenin’s long-planned Bolshevik Revolution and establishment of a communist state.

Historical Developments: KC-4.2.I.C

The Bolshevik takeover prompted a protracted civil war between communist forces and their opponents, who were aided by foreign powers.

Historical Developments: KC-4.2.I.D.i

In order to improve economic performance, Lenin compromised communist principles and employed some free-market principles under the New Economic Policy.

Thematic Focus: States and Other Institutions of PowerSOP

European states and nations developed governmental and civil institutions from 1450 to the present to organize society and consolidate political power, with a variety of social, cultural, and economic effects.

Historical Developments: KC-4.1.II

The conflicting goals of the peace negotiators in Paris pitted diplomatic idealism against the desire to punish Germany, producing a settlement that satisfied few.

Historical Developments: KC-4.1.II.A

Wilsonian idealism clashed with postwar realities in both the victorious and the defeated states. Democratic successor states emerged from former empires and eventually succumbed to significant political, economic, and diplomatic crises.

Historical Developments: KC-4.1.II.B

The League of Nations, created to prevent future wars, was weakened from the outset by the nonparticipation of major powers, including the U.S., Germany, and the Soviet Union.

Historical Developments: KC-4.1.II.C

The Versailles settlement, particularly its provisions on the assignment of guilt and reparations for the war, hindered the German Weimar Republic's ability to establish a stable and legitimate political and economic system.

Historical Developments: KC-4.1.VI.B

The League of Nations distributed former German and Ottoman possessions to France and Great Britain through the mandate system, thereby altering the imperial balance of power and creating a strategic interest in the Middle East and its oil.

Thematic Focus: Economic and Commercial DevelopmentsECD

Economic development, especially the development of capitalism, played an important role in Europe's history, often having significant social, political, and cultural effects.

Historical Developments: KC-4.2.III

The Great Depression, caused by weaknesses in international trade and monetary theories and practices, undermined Western European democracies and fomented radical political responses throughout Europe.

Historical Developments: KC-4.2.III.A

World War I debt, nationalistic tariff policies, overproduction, depreciated currencies, disrupted trade patterns, and speculation created weaknesses in economies worldwide.

Historical Developments: KC-4.2.III.B

Dependence on post-World War I American investment capital led to financial collapse when, following the 1929 stock market crash, the United States cut off capital flows to Europe.

Historical Developments: KC-4.2.III.C

Despite attempts to rethink economic theories and policies and forge political alliances, Western democracies failed to overcome the Great Depression and were weakened by extremist movements.

Thematic Focus: States and Other Institutions of PowerSOP

European states and nations developed governmental and civil institutions from 1450 to the present to organize society and consolidate political power, with a variety of social, cultural, and economic effects.

Historical Developments: KC-4.2.II

The ideology of fascism, with roots in the pre-World War I era, gained popularity in an environment of postwar bitterness, the rise of communism, uncertain transitions to democracy, and economic instability.

Historical Developments: KC-4.2.II.A

Fascist dictatorships used modern technology and propaganda that rejected democratic institutions, promoted charismatic leaders, and glorified war and nationalism to attract the disillusioned.

Historical Developments: KC-4.2.II.B

Mussolini and Hitler rose to power by exploiting postwar bitterness and economic instability, using terror, and manipulating the fledgling and unpopular democracies in their countries.

Historical Developments: KC-4.2.II.C

Franco’s alliance with Italian and German fascists in the Spanish Civil War—in which the Western democracies did not intervene—represented a testing ground for World War II and resulted in authoritarian rule in Spain from 1936 to the mid-1970s.

Historical Developments: KC-4.2.II.D

After failures to establish functioning democracies, authoritarian dictatorships took power in central and eastern Europe during the interwar period.

Thematic Focus: Economic and Commercial DevelopmentsECD

Economic development, especially the development of capitalism, played an important role in Europe’s history, often having significant social, political, and cultural effects.

Historical Developments: KC-4.2.I.D.ii

After Lenin’s death, Stalin undertook a centralized program of rapid economic modernization, often with severe repercussions for the population.

Historical Developments: KC-4.2.I.E

Stalin’s economic modernization of the Soviet Union came at a high price, including the liquidation of the kulaks (the land-owning peasantry) and other perceived enemies of the state, devastating famine in the Ukraine, purges of political rivals, and, ultimately, the creation of an oppressive political system.

Thematic Focus: States and Other Institutions of PowerSOP

European states and nations developed governmental and civil institutions from 1450 to the present to organize society and consolidate political power, with a variety of social, cultural, and economic effects.

