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Announcements |
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Unit Overviews |
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Unit 1: Renaissance and Reformation |
Chapters 13, 14, 15
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This is where it all
begins. I'm aware that there are other European History programs that
start their coverage with the Classical Mediterranean civilizations, and
I understand the rationale for that. But I prefer to begin with the
Renaissance after a brief (and I mean very brief) look at some
medieval institutions and structures. Here are some of the big issues
you might want to keep your eye on during the month of September.
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We'll talk a lot
about "humanism" and what it meant for the European Renaissance.
It tends to serve as a catch all phrase, but one of its
underlying precepts is the study of human endeavor. Woven
into this idea is also the concept of rationalism, though
the western mind hasn't quite wrapped its arms around it yet.
More on rationalism much later. |
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The Renaissance
will usher in new (or revived) forms of political leadership and
functions. This is something we look at all year: forms of
"centralized" leadership. The New Monarchs will be our
first such case study. |
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There's a lot to
be noticed about art (obviously) during the Renaissance, but
associated with that are other thematics concerning the role and
position of the artist. You probably have an idea of what an
artist does or who an artist is, and in most ways, those
perceptions are throwbacks to the Renaissance, but entirely new
to that time period. |
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Throughout the
period, there is a slow but steady breakdown and reorganization
in how people perceive authority and respond (or not) to it. The
authorities themselves begin to change; that is to say what we
consider to be real or powerful enough to tell us what we should
do, for whatever reason. This gets carried into the second unit.
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I always try to have
one central idea to every unit, not that these central ideas are
terribly helpful to you. If I had to chose one for the first unit it
would have to do with how this period "creates" the world in which we
live. A world that was much different than that of the middle ages. In
other words, it is much easier for us to recognize (relatively speaking)
the world of 1450 than it would be to recognize the world of 1350.
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UNIT 2: Emerging Nationalism |
Chapters 15, 16, 17 |
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We saw a little of this during the
Renaissance/Reformation period. Certain figures who endeavored
(consciously or not) to create a sense of "nation" in their geographic
areas. Admittedly, these were pretty self serving and mostly involved
freeing themselves from the shackles of some outside authority. Henry
VIII comes to mind.
My colleagues always
accuse me of seeing everything "nationalism" as the driving force for
everything, and maybe they're right. It just seems to be...always there.
But nation-building is an incredibly complex task, it takes time. Rome,
or England, wasn't built in a day.
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Think back to
exploration and the religious problems we witnessed in the last
unit. To what extent were those attempts to identify culture, or
beliefs, or religious leadership with a particular group of people
that shared a language and customs and rituals? Things to be proud
of, things to use to identify one's self in the world. |
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The same sort of
things are happening now in this unit. It can be something simple
like saying "we are Protestant" to other things like building
oversea empires or fighting wars so that you can impose your will on
others. |
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One of the most
important components in this process is a political leadership that
can appear to speak for the people. In this country we have a
President who serves as Chief of State. A symbol for the rest of the
world of what the nation stands for or believes, a diplomat to
communicate those values to other nations, a spokesman (maybe
someday, a spokeswoman) for the rest of us. This is the role the
"absolutist" will serve. What does Louis XIV really mean when he
says "I am the state"? |
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Does absolutism always
work the same way in all areas? Aren't there certain unique cultural
and geographic conditions that might require alterations or
adjustments to the blueprint? And is absolutism our only option?
These are all questions raised by people in the 17th century. But
they are questions raised with this incessant rationalism we
spoke of earlier. There need to be reasons for political
leadership to exist. Looking back, we may not like the reasons, but
at least there are reasons.
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Chapter 16 tends to be
the heart and soul of this unit. The other chapters feel marginal in
contrast. I think that's because of all the "action" of Chapter 16, and
the various constructs of narrative and comparison built into it. We're
definitely in the school year now, aren't we?
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Unit 3: Liberal Revolutions |
Chapters 18, 19, 21 |
As I've said, the second
and fourth quarters move much more slowly than the first and third
quarters. In both cases, this is because these respective marking
periods contain only one unit (as opposed to the two units of the
quarters). From now until the semester exam we will be sticking, for the
most part, in the 18th century, and there will be two core
areas to keep one's eye on: yet another revolution in thought, and how
those new ideas manifest themselves in political revolution.
