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Best AP Euro Quizlet Decks by Unit

8 min read•december 14, 2021

Harrison Burnside

AP European History 🇪🇺

335 resources

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Why Quizlet in AP Euro?

One of the most popular study sites used by AP students is Quizlet and for good reason! Quizlet combines the classic flashcard studying method with unique, fun games to learn vocabulary. However, the number of resources provided by Quizlet can make it challenging to find the best decks for each AP Euro unit.

For that reason, here are the most comprehensive Quizlet decks for effective studying! Vocabulary is critical for understanding different historical events, figures, structures, and concepts.

For this AP Euro Quizlet Blog, treat every unit overview as contextualization to what is going on just before that caused something in the unit or to describe the broader processes of what is happening in that unit!

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Unit 1: Renaissance and Exploration

In the late 1400s, the beginning of the Renaissance transformed Europe, bringing Europe out of the Middle ages. Beginning in the Italian city-state of Florence, a new intellectual movement known as humanism began spreading, changing the way Europeans viewed themselves and the world around them. Intellectuals would rediscover the writings of classical Greece and Rome, discover new ways to represent reality through painting and sculpture, and reinvent man's meaning for existence.

Best Deck: AP Euro - Unit 1: Renaissance and Exploration (1450-1648) by C. Pierce

Key Terms:

Petrarch - Father of the Renaissance (1304-1374) …

Mannerism - End of the Renaissance that broke down the principles of Balance, Harmony, and Moderation

Treaty of Tordesillas (1494) - Drew a line in South America to divide up territorial holdings between Portugal and Spain

Unit 2: Age of Reformation

The Catholic Church dominated Europe for centuries. They held incredible influence over European society and politics during the Middle Ages, and that influence continued long after the Middle Ages ended. However, with great power comes great responsibility, and while the Catholic Church had great power, they used it very irresponsibly. This would lead to many attempts at reform with some being more successful than others to change the entire idea of religion in Europe!

Best Deck: AP Euro Unit 2, AP Euro - Reformation in Europe by Mr. Goode

Key Terms:

Erasmus - Christian Humanist who criticized the church, as well as Luther. "Laid the egg that Luther hatched."

Peace of Augsburg (1555) - Document in which Charles V recognized Lutheranism as a legal religion in the Holy Roman Empire. The faith of the prince determined the religion of his subjects. Ended religious wars for a while.

Catholic Counter-Reformation - An internal reform of the Catholic Church in the sixteenth century; thanks especially to the work of the Council of Trent (1545-1563), Catholic leaders clarified doctrine, corrected abuses and corruption, and put a new emphasis on education and accountability.

Unit 3: Absolutism and Constitutionalism

Now when we discuss the idea of state-building in this unit, it’s important to understand that the cause for this sudden change would be this surge for Monarchical Sovereignty, thus furthering the rise of Absolutist rulers such as King Louis XIV, and Peter The Great! Contextually speaking, Absolutism emerged at a dicey point in European History. New Monarchs of the 16th and 17th Centuries had consolidated their power through various means.

Best Deck: AP Euro - Unit 3: Absolutism and Constitutionalism (1648-1815) by C. Pierce

Key Terms:

Divine Right - The idea that monarchs are God's representatives on earth and are therefore answerable only to God.

English Civil War (1640-1660) - Featured religious disputes mixed with constitutional issues concerning the powers of the monarchy; ended with restoration of the monarchy in 1660 following execution of previous king.

Treaty of Dover (1670) - The agreement between Charles II and King Louis XIV of France without the knowledge of Parliament in which he promised religious toleration for English Catholics and his conversion to Roman Catholicism.

Unit 4: Scientific, Philosophical, and Political Developments

Humanism, which gave some Europeans a sense of individualism and a confidence in their ability to reason during the Renaissance and Protestant Reformation periods, began to branch into other interests beyond the 16th century. Individualism manifested itself in intellectuals who were interested in sciences, people and places who had recently been discovered by Europeans, and politics. As interest in challenging traditional authorities in these areas intensified and populations expanded in cities, conversations about reform and new advancements became the norm!

Best Deck: AP Euro, Unit 4: Intellectual, Economic, and Social Developments by R. Ghosh

Key Terms:

Scientific Revolution - Experimental observation and mathematics slowly became part of the European worldview, when previously the theories of Aristotle were accepted. Came with empiricism in Europe.

Tablua Rosa - Locke, says that humans aren't born with basic ideals, but are blank slates that are developed through interaction. Enlightenment Idea!

Seven Years War - Huge conflict involving many European powers where Maria Theresa attempted to regain lost land and failed, no huge change in colonial holdings either. From 1756 to 1763 on multiple continents.

Unit 5: Conflict, Crisis, and Reaction in the Late 18th Century

In 1648, the Peace of Westphalia ended the Thirty Years’ War. Absolutist monarchs looked to centralize power. Challenges to this authority resulted in new political systems. By the 18th-century, Europe was full of new political ideas and tensions. European commerce also expanded and caused conflict as countries competed in a growing trade network! Through colonies in the Americas, European countries profited off cash crops, gold, and silver. Economic rivalry eventually led to global warfare.

Best Deck: AP Euro - Unit 5: Conflict, Crisis, and Reaction in the Late 18th Century (1648-1815) by C. Pierce

Key Terms:

Romanticism - Artistic movement from c. 1790-1840 characterized by Imagination, Emotional Exuberance, and Spontaneity in life and in art!

