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Women as Political Leaders in Modern European History: Online Research
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by Jack Stovel
Castilleja School
Palo Alto, California
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Internet Sources
The Internet has changed everything, or so they say. It has put teachers in touch with vast resources and has done the same for students. In both cases, the results have not been totally happy. Some of the resources are of questionable quality. Students can cut and paste segments from Web sites into research papers or download papers in toto. Teachers can find Web sites devoted to some historical events and figures, but -- according to some cosmic law -- not the ones they need at the moment! Teachers can craft insightful and challenging lesson plans based on an array of Web sites, only to discover that the Web sites have been modified or moved or have disappeared altogether. So what is new, anyway? Not much, really. Books have always varied in quality, some students have plagiarized, and volumes have often disappeared from libraries.
Nevertheless, the Internet is a fabulous resource. Once the initial investment in technology and connectivity has been made, it is free to use. Certain sites charge a fee; some have institutional fee arrangements. The question is how to use the Internet effectively for teaching. One use is for teachers to go beyond the textbook to find out more about a given figure or event. A second use is for students to do the same, either for their own information or as part of an assignment. A third is for students to use a Web site as one among several sources for a project, perhaps one that emphasizes documents including illustrations. The result might be a traditional paper, participation in a seminar, or a presentation to a large group. Since material on the Internet can be downloaded easily, students often prefer the Internet to books, where the process of transferring information from printed page to printed page appears onerous. In both cases, teachers hope that the information passes through a mind and is mulled over before it comes to rest on a printed page. Sometimes it does, and sometimes it doesn't.
Women Political Leaders
There have been few female political leaders since 1450, the period of European history covered by a typical AP course, with most women shut out of leadership roles by discrimination and gender stereotyping. Early feminist historians studied such leaders in part to prove that women have had leadership roles in historical events. Feminist historians then looked at areas where women were active (e.g., literature, social reform) or where women actually lived (e.g., families, labor force, communities). Women's history thus eschewed traditional political history in favor of areas where women could be more active. Now the range of such research on the Internet makes it easier for students to make comparisons and generalizations about women political leaders. Students can ask:
How did those women who attained power do it?
What differences, if any, were there in how males attained power at that time?
How did women exercise power?
What differences were there between how men and women exercised power?
Was gender an asset or a liability in the exercise of power?
What differences were there between policies pursued by men and by women?
The AP European History Development Committee has included free-response questions (FRQs) about female political leaders on the AP Exam many times. In the 1994 exam (released by the College Board), one question asked:
Between 1450 and 1800, many women gained power as rulers, some as reigning queens, others as regents. Identify two such powerful women and discuss how issues of gender, such as marriage and reproduction, influenced their ability to obtain and exercise power.
In 1999 (also a Released Exam), a question asked:
Machiavelli suggested that a ruler should behave both "like a lion" and "like a fox." Analyze the policies of TWO of the following European rulers, indicating the degree to which they successfully followed Machiavelli's suggestion.
Choose two:
Elizabeth I of England
Henry IV of France
Catherine the Great of Russia
Frederick II of Prussia
In 2002:
Compare and contrast the religious policies of TWO of the following:
Elizabeth I of England
Catherine de Medici of France
Isabella I of Spain
These questions are in addition to FRQs on women's history or social history questions that involve women. Experienced watchers of the AP European History Exam will note that women political leaders appear in FRQs almost as often as the Renaissance, Reformation, or French Revolution. Multiple-choice questions may also require knowledge of female political leaders. Thus, here is a survey of online sources about such political leaders and a discussion of how to use these sources in effective AP European History teaching.
 Elizabeth I, Queen of England
Queen Isabella I of Castile (Spain)
Catherine de Medici
Catherine the Great of Russia
Maria Theresa, Holy Roman Empress
Marie Antoinette, Queen of France
Victoria, Queen of England
Going Farther Afield
Jack Stovel taught at Mt. Greylock Regional High School in Williamstown, Massachusetts, for more than 30 years, and he currently teaches at the Castilleja School in Palo Alto, California. He has been a Reader of AP Exams for many years, has served on the AP European History Development Committee, and has conducted AP workshops for the College Board all across the country. He is the author of the 1999 edition of the AP® European History Teacher's Guide, published by the College Board.
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