Historical Developments: KC-4.1.III.A

French and British fears of another war, American isolationism, and deep distrust between Western democratic, capitalist nations and the authoritarian, communist Soviet Union allowed fascist states to rearm and expand their territory.

Historical Developments: KC-4.1.III

In the interwar period, fascism, extreme nationalism, racist ideologies, and the failure of appeasement resulted in the catastrophe of World War II, presenting a grave challenge to European civilization.

Thematic Focus: Technological and Scientific InnovationTSI

Scientific and technological innovations have increased efficiency, improved daily life, and shaped human development and interactions, having both intended and unintended consequences.

Historical Developments: KC-4.1.III.B

Germany’s Blitzkrieg warfare in Europe, combined with Japan’s attacks in Asia and the Pacific, brought the Axis powers early victories.

Historical Developments: KC-4.1.III.C

American and British industrial, scientific, and technological power, cooperative military efforts under the strong leadership of individuals such as Winston Churchill, the resistance of civilians, and the all-out military commitment of the USSR contributed critically to the Allied victories.

Historical Developments: KC-4.3.II.C

Military technologies made possible industrialized warfare, genocide, nuclear proliferation, and the risk of global nuclear war.

Thematic Focus: National and European IdentityNEI

Definitions and perceptions of regional, cultural, national, and European identity have developed and been challenged over time, with varied and often profound effects on the political, social, and cultural order in Europe.

Historical Developments: KC-4.1.III.D

Fueled by racism and anti-Semitism, Nazi Germany—with the cooperation of some of the other Axis powers and collaborationist governments—sought to establish a “new racial order” in Europe, which culminated with the Holocaust.

Historical Developments: KC-4.4.I.B

World War II decimated a generation of Russian and German men; virtually destroyed European Jewry; resulted in the murder of millions in other groups targeted by the Nazis including Roma, homosexuals, people with disabilities, and others; forced large-scale migrations; and undermined prewar class hierarchies.

Thematic Focus: Cultural and Intellectual DevelopmentsCID

The creation and transmission of knowledge, including the relationship between traditional sources of authority and the development of differing world views, had significant political, intellectual, economic, cultural, and social effects on European and world societies.

Historical Developments: KC-4.3.I.i

The widely held belief in progress characteristic of much of 19th-century thought began to break down before World War I.

Historical Developments: KC-4.3.I.A

When World War I began, Europeans were generally confident in the ability of science and technology to address human needs and problems despite the uncertainty created by the new scientific theories and psychology.

Historical Developments: KC-4.3.II.A

The challenge to the certainties of the Newtonian universe in physics opened the door to uncertainty in other fields by undermining faith in objective knowledge while also providing the knowledge necessary for the development of nuclear weapons and power.

Historical Developments: KC-4.4.I.A

World War I created a "lost generation" and fostered disillusionment and cynicism, while it transformed the lives of women, and democratized societies.

Historical Developments: KC-4.4.II.A

During the world wars, women became increasingly involved in military and political mobilization, as well as in economic production.

Review: KC-4.1

Total war and political instability in the first half of the 20th century gave way to a polarized state order during the Cold War and eventually to efforts at transnational union.

Review: KC-4.1.I

World War I, caused by a complex interaction of long- and short-term factors, resulted in immense losses and disruptions for both victors and vanquished.

Review: KC-4.1.II

The conflicting goals of the peace negotiators in Paris pitted diplomatic idealism against the desire to punish Germany, producing a settlement that satisfied few.

Review: KC-4.1.III

In the interwar period, fascism, extreme nationalism, racist ideologies, and the failure of appeasement resulted in the catastrophe of World War II, presenting a grave challenge to European civilization.

Review: KC-4.2

The stresses of economic collapse and total war engendered internal conflicts within European states and created conflicting conceptions of the relationship between the individual and the state, as demonstrated in the ideological battle between and among democracy, communism, and fascism.

Review: KC-4.3

During the 20th century, diverse intellectual and cultural movements questioned the existence of objective knowledge, the ability of reason to arrive at truth, and the role of religion in determining moral standards.

Review: KC-4.3.II

Science and technology yielded impressive material benefits but also caused immense destruction and posed challenges to objective knowledge.

Review: KC-4.4

Demographic changes, economic growth, total war, disruptions of traditional social patterns, and competing definitions of freedom and justice altered the experiences of everyday life.

Review: KC-4.4.I

The 20th century was characterized by large-scale suffering brought on by warfare and genocide, but also by tremendous improvements in the standard of living.