Skip to content
Contemplanda
Back to the AP European History course page

Contemplanda

Contemplanda course syllabus

AP® European History

A Contemplanda online course.

This course follows the College Board's published AP European History framework.

AP® European History is a course in the history of Europe from about 1450 to the present. The College Board's framework asks students to investigate the significant events, individuals, developments, and processes of that period and to use the methods of historians: analyzing primary and secondary sources, developing historical arguments, making historical connections, and reasoning about comparison, causation, and continuity and change over time.

The College Board describes AP European History as the equivalent of an introductory college or university survey of modern European history.

The College Board's AP European History framework has nine units in a logical sequence often found in college courses and textbooks, and the AP Exam assesses all nine. The framework describes what colleges and universities expect students to know and be able to do to qualify for college credit or placement.

This course teaches all nine College Board units, with a lesson for every topic.

Course at a glance

Course title
AP European History
Publisher
Contemplanda
Framework
Follows the College Board's published AP European History framework
Structure
14 units over two semesters
Lessons
126 lessons
Credit
Not awarded by Contemplanda
Enrollment
Purchasing is not open yet
Course page
www.contemplanda.com/courses/ap-european-history

Credit and enrollment

Contemplanda does not award high school credit. A student who wants credit for the course should ask their own school whether it will accept it.

Under College Board rules, a course may carry the AP designation on a student's transcript only if it is authorized through the College Board's AP Course Audit.

Purchasing is not open yet. Questions about enrolling can go to info@contemplanda.com.

Students who are already enrolled sign in at direct.contemplanda.com.

How the course works

  • Each topic lesson combines written explanations, practice, and graded checks.
  • Practice comes one question at a time and continues until the student answers four in a row correctly. After a wrong answer, the practice keeps drawing questions.
  • Many questions have hints that open one step at a time. After a wrong answer, the next hint is offered when the question has one. Opening a hint costs nothing and never lowers a mastery level, but the top level, mastered, also requires at least one graded question answered correctly without opening a hint.
  • Answers take many forms: items sorted into categories; items matched in pairs; events and developments put in order; paragraphs built from given sentences; sentences and paragraphs completed from given choices; along with multiple-choice answers.
  • Every topic lesson has a graded check whose questions are drawn for each student from a pool.
  • Every figure has a written text description.

Recommended preparation

The College Board sets no prerequisites for AP European History. It expects students to be able to read a college-level textbook and to write grammatically correct, complete sentences.

Units and lessons

Every published lesson, by semester and unit.

Topic numbers are the College Board's: topic 2.3 is unit 2, topic 3.

Semester 1

College Board unit 1: Renaissance and Exploration

Assessed on the AP Exam

Europe from c. 1450 to c. 1648: the revival of classical learning in the Italian Renaissance and the spread of Renaissance ideas to northern Europe; the printing press; the new monarchies; the technology and motives of European exploration; colonial expansion and the Columbian Exchange; the slave trade; and the commercial and agricultural developments of the period.

1
Renaissance and exploration
Topics 1.1 to 1.11
  1. 11.1 Contextualizing Renaissance and discovery
  2. 21.2 Italian Renaissance
  3. 31.3 Northern Renaissance
  4. 41.4 Printing
  5. 51.5 New monarchies
  6. 61.6 Technological advances and the age of exploration
  7. 71.7 Rivals on the world stage
  8. 81.8 Colonial expansion and Columbian Exchange
  9. 91.9 The slave trade
  10. 101.10 The commercial revolution
  11. 111.11 Causation in the Renaissance and age of discovery
  12. 12Unit 1 writing workshop
  13. 13Unit 1 testUnit test24 questions

College Board unit 2: Age of Reformation

Assessed on the AP Exam

Europe from c. 1450 to c. 1648: changes in religious belief and practice in the Protestant Reformation and the Catholic Reformation; the ways religion and politics shaped each other in the wars of religion; the changing role of the Catholic Church; 16th-century society and politics; and Mannerist and Baroque art.

2
Age of Reformation
Topics 2.1 to 2.8
  1. 12.1 Contextualizing 16th- and 17th-century challenges and developments
  2. 22.2 Luther and the Protestant Reformation
  3. 32.3 Protestant reform continues
  4. 42.4 Wars of religion
  5. 52.5 The Catholic Reformation
  6. 62.6 16th-century society and politics
  7. 72.7 Art of the 16th century: Mannerism and Baroque art
  8. 82.8 Causation in the age of Reformation and the wars of religion
  9. 9Unit 2 writing workshop
  10. 10Unit 2 testUnit test24 questions

College Board unit 3: Absolutism and Constitutionalism

Assessed on the AP Exam

Europe from c. 1648 to c. 1815: the English Civil War and the Glorious Revolution; continuity and change in commerce and the economy; mercantilism; the Dutch Golden Age; the efforts of European states to establish and keep a balance of power; absolutist forms of rule; and a comparison of the different forms of political power that developed in the period.

