History Chapter Questions

Chapter 14:

1. List and analyze the differences between the new scientific views of the world and traditional medieval views. How did standards for ascertaining the truth differ between these two perspectives?
2. Analyze the beliefs and motives of the following central figures in the Scientific Revolution. What barriers did they have to overcome to present their views?
   1. Nicolaus Copernicus
   2. Galileo Galilei
   3. Isaac Newton
3. How did Francis Bacon and René Descartes contribute to the shift in the scientific method of discovery?
4. How were new scientific ideas popularized during the Scientific Revolution?
5. Analyze the teachings of the following Enlightenment thinkers:
   1. John Locke
   2. Voltaire
   3. Rousseau
   4. Adam Smith
6. In what ways did the Enlightenment threaten traditional views and authorities?
7. How were Enlightenment ideas popularized during the late 17th and early 18th centuries?

Chapter 16:

1. List and explain the underlying causes of the French Revolution of 1789.
2. How did the French Revolution begin? (Consider specific events that triggered the period of revolution.)
3. How did Enlightenment ideas (see chapter 14) impact the French revolutionaries?
4. Explain how the initial fervor of revolution shifted to a much more radical agenda.
5. Why was Napoleon Bonaparte able to rise to power so easily? How did he initially reform France?
6. Describe the overall impact of Napoleon’s quest for domination of Europe.

Chapter 18:

1. How did the Congress of Vienna represent a shift back toward conservatism?
2. For each of the following ideologies, explain their central ideas/beliefs, list groups and/or individuals who were attracted to it, and list countries who represented the ideology in action.
   1. Conservatism
   2. Liberalism
   3. Nationalism
   4. Early Socialism
   5. Scientific Socialism (Marxism)
3. What are some examples of restoration and repression in Europe from 1815 through 1850ish?
4. How did nations handle calls for liberal reforms from 1815 to 1850ish?
5. Analyze the following phrase based on the events that began in 1848: “When France sneezes, Europe catches a cold.”

Chapter 19:

1. How did Cavour of Italy and Bismarck of Prussia achieve national unity in their respective countries?
2. How did Napoleon III in France and Alexander II in Russia try to link nationalism and state building? Evaluate the success of each leader.
3. In what ways was nationalism divisive in the Austrian and Ottoman Empires?

Chapter 20:

1. Why did demands for democracy increase between 1870 and 1914?
2. How did Great Britain avoid the revolutionary turmoil of the mid-19th century? Provide specific examples.
3. How did the following nations handle liberal demands?
   1. France
   2. Germany
   3. Austria
   4. Russia
4. For each of the following extreme ideologies, explain their central ideas/beliefs, list groups and/or individuals who were attracted to it, and list countries who represented the ideology in action.
   1. Unions
   2. Socialists
   3. Anarchists
   4. Anti-Semites (ex, Dreyfus Affair)
   5. Ultranationalists
   6. Feminists/Suffragists
5. Why did many Europeans choose to emigrate from Europe between 1870 and 1914? (Consider push and pull factors.)
6. List and explain the forces driving the wave of New Imperialism. (Consider motives and technologies that made it possible.)
7. For each of the following areas/countries, explain why imperialism occurred there and its overall impact.
   1. the African continent
   2. India
   3. China
   4. Japan

Chapter 22:

1. Explain how each of the following factored into the start of WWI:
   1. Alliances
   2. Militarism
   3. Nationalism
   4. Germany
2. Explain Germany’s Schlieffen Plan. Why did it fail? What was the impact of its failure?
3. How did governments handle the war on the home front?
4. How did WWI ultimately end?
5. Why was the Treaty of Versailles ultimately a victor’s peace and not a just peace?
6. Why did the Romanov dynasty collapse?
7. How did Lenin and the Bolsheviks gain control of what would now be called the USSR?

Chapter 23:

1. How did the economies of Europe initially respond to the end of WWI?
2. Describe some of the cultural shifts that were evident in the 1920s. In your opinion, do you think that the 1920s was a period of real recovery and cultural flowering or more of a haunted, anxious decade? Why?
3. Why did fascism rise in Italy?
4. Evaluate Stalin’s Five-Year Plans. (Remember: Evaluate means consider what was done well and what was done poorly.)
5. Analyze the main qualities of German Nazism. How do you explain Hitler’s rise and acquisition of power?

Chapter 24:

1. Outline the key events involving Germany from 1936-1939 that led to the start of WWII.
2. Why did Japan attack the US at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941?
3. Describe Hitler’s “New Order.” How did this ultimately lead to the Holocaust?
4. Outline the steps of German defeat, from mobilizing for D-Day to V-E Day.
5. Outline the steps of Japanese defeat, from the Battle of Midway to V-J Day.
6. How did the Allied Powers’ disagreements over how to handle Eastern Europe ultimately lead to the Cold War?