w. 50

Papers:

Barring any unforeseen problem, your papers will be returned during Tuesday’s lesson.

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Material that we have been covering in recent weeks is also covered in your book. I’ve noted below where in the book you can find information that I’ve discussed. Just browsing through these pages (where there are images and maps) can have a beneficial effect.

 I will also upload some files on Vklass that include slides I showed during class.

The spread of Greek culture by Alexander the Great – Chpt. 5, section 5, pp. 146–149.

I noted that Greek culture (science, technology, language, philosophy, art . . .) was spread to western Asia and northern Africa via Alexander’s armies.

The spread of the Roman Empire – Chpt. 6, section 2, pp. 162–163

The spread of Roman rule throughout western Europe provided a central political authority in Europe.

The fall of the Western Roman Empire - Chpt. 6, section 2, pp. 175–176

Split between Western and Eastern Roman Empires – Chpt. 11, section 1, p. 304–305

I didn’t talk about this that much, but here you’ll find a little info about when the split happened and about the differences between Roman Catholicism and Eastern Orthodox.

Effects of the fall of the Western Roman Empire – Chpt. 13, section 1, p. 353

Feudalism – Chpt. 13, section 2, p. 360-361

I didn’t talk about feudalism, but it is the basis of European politics in the Middle Ages

The expansion and organization of the Catholic Church – Chpt. 13, section 4, pp. 370–371

I noted that Christianity spread throughout Europe during the first half of the Middle Ages. So even though Europe was no longer unified politically, and people all over Europe spoke different languages, there was a unity of a sort via the religion they practiced. And this was all the more the case because the Catholic Church became a very structured organization. (Recall the pyramidal organization I presented.)

The Crusades – Chpt. 14, section 1, pp. 382–383

The book talks about why the Crusades occurred and some of the reasons people joined these military campaigns to take back the Holy Land from Muslims. My focus was on the effects of the Crusades, which is discussed in the next point (Renaissance).

The Renaissance – Chpt. 17, section 1, pp. 471, 472

The increase in trade and the introduction of new ideas re-introduced to Europe as a result of the Crusades is the basis for economic growth, a shift in values, and new intellectual pursuits in the 15^th and 16^th centuries. See p. 485 for “The Legacy of the Renaissance.”

Protestant Reformation – Chpt. 17, section 3, pp.488–489, 491

A new form of Christianity is introduced into Europe via the Protestant Reformation. Other churches also developed besides Lutheranism. For our discussion of Swedish history, we will focus on Lutheranism. And our focus will be on the ability of GV to take over the CC’s wealth (econ.), that the Swedish king became the head of the church in Sweden (pol.), and that Lutheranism put a focus on each person reading the Bible as a part of their spiritual development (social/educ.).

Scientific Revolution – Chpt. 22, section 1, pp. 623–628

The Sci. Rev. is of key importance because of the way in which Europeans start to look for answers to questions. Rather than depending only on the guidance of religious leaders and even texts from antiquity, people start using observation, experimentation, the collection of data, the use of instruments to make various measurements to get evidence in order to test ideas and find answers. This is important not only for advances in science and technology (for there can be no Industrial Revolution without science and technology), but it also provides a logical approach that will be used to answer other questions not related to the physical world (e.g., politics, human rights, behavior . . . ).

The Enlightenment – Chpt. 22, section 2, pp. 629–634. Also, see file on Vklass

There are many key ideas that are very important to understand:

-the idea of natural rights – p.630

-separation of powers (or the branches of power/government) – p. 631

-questioning the divine right of kings – p. 633

-effects of the Enlightenment (secularism, importance of the individual) – p. 634