3
Absolutism and constitutionalism
Topics 3.1 to 3.8
  1. 13.1 Contextualizing state building
  2. 23.2 The English Civil War and the Glorious Revolution
  3. 33.3 Continuities and changes to economic practice and development
  4. 43.4 Economic development and mercantilism
  5. 53.5 The Dutch Golden Age
  6. 63.6 Balance of power
  7. 73.7 Absolutist approaches to power
  8. 83.8 Comparison in the age of absolutism and constitutionalism
  9. 9Unit 3 writing workshop
  10. 10Unit 3 testUnit test24 questions

College Board unit 4: Scientific, Philosophical, and Political Developments

Assessed on the AP Exam

Europe from c. 1648 to c. 1815: the Scientific Revolution and the Enlightenment and how they changed the understanding of the natural world; demographic change in the 18th century; 18th-century culture and the arts; and the influence of Enlightenment ideas on different forms of political power.

4
Scientific, philosophical, and political developments
Topics 4.1 to 4.7
  1. 14.1 Contextualizing the Scientific Revolution and the Enlightenment
  2. 24.2 The Scientific Revolution
  3. 34.3 The Enlightenment
  4. 44.4 18th-century society and demographics
  5. 54.5 18th-century culture and arts
  6. 64.6 Enlightened and other approaches to power
  7. 74.7 Causation in the age of the Scientific Revolution and the Enlightenment
  8. 8Unit 4 writing workshop
  9. 9Unit 4 testUnit test25 questions

College Board unit 5: Conflict, Crisis, and Reaction in the Late 18th Century

Assessed on the AP Exam

Europe from c. 1648 to c. 1815: maritime competition and the rise of global markets; the rivalry between Britain and France; the causes, events, and effects of the French Revolution; Napoleon's rule and the responses to it; the Congress of Vienna; and Romanticism and religious revival as challenges to Enlightenment thought.

5
Conflict, crisis, and reaction in the late 18th century
Topics 5.1 to 5.9
  1. 15.1 Contextualizing 18th-century states
  2. 25.2 The rise of global markets
  3. 35.3 Britain's ascendency
  4. 45.4 The French Revolution
  5. 55.5 The French Revolution's effects
  6. 65.6 Napoleon's rise, dominance, and defeat
  7. 75.7 The Congress of Vienna
  8. 85.8 Romanticism
  9. 95.9 Continuity and change in 18th-century states
  10. 10Unit 5 writing workshop
  11. 11Unit 5 testUnit test25 questions
Exam

Semester 1 final

  1. Semester 1 final69 questions

Semester 2

College Board unit 6: Industrialization and Its Effects

Assessed on the AP Exam

Europe from c. 1815 to c. 1914: the origins and spread of industrialization; the second wave of industrialization and its technologies; the social effects of industrialization; the Concert of Europe and conservatism; revolutions and reactions against the existing order; new ideologies and movements for reform; and the responses of governments and other institutions.

6
Industrialization and its effects
Topics 6.1 to 6.10
  1. 16.1 Contextualizing industrialization and its origins and effects
  2. 26.2 The spread of industry throughout Europe
  3. 36.3 Second wave industrialization and its effects
  4. 46.4 Social effects of industrialization
  5. 56.5 The Concert of Europe and European conservatism
  6. 66.6 Reactions and revolutions
  7. 76.7 Ideologies of change and reform movements
  8. 86.8 19th-century social reform
  9. 96.9 Institutional responses and reform
  10. 106.10 Causation in the age of industrialization
  11. 11Unit 6 writing workshop
  12. 12Unit 6 testUnit test25 questions

College Board unit 7: 19th-Century Perspectives and Political Developments

Assessed on the AP Exam

Europe from c. 1815 to c. 1914: nationalism, the unification of Italy and Germany, and the diplomatic tensions among the European powers; Darwinism and Social Darwinism; science and modernity in the age of progress; the motives, methods, and global effects of the New Imperialism; and 19th-century culture and the arts.

