AP European History · History & Social Science

AP European History: free lessons and course outline

Europe from c. 1450 to the present, argued from the documents themselves, not just memorized dates. Every unit is taught through the sources historians actually use, every unit ends with a stimulus-based review, and the essay sections let you write DBQs and LEQs against the real College Board rubrics with a top-score response to compare against.

3H 15M EXAM 55 MCQ 3 SAQ 1 DBQ 1 LEQ 79 LESSONS 108 REVIEW QUESTIONS 10 ESSAY PROMPTS NO PREREQ

AP European History follows the nine units of the College Board course framework, from the Renaissance to contemporary Europe, and every lesson follows one or two topics of the official course and exam description (79 lessons in all). Each lesson opens with a Required content box that quotes the learning objectives and key concepts it covers, then teaches them with a primary source and HIPP sourcing, worked source analyses, an Exam focus box, and six practice items. The units are weighted almost evenly, each worth 10 to 15 percent of the exam, so no period can be safely skipped. The DBQ is drawn from the period c. 1600 to c. 2001, and the three LEQ choices span roughly Units 1 to 3, 4 to 6, and 7 to 9. Every unit ends with a stimulus-based multiple-choice and short-answer review, and the two essay sections at the bottom of the outline hold five DBQ and five LEQ prompts with a writing space that scores against the official rubric.

U1Unit 1: Renaissance and Exploration, c. 1450–c. 164810–15%
U2Unit 2: Age of Reformation, c. 1450–c. 164810–15%
U3Unit 3: Absolutism and Constitutionalism, c. 1648–c. 181510–15%
U4Unit 4: Scientific, Philosophical, and Political Developments, c. 1648–c. 181510–15%
U5Unit 5: Conflict, Crisis, and Reaction in the Late 18th Century, c. 1648–c. 181510–15%
U6Unit 6: Industrialization and Its Effects, c. 1815–c. 191410–15%
U7Unit 7: 19th-Century Perspectives and Political Developments, c. 1815–c. 191410–15%
U8Unit 8: 20th-Century Global Conflicts, c. 1914–present10–15%
U9Unit 9: Cold War and Contemporary Europe, c. 1914–present10–15%

Writing the DBQ? Read the European History DBQ guide.

Writing the LEQ? Read the European History LEQ guide.

Writing the SAQ? Read the European History SAQ guide.

Every lesson, unit by unit

U1 is free to read below. The other units open with a free month or a paid plan.

U1 Unit 1: Renaissance and Exploration, c. 1450–c. 1648 10–15% of the examFREE

U2 Unit 2: Age of Reformation, c. 1450–c. 1648 10–15% of the exam

2.1 Context and Luther: the Reformation begins
2.2 Calvin, radicals, and the English Reformation
2.3 Wars of religion, 1562 to 1648
2.4 The Catholic Reformation
2.5 Society, family, and witch hunts
2.6 Mannerism and Baroque art as persuasion
2.7 Causation: why the Reformation and its wars happened

U3 Unit 3: Absolutism and Constitutionalism, c. 1648–c. 1815 10–15% of the exam

3.1 England: Civil War and the Glorious Revolution
3.2 Economic change and mercantilism
3.3 The Dutch Golden Age
3.4 The balance of power and the military revolution
3.5 France under Louis XIV: the model of absolutism
3.6 Absolutism beyond France: Spain, England, and Russia
3.7 Comparison: absolutism and constitutionalism

U4 Unit 4: Scientific, Philosophical, and Political Developments, c. 1648–c. 1815 10–15% of the exam

4.1 Context and the Scientific Revolution
4.2 The Enlightenment
4.3 Eighteenth-century society and demographics
4.4 Eighteenth-century culture and the arts
4.5 Enlightened absolutism and the rise of Prussia
4.6 Causation: how science and reason challenged the old order

U5 Unit 5: Conflict, Crisis, and Reaction in the Late 18th Century, c. 1648–c. 1815 10–15% of the exam

5.1 Eighteenth-century states and global markets
5.2 Britain's ascendancy and the Seven Years' War
5.3 The French Revolution: causes and the liberal phase
5.4 The Terror and the radical republic
5.5 The effects of the French Revolution
5.6 Napoleon: rise, dominance, and defeat
5.7 The Congress of Vienna
5.8 Romanticism and the religious revival
5.9 Continuity and change in the eighteenth-century states

U6 Unit 6: Industrialization and Its Effects, c. 1815–c. 1914 10–15% of the exam

6.1 Industrialization: origins and spread
6.2 The second wave of industrialization and its effects
6.3 The social effects of industrialization
6.4 The Concert of Europe and conservatism
6.5 Reactions and revolutions, 1815 to 1905
6.6 Ideologies of change: liberalism to Marxism
6.7 Nineteenth-century social reform movements
6.8 Institutional responses and reform
6.9 Causation: how industrialization changed Europe

U7 Unit 7: 19th-Century Perspectives and Political Developments, c. 1815–c. 1914 10–15% of the exam

7.1 Nationalism: context and the nation-state
7.2 Unifying Italy and Germany
7.3 Alliances, rivalry, and the Balkan crises
7.4 Darwin, science, and the Age of Progress
7.5 New imperialism: motives and methods
7.6 Imperialism's effects in Europe and the world
7.7 Nineteenth-century culture and the arts
7.8 Causation: nationalism, imperialism, and stability

U8 Unit 8: 20th-Century Global Conflicts, c. 1914–present 10–15% of the exam

8.1 Context and the causes of World War I
8.2 The Great War: technology, home front, and global effects
8.3 The Russian Revolution and its effects
8.4 The Versailles settlement and the League of Nations
8.5 The global economic crisis
8.6 Fascism and totalitarianism
8.7 Europe between the wars: appeasement and the road to war
8.8 World War II
8.9 The Holocaust
8.10 Culture, ideas, and art in the age of the world wars
8.11 Continuity and change in an age of global conflict

U9 Unit 9: Cold War and Contemporary Europe, c. 1914–present 10–15% of the exam

9.1 Europe in ruins and the Marshall Plan
9.2 The Cold War
9.3 Two superpowers and the divided continent
9.4 Nationalism, ethnic conflict, and atrocities
9.5 Contemporary Western democracies and the welfare state
9.6 The fall of communism
9.7 Twentieth-century feminism
9.8 Decolonization
9.9 The European Union
9.10 Migration, immigration, and technology
9.11 Globalization
9.12 Culture, arts, and demographic trends since 1945
9.13 Continuity and change since 1945

Keep going in the full AP European History course

All of U1 (Unit 1: Renaissance and Exploration, c. 1450–c. 1648) is free to everyone, with no account. The course has 79 lessons, each with worked examples and practice problems that come with full solutions. A free account can also start a free month of the whole course, with no card.

Open this lesson in the course See the whole course