Chapter 23

Suez Canal

A canal linking the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea, which also links Europe to Asia and East Africa

Parliamentary democracy

A form of government in which the executive leaders (usually a prime minister and cabinet) are chosen by and responsible to the legislature (parliament), are also members of it

Zionism

A movement devoted to rebuilding a Jewish state in Palestine

Dreyfus affair

A political scandal that caused deep divisions in France between Royalists and liberal and republicans; centered on the 1894 wrongful conviction of Alfred Dreyfus, a Jewish officer in the French army

Manifest Destiny