7
19th-century perspectives and political developments
Topics 7.1 to 7.9
  1. 17.1 Contextualizing 19th-century perspectives and political developments
  2. 27.2 Nationalism
  3. 37.3 National unification and diplomatic tensions
  4. 47.4 Darwinism, social Darwinism
  5. 57.5 The age of progress and modernity
  6. 67.6 New imperialism: motivations and methods
  7. 77.7 Imperialism's global effects
  8. 87.8 19th-century culture and arts
  9. 97.9 Causation in 19th-century perspectives and political developments
  10. 10Unit 7 writing workshop
  11. 11Unit 7 testUnit test25 questions

College Board unit 8: 20th-Century Global Conflicts

Assessed on the AP Exam

Europe from c. 1914 to the present: the causes, conduct, and effects of World War I; the Russian Revolution and its effects; the Versailles settlement; the global economic crisis; fascism and totalitarianism; Europe between the wars; World War II and the Holocaust; and 20th-century cultural, intellectual, and artistic developments.

8
20th-century global conflicts
Topics 8.1 to 8.11
  1. 18.1 Contextualizing 20th-century global conflicts
  2. 28.2 World War I
  3. 38.3 The Russian Revolution and its effects
  4. 48.4 Versailles conference and peace settlement
  5. 58.5 Global economic crisis
  6. 68.6 Fascism and totalitarianism
  7. 78.7 Europe during the interwar period
  8. 88.8 World War II
  9. 98.9 The Holocaust
  10. 108.10 20th-century cultural, intellectual, and artistic developments
  11. 118.11 Continuity and changes in an age of global conflict
  12. 12Unit 8 writing workshop
  13. 13Unit 8 testUnit test25 questions

College Board unit 9: Cold War and Contemporary Europe

Assessed on the AP Exam

Europe from c. 1914 to the present: rebuilding Europe after World War II; the Cold War and the emergence of two superpowers; postwar nationalism, ethnic conflict, and atrocities; contemporary Western democracies and the fall of communism; 20th-century feminism; decolonization; the European Union; migration and immigration; technology and globalization; and culture, the arts, and demographic trends in the 20th and 21st centuries.

9
Cold War and contemporary Europe
Topics 9.1 to 9.15
  1. 19.1 Contextualizing Cold War and contemporary Europe
  2. 29.2 Rebuilding Europe
  3. 39.3 The Cold War
  4. 49.4 Two super powers emerge
  5. 59.5 Postwar nationalism, ethnic conflict, and atrocities
  6. 69.6 Contemporary Western democracies
  7. 79.7 The fall of communism
  8. 89.8 20th-century feminism
  9. 99.9 Decolonization
  10. 109.10 The European Union
  11. 119.11 Migration and immigration
  12. 129.12 Technology
  13. 139.13 Globalization
  14. 149.14 20th- and 21st-century culture, arts, and demographic trends
  15. 159.15 Continuity and change in the 20th and 21st centuries
  16. 16Unit 9 writing workshop
  17. 17Unit 9 testUnit test25 questions
Exam

AP practice exam 1

  1. Practice exam 1, part 1: multiple choice
  2. Practice exam 1, part 2: short-answer questions
  3. Practice exam 1, part 3: document-based question
  4. Practice exam 1, part 4: long essay question
  5. Practice exam 1, part 5: scoring and corrections10 questions
Review

AP exam review

  1. Exam review 1: text-stimulus MCQ strategy
  2. Exam review 2: visual, quantitative and map stimulus MCQ
  3. Exam review 3: secondary-source and paired-source MCQ
  4. Exam review 4: SAQ clinic
  5. Exam review 5: DBQ full run
  6. Exam review 6: LEQ full run
  7. Free-response practice set: three short answers and two essays
  8. Exam review 7: chronology and themes
Exam

AP practice exam 2

  1. Practice exam 2, part 1: multiple choice
  2. Practice exam 2, part 2: short-answer questions
  3. Practice exam 2, part 3: document-based question
  4. Practice exam 2, part 4: long essay question
  5. Practice exam 2, part 5: scoring and corrections10 questions
Exam

Semester 2 final

  1. Semester 2 final69 questions

Historical thinking skills and reasoning processes

The College Board names six historical thinking skills for AP European History, which it expects students to develop throughout the course and which form the basis of the tasks on the AP Exam.

1Developments and Processes

Identifying and explaining historical developments and processes.

1.A
Identify a historical concept, development, or process.
1.B
Explain a historical concept, development, or process.

2Sourcing and Situation

Analyzing the sourcing and situation of primary and secondary sources.

2.A
Identify a source's point of view, purpose, historical situation, and/or audience.
2.B
Explain the point of view, purpose, historical situation, and/or audience of a source.
2.C
Explain the significance of a source's point of view, purpose, historical situation, and/or audience, including how these might limit the use(s) of a source.

