1. How did the rivalry between European powers intensify during the 17th and 18th centuries?

2. Why did Britain become the dominant European power while France weakened during this period?

1. What conditions in France led to widespread discontent and readiness for revolutionary change?

2. How did the French Revolution's phases of violence and upheaval enable Napoleon Bonaparte to rise to power?

3. Why did European leaders turn against Napoleon despite his initial reforms in France?

1. How did the Age of Exploration and technological progress contribute to Europe's commercial growth?

2. What role did sea trade play in connecting European states to distant regions and peoples?

3. How did commercial competition among European states lead to diplomatic crises and warfare?

1. What were the key characteristics of Enlightenment thought and how did it challenge existing authority?

2. What was Romanticism and how did it represent a reaction against Enlightenment ideals?

3. How did the clash between Enlightenment rationalism and Romantic emotion contribute to conflict in Europe?