Note: This article was released prior to the 2015-2016 revision to the AP® European History exam. In order to see what is still in the Course and Exam Description, explore the course framework here.
What to Know about –Isms for the AP® European History Exam
As part of our AP® European History crash course, let’s compartmentalize and explain many of the important –isms for the AP® European History exam. The –isms that I refer to are basically nominalized versions of the ideals behind certain defining terms of movements in art, history, politics, and religion. These –isms, like Modernism, Capitalism, or Despotism for example, all represent the entire system of thought and the practices inherent in their respective movements.
AP® European History –Isms
The AP® European History –isms of which you must be aware should be broken up into several portions, compartments, for easy recall on test day. This part of our AP® European History crash course will separate the –isms out into these compartments and explain them all briefly.
The –isms that we’ll discuss here fall into one of four compartments: politics and economics, art, religion, and philosophy. To help your AP® Euro review, consider these as four separate lists of –isms you should know.
Continue reading for an overview of the important –isms that you should include in your AP® European History review!
Political and Economic –Isms
The political and economic –isms that we’ll talk about here are probably the most important for you to understand for the AP® European History exam. This is the largest of the compartments, the longest of the lists, and with good reason; many of the free-response sections of the AP® European History exam make at least some mention of a well-known political or economic –ism.
Continue reading for a brief definition of each of these important terms.
Absolutism: a system of government whereby a monarch has, literally, absolute power
Anarchism: a political movement that calls for doing away with government
Capitalism: an economic system in which individuals retain control of capital
Colonialism: the concept of countries colonizing conquered lands in order to control the economic advantages of the area
Communism: a form of government and economic management system that gives absolute power to the Communist Party
Enlightened Despotism: different from Absolutism because it is secular in nature, used to organize the state from top to bottom during the Enlightenment; examples: Frederick the Great and Joseph II of Austria
Fascism: extreme nationalism; an economic system in which citizens work for the benefit of the state
Feudalism: a system of government and land ownership for agriculture in which vassals held and serfs worked land
Imperialism: the desire of a country to take over a foreign land for economic gain
Mercantilism: an economic development that saw countries seek to increase their holdings, as well as turn toward exporting rather than importing goods
Nationalism: the idea that people of the same religion, heritage, or ethnicity should be self-governed in a state that is solely their own
Socialism: a system of government in which the economy is managed solely by the government
Totalitarianism: a system of government whereby the state has absolute power and the individual only lives to serve the state
Artistic –Isms
The art-related AP® European History –isms are fewer in number but still quite important. Just as an example, consider a document-based question wherein a piece of art is included for analysis. It would be beneficial overall to know the movements of the period discussed and how the piece might relate to a cultural, social, or possibly political movement of that same time period.
Cubism: an early-20th century style (practiced by Picasso, namely) that is considered the most influential movement of the 20th century
Impressionism: an art movement based in France that started around 1871; the style is characterized by visible brush strokes, openness, and depiction of light
Naturalism: a movement in literature, which followed realism and depicted human character as a social construct
Post-Modernism: an artistic, architectural, and critical movement that is earmarked by skepticism and deconstruction
Realism: a movement in art and literature following after Romanticism, marked by the desire to depict subject matter as realistically as possible
Romanticism: a movement in music, literature, and visual art that challenged the classics, depicted emotional themes
Religious –Isms
It almost goes without saying that you should definitely try to study the major religious movements in your preparation for the AP® European History exam. Read on for definitions of some of the important religious –isms.
Anti-Semitism: prejudice specifically against the Jewish people
Deism: the belief that God created the Earth but holds no control over it now
Jansenism: the idea of some 17th century French Catholics who also regarded the Calvinist interpretation of Christianity
Pantheism: the idea that God and the universe are one and the same
Zionism: the idea that the Jewish people should occupy Israel
Philosophical –Isms
At least a surface-level understanding of the philosophical –isms could help you prepare for the AP® European History exam. All of the following terms are tied to movements throughout periods of time. Consider these useful terms to know that may inform you of cultural development within a certain period of time.
Cultural Relativism: the belief that all cultures experience the same problems and solve them in their own ways
Humanism: an intellectual and cultural movement based on readings of Greek and Roman literature during the Middle Ages
Individualism: the belief that the state is less important than the individuals who make up the state
Materialism: the thought that the only things that are real are tangible
Nihilism: the belief in nothing except for science, developed in Russia in the 1860s
Positivism: pioneered by Frenchman Auguste Comte, generally characterized by a concern with absolute facts and thorough questioning of beliefs
Radicalism: an English philosophical movement that sought parliamentary reform
Relativism: the idea that there is no absolute truth
Scholasticism: the system of logic whereby faith and reason could be reconciled; popularized by St. Thomas Aquinas
Social Darwinism: the thought that life is a struggle and the fittest will survive
Structuralism: a 1960s French intellectual movement that asserted the idea that the phenomena of life can only be understood through relationships to larger structures, so to speak
AP® European History Exam –Isms—the bottom line
Make sure you include these definitive terms, these AP® Euro –isms, in your AP® European History review.
This crash course on the AP® Euro –isms gives you a very brief overview of a large selection of these terms, which should inspire you to dig a little deeper and develop a definition and some commentary all your own.
By the way, you should check out Albert.io for your AP® European History review. We have hundreds of AP® Euro practice questions written just for you!