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Lesson Plans
The Western Heritage ©2000
by Kagan, Ozment, and Turner
Focus Lesson 17
Chapter 25: "The Birth of Modern European Thought"
AP* Course Description
- Intellectual and Cultural History
- Changes in religious thought and institutions
- Secularization of learning and culture
- Scientific and technological developments and their consequences
- Major trends in literature and the arts
- Intellectual and cultural developments and their relationship to social values and political events
- Developments in social, economic, and political thought
- The diffusion of new intellectual concepts among different social groups
- Changes in elite and popular culture, such as the development of new attitudes toward religion, the family, work, and ritual
- Impact of global expansion on European culture
- Political and Diplomatic History
- The evolution of political elites and the development of political parties and ideologies
- The extension and limitation of rights and liberties (personal, civic, economic, and political); majority and minority; political persecutions
- Forms of political protest, reform, and revolution
- Social and Economic History
- The shift in social structures from hierarchical orders to modern social classes: the changing distribution of wealth and poverty
- Changing definitions and attitudes toward mainstream groups and groups characterized as "the other"
- The origins, development, and consequences of industrialization
- Changes in the demographic structure of Europe, their causes and consequences
- Gender roles and their influence on work, social structure, family structure, and interest group formation
- Development of racial and ethnic group identities
Key Components
- Instructor's Manual: pp. 46–47
- Study Guide and Workbook, Vol. II: pp. 122–131
- Test Item File: pp. 135–140
Key Web Sites
Given the changing nature of the Internet, you may wish to preview these sites. Always check for updated links.
- The C. Warren Irvin, Jr., Collection of Charles Darwin and Darwiniana
- Nineteenth Century Continental Philosophy
- SocioRealm
- Freudian Links
Key Words and Terms
- rationalism
- cosmopolitanism
- positivism
- sociology
- natural selection
- survival of the fittest
- Social Darwinism
- superego
- psychoanalytical movement
- bureaucratization
- Zionism
- Christian Socialist Party
- Catholic modernism
- materialistic determinism
- uncertainty principle
- aesthetic
- modernism
- classical philologist
- academic philosopher
- utilitarianism
- id
- ego
- nonconformist denominations
- May Laws
- Kulturkampf
- First Vatican Council
- encyclical
- Contagious Diseases Acts
- General Austrian Women's Association
- Mothers' Protection League
Suggested Pacing
Chapter 25 should be combined with Chapter 24 (industrialism and socialism) and Chapter 26 (imperialism and World War I) to create a unit on the rapid changes in Europe at the end of the nineteenth century, changes that exploded into World War I. This unit could be completed in four-and-a-half weeks.
Test Strategy
In developing the body of their essays, students should keep in mind that the number, order, and nature of the paragraphs should be dictated by the organizational list in the introductory paragraph. The main idea of each paragraph must support the thesis, and all the specific details must in turn support the main idea. All these supporting details should be facts and examples that are pertinent to the main idea of the paragraph and to the overall thesis.
Key Concepts
- Broad scope of modern thought
In reaction and in response to the Enlightenment and later to Romanticism, new methods of thinking about humans and the universe were examined. From natural science to psychoanalysis, thinkers attempted to look at the world from new perspectives. Some people investigated the origin of humans, why people act as they do, and how societies function. Others studied politics, race theory, and feminism. In response to much of this new thought, the Roman Catholic Church took a strong anti-Modernist stance and defended most traditional institutions and beliefs. - Anti-Semitism and anti-feminism
Along with the new views of the world, some old stereotypes found vocal adherents. Anti-Semitism grew out of nineteenth century nationalist feelings. Anti-feminism evolved out of the recent developments in the study of biology. Both views engendered strong responses.
Summing Up Student Understanding
In analyzing the literature of the end of the nineteenth century, it is evident that many serious writers looked at the dark side of life in their probing stories. To help students understand what the writers were attempting to do, have each pick a writer from the chapter. Ask each student to write a letter to the author they choose. In the letter, the student should ask the writer questions concerning their work and the influences on that work. Then, students should exchange letters and do research to answer the letter they receive.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
You might also find these additional readings useful to develop students' background knowledge or for DBQ activities:
- Sources of the West, Vol. II, edited by Kishlausky—Part V, "Emancipating the Mind"