Grand Empire - The empire over which Napoleon and his allies ruled, encompassing virtually all of Europe except Great Britain and Russia.

Concert of Europe - A series of alliances among European nations in the 19th century, devised by Prince Klemens von Metternich to prevent the outbreak of revolutions.

Unit 6: Industrialization and Its Effects

Before the First Industrial Revolution, the majority of people made their living off of farming land or the putting-out/cottage system. They grew enough for their families and whatever was left would be sold. The Agricultural Revolution changed this by amplifying food production which exponentially increased the population of Europe and their health. However, at the same time, the Napoleonic Wars were raging. These wars threatened the political stability of the time and would transform European governments into conservative powerhouses that despised any sort of change or reform.

Best Deck: AP Euro - Unit 6: Industrialization and Its Effects (1815-1914) by C. Pierce

Key Terms:

Mechanization - The application of machinery to manufacturing and other activities. Among the first processes to be mechanized were the spinning of cotton thread and the weaving of cloth in late-eighteenth- and early-nineteenth-century England.

Cult of Domesticity - Idealized view of women & home; women, self-less caregiver for children, refuge for husbands.

Utopian Socialism - Philosophy introduced by the Frenchman Charles Fourier in the early nineteenth century. Utopian socialists hoped to create humane alternatives to industrial capitalism by building self-sustaining communities whose inhabitants would work cooperatively.

Unit 7: 19th-Century Perspectives and Political Developments

After the Congress of Vienna in 1815, conservative governments of Europe attempted to rid society of liberal, republican ideas to avoid revolutions. Due to the effects of the French Revolution on Europe, through Napoleon’s Continental System, it was believed that liberalism would lead to further threats to the sovereignty of each European nation. Nationalism also became a threat to European empires after Napoleon’s rule in France. Nation-states began to emerge based on common histories, languages, and religions. These states threatened to upset the balance of power that was so delicately organized by the Congress of Vienna.

Best Deck: Unit 7: 19th Century Political Developments by R. Ghosh

Key Terms:

New Imperialism - European powers used military force for complete military takeover of colonies, increasing conflict between the European states. Displayed in the scramble for Africa. Bismarck initially opposed colonialism, but then for it to increase the power of Germany.

Berlin Conference - A conference among European Nations that divided up Africa between the powers.

Revolution of 1905 - Russia lost to Japan (humiliating) leading to political unrest. Bloody Sunday: workers petitioned in St. Petersburg and were brutally killed, causing mass revolts. October Manifesto: granted full civil rights and elected Duma.

Unit 8: 20th-Century Global Conflicts

Alliances divided Europe between the Triple Entente and the Triple Alliance until the Russian Revolution forced them to revoke their involvement in the Triple Entente. After understanding the void left by Russia, the United States joined the war to aid the British and the French forces against Germany. The fresh forces, supplies, and aid of the US military ended WWI only a year later. The Paris Peace Conference severely punished the German government for its role in WWI, created the League of Nations to keep regional conflicts from erupting into global conflicts, and forced Germany into extreme debt.

Best Deck: AP Euro - Unit 8 by Stacy Ray

Key Terms:

Schlieffen Plan - Failed German plan calling for a lightning attack through neutral Belgium and a quick defeat of France before turning on Russia. {WW1}

Russian Revolution - The Russian Revolution was a pair of revolutions in Russia in 1917 which dismantled the Tsarist autocracy and led to the rise of the Soviet Union. The Russian Empire collapsed with the abdication of Emperor Nicholas II and the old regime was replaced by a provisional government during the first revolution of February 1917 led by the Soviets.

Totalitarianism - A radical dictatorship that exercises "total claims" over the beliefs and behavior of its citizens by taking control of the economic, social, intellectual, and cultural aspects of society.

Unit 9: Cold War and Contemporary Europe

After WW1, Europe was decimated due to total warfare and new military technologies. The end of WWII saw multiple superpowers in the world once again suffer tremendously. From England to Germany and France, only two nations came out of the conflict stronger than ever before: the US and Russia. The only problem? The two countries had opposite political ideologies. The desire to become the world’s strongest nation would see them compete with one another for decades. The end of that conflict would cause ripples throughout the world that can be seen in modern times.

Best Deck: AP Euro - Unit 9: Cold War and Contemporary Europe (1914-Present) by C. Pierce

Key Terms:

Decolonization - The postwar reversal of Europe's overseas expansion caused by the rising demand of the colonized peoples themselves, the declining power of European nations, and the freedoms promised by U.S. and Soviet ideals.
Globalization - The emergence of a freer, more technologically connected global economy, accompanied by a worldwide exchange of cultural, political, and religious ideas.
Warsaw Pact (1955) - Soviet-backed military alliance of East Bloc Communist countries in Europe.

✅ All Unit Overviews are Courtesy of our Study Guides at the AP Euro Fiveable Site!

Browse Study Guides By Unit

🎨Unit 1 – Renaissance & Exploration

⛪️Unit 2 – Reformation

👑Unit 3 – Absolutism & Constitutionalism

🤔Unit 4 – Scientific, Philosophical, & Political Developments

🥖Unit 5 – Conflict, Crisis, & Reaction in the Late 18th Century

🚂Unit 6 – Industrialization & Its Effects

✊Unit 7 – 19th Century Perspectives & Political Developments

💣Unit 8 – 20th Century Global Conflicts

🥶Unit 9 – Cold War & Contemporary Europe

🚀Thematic Guides