AP Euro 19th-Century Political Perspectives

Question 1

At the Congress of Vienna (1814–1815), the principle of "legitimacy" championed by Talleyrand and Metternich was chiefly used to justify which outcome?

Accepted Answer

Restoring hereditary ruling dynasties displaced by the French Revolution and Napoleon

Answer

Legitimacy meant returning the rightful hereditary monarchs, such as the Bourbons in France, to their thrones. This was meant to restore stability after two decades of upheaval.

Question 2

The Carlsbad Decrees of 1819, issued under the influence of Klemens von Metternich, were primarily intended to do which of the following?

Accepted Answer

Suppress liberal and nationalist agitation by censoring the press and monitoring universities

Answer

The decrees, adopted in the German Confederation, imposed press censorship and supervision of universities and banned radical student societies (Burschenschaften). They were a conservative response to liberal and nationalist activism.

Question 3

Which of the following best describes the Zollverein, established under Prussian leadership beginning in 1834?

Accepted Answer

A customs union that removed internal tariffs among German states and increased Prussian economic influence

Answer

The Zollverein eliminated tariff barriers among participating German states, promoting trade and economic integration. Because it excluded Austria, it enhanced Prussia's leadership in Germany.

Question 4

The Frankfurt Parliament of 1848–1849 failed to unify Germany in part because

Accepted Answer

Frederick William IV of Prussia refused the imperial crown offered by an assembly of elected representatives

Answer

Frederick William IV rejected the crown offered in 1849, saying he would not accept a crown from the people rather than from the princes. Without Prussian support, the assembly collapsed.

Question 5

Which statement best characterizes Camillo di Cavour's approach to Italian unification?

Accepted Answer

He used diplomacy and alliances, including cooperation with Napoleon III, to expand Piedmont-Sardinia's power in Italy

Answer

Cavour, prime minister of Piedmont-Sardinia, pursued pragmatic diplomacy and secured French help against Austria, leading to Piedmont's gains in 1859–1860. This contrasted with the revolutionary republicanism of Mazzini.

AP Euro Practice Test

AP Euro Practice Test

AP Euro 19th-Century Political Perspectives