3Claims and Evidence in Sources

Analyzing the arguments in primary and secondary sources.

3.A
Identify and describe a claim and/or argument in a text-based or non-text-based source.
3.B
Identify the evidence used in a source to support an argument.
3.C
Compare the arguments or main ideas of two sources.
3.D
Explain how claims or evidence support, modify, or refute a source's argument.

4Contextualization

Analyzing the context of historical events, developments, or processes.

4.A
Identify and describe a historical context for a specific historical development or process.
4.B
Explain how a specific historical development or process is situated within a broader historical context.

5Making Connections

Using the reasoning processes of comparison, causation, and continuity and change to analyze patterns and connections between and among historical developments and processes.

5.A
Identify patterns among or connections between historical developments and processes.
5.B
Explain how a historical development or process relates to another historical development or process.

6Argumentation

Developing an argument.

6.A
Make a historically defensible claim.
6.B
Support an argument using specific and relevant evidence.
6.C
Use historical reasoning to explain relationships among pieces of historical evidence.
6.D
Corroborate, qualify, or modify an argument using diverse and alternative evidence in order to develop a complex argument.

The College Board also names three reasoning processes, the ways of thinking that students apply when they use the historical thinking skills on the AP Exam.

1Comparison

1.i
Describe similarities and/or differences between different historical developments or processes.
1.ii
Explain relevant similarities and/or differences between specific historical developments and processes.
1.iii
Explain the relative historical significance of similarities and/or differences between different historical developments or processes.

2Causation

2.i
Describe causes and/or effects of a specific historical development or process.
2.ii
Explain the relationship between causes and effects of a specific historical development or process.
2.iii
Explain the difference between primary and secondary causes and between short- and long-term effects.
2.iv
Explain how a relevant context influenced a specific historical development or process.
2.v
Explain the relative historical significance of different causes and/or effects.

3Continuity and Change

3.i
Describe patterns of continuity and/or change over time.
3.ii
Explain patterns of continuity and/or change over time.
3.iii
Explain the relative historical significance of specific historical developments in relation to a larger pattern of continuity and/or change.

Seven themes run through the College Board's framework and connect developments across the units: interaction of Europe and the world, economic and commercial developments, cultural and intellectual developments, states and other institutions of power, social organization and development, national and European identity, and technological and scientific innovation.

Assessment

Each topic lesson includes graded checks.

Each of the nine content units closes with a unit test.

Unit tests and semester exams are graded automatically, and all graded work counts toward the student's mastery record, which shows each skill as attempted, familiar, proficient, or mastered.

Contemplanda publishes no grade weighting for this course. A school that decides to grant credit for it also decides how the work counts toward a grade.

Academic integrity

Work in the course must be the student's own.

Answer keys for graded questions are never sent to the student's device.

The AP Exam

The AP European History Exam assesses all nine units. It lasts 3 hours and 15 minutes and has two sections.

Section I, Part A: Multiple-choice questions

Questions
55
Time
55 minutes
Share of score
40%

Section I, Part B: Short-answer questions

Questions
3
Time
40 minutes
Share of score
20%

Section II, Question 1: Document-based question

Questions
1
Time
60 minutes
Share of score
25%

Section II, Question 2: Long essay question

Questions
1
Time
40 minutes
Share of score
15%

Students answer all three short-answer questions: the first includes a secondary text source, the second a primary text source, and the third a primary or secondary non-text source. The three questions cover historical developments and processes between 1450 and 2001, each focused on a different historical period. The document-based question presents seven documents, and its 60 minutes include a 15-minute reading period. The long essay question covers about half of the chronological scope of the course.

The exam is fully digital: students answer the multiple-choice and the free-response questions in the College Board's digital testing app.

Scores are reported on a scale of 1 to 5.

This is the exam format in effect from the May 2027 exam, as set out in the College Board's clarifications and corrections to the course and exam description for fall 2026.

The AP Exam is given in schools in May.

A student who takes the AP Exam at a school other than the one where they take the course, or who takes the exam without taking the course, gets a join code from the AP coordinator at the school where they will test and joins an exam-only section there.

Materials and technology

Where the course runs
In a web browser, through Contemplanda Direct
Textbook
None required. The course's own lessons are the text.
Course framework
apcentral.collegeboard.org/courses/ap-european-history

Published at www.contemplanda.com/courses/ap-european-history/syllabus

Units, lessons, and counts in this syllabus are generated from the published course.

Questions: info@contemplanda.com

© 2013–2026 Contemplanda LLC. All rights reserved.

AP® is a trademark registered by the College Board, which is not affiliated with, and does not endorse, this site.