Major Themes of Modern European History (^) ‹ 55
presented a world view in which humans sat in the middle (literally and figuratively) of a
cosmos created especially for them by a loving God.
Beginning in the sixteenth century, increased wealth allowed European elites to create
secular spaces for intellectual pursuits. This development bred a new type of secular scholar
who stressed the use of observation and reason in the creation of knowledge, and who,
in due course, successfully challenged the notion of a theocentric universe. This change
resulted in a large variety of cultural responses.
Changes in Society and Its Institutions
Beginning in the fifteenth century, the expansion and increasing complexity of the
European economy and a corresponding growth in the size of its populations put great
stress upon the traditional social structures and institutions of European society. Changes in
the means of production and exchange both fostered and benefitted from dramatic changes
in where and how the population lived and worked.The Individual and Society
The economic and social changes occurring from the fifteenth through the twentieth cen-
turies created demands for corresponding changes in the nature of the social hierarchy.
Traditional European elites found themselves contending with newer, commercial elites
for political power. The pre-industrial period saw women participating in sociocultural
change. In the nineteenth century, women, along with industrial and urban workers
began to agitate for access to, and sometimes participation in, the wielding of political
power.National and European Identity
The idea of national, and eventually European, identity was often based on shared lan-
guage, geography, and political consolidation of power. The Reconquest of Spain, the
creation of a parliamentary monarchy in England, the unification of Italy and Germany in
the late nineteenth century are all examples of states united in their shared beliefs in social,
political, cultural, and/or religious values. The idea of a European identity remains in flux,
depending on changing economic, political, social, cultural, and legal frameworks.The Organization of the AP Course into Units
To organize the content relating to these major themes of European history, the College
Board has defined four “units,” or time periods. These units form the basic structure of
the AP course—but don’t worry, you won’t have to memorize these time periods. They are
only a behind-the-scenes organizational structure for the course and won’t be part of the
AP exam. It may be useful, however, to see what these four units are and to know how
they correspond to the review chapters in this book, especially if, besides using this book,KEY IDEAKEY IDEAKEY IDEA09_Bartolini_Ch09_053-056.indd 55 16/04/18 4:28 PM