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This unit is almost
entirely based on the concept of Liberalism. It doesn't quite
mean the same thing now as it did then (which can get some students
in trouble). But for our purposes, and for the purposes of the
Enlightenment, the ideology will be centered around liberty. Now, as
you might imagine, liberty can mean different things to different
people depending on their station in life. This will be an ongoing
tension. |
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The Enlightenment is
also referred to, occasionally, as the "Age of Reason". That's
because it's basic underpinning is the idea of rationalism. The very
first thing we cover in the unit is the role of science
(particularly astronomy) in revolutionizing not only what we know,
but, and this might be even more importantly, revolutionizing how we
know it. The scientists will inspire the Enlightenment thinkers to
use scientific method in unlocking mysteries of the human world. |
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There are a lot of
different things going on in the 18th century. Some very obvious,
some easy to miss. It's a relatively peaceful century, and this may
be providing the opportunity for growth in other areas. This is
probably why it takes four chapters to get through.
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The culmination of all
of this, and in a way a fitting conclusion to the first semester, is
the French Revolution. All the words written by all the
Enlightenment thinkers (including those in the young United States
of America); all the symbolic power of French absolutism and the
Bourbon kings tracing all the way back to Richelieu; all the
economic dislocation and religious tyranny of the Protestant
Reformation; all of the rage built up over centuries in the hearts
and minds of exploited feudal serfs, marginalized businessmen,
dispossessed women, and all the struggling artisans, small scale
merchants come together in this mass movement for change. The
problem is...they don't really agree what changes need to be made.
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Dust off your copies of
A Tale of Two Cities. You're about to go back in.
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Unit 4: The "Dual" Revolution |
Chapters 22, 23 |
This is a pretty
manageable unit. Then again everything in second semester is more
manageable than it's counterpart during the first semester. While we
were busy with the French Revolution and Napoleon, something else was
happening. It was called the Industrial Revolution, and what we didn't
notice was how much of everything it had changed. The big story of the
unit is how those economic changes wrought by industrialization changed
the political landscape.
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The Industrial
Revolution was more than just the machines and the steam power. It
provoked new lifestyles, new family patterns, new work habits
and a alteration in how people saw themselves. To be honest, I find
the new machinery and its technological wonders to be pretty boring.
I'd just assume skip all of it all together, but the social changes
and emerging class conflict interest me.
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Part of the new class
consciousness and conflict is born from (or gives birth to) new
political ideologies; what your textbook will refer to as all the
“isms” You’ve looked at one already, conservativism, and you’ll look
at it again. As life is changing for industrialized Europe, so are
their values, ambitions, and attitudes. Increasingly, one’s
political outlook is determined by the new economic realities of the
industrialized society. |
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The great altercation
of the early 19th century will be the confrontation between
conservative and liberal forces. "Liberal" forces being any other
ideology besides conservativism. Small brush fires throughout
the Dual Revolutionary period will explode in massive bonfires in
1848, and that will be another "watershed" year and will conclude
the unit.
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We'll start this
unit right after the exam and be in it until right after the winter
weekend...so not too long.
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Unit 5; The Age Of Nationalism |
Chapters 25, 26 |
We're doing Chapter 25;
that must mean Spring Break is on the way. It is. And it's coming
quickly, so I won't be doing this unit in quite the same way I usually
do. Good news for you in the fact that it means you won't suffer through
a "unit test," just a Chapter 25 test (odd numbered chapter...). This
may be my favorite unit of the year because of all the inter-connected
developments, and all the "good action" as my friend Mr. Harris would
say. The Age of Nationalism covers the years 1850-1914, and the face of
the west changes considerably during this time period.
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We've hinted around
and toyed with the term "nationalism" before, but this is the true
nature of the beast in all it's fury, all its forceful energy, all
its tensions, and some of its darker visages. Nationalism is
much more than "patriotism" in this context. It is the entire engine
of change that vaults Europe into a position of global dominance.
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Pay attention to
Nationalism in all its manifestations. It's easy to see in the
creation of "new" nations like Germany (finally!) or Italy. But how
does it work in France, England, Russia? Or how does it impact
Austria...Metternich's worst nightmare. You get introduced to some
interesting characters in this unit: Cavour, Garibaldi, Alexander
II, Napoleon III, and the puppet master...Otto von Bismarck.
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Not satisfied with
just controlling their own nations, this period will also mark the
spread (or imposition) of western culture, western economic
ambitions, and western political values over the rest of the world.
Never before have so few ruled so many. And you have to ask yourself
how does this happen, or why? It's important that you recognize the
links between Nationalism and Imperialism; relationship boxes
galore! |
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You may believe that
the west still runs the world, but guess what, it really doesn't. At
least not in the way it once did. That all ends in 1914 when Europe
shoots itself in the foot...literally...and repeatedly. But that's
more a 20th Century issue. |
We'll cover Chapter 25
before Spring Break and then return to Imperialism briefly right before
the marking period ends. Chapter 25 seems to be made up of disconnected
sections, but everything can be tied together. You just have to figure
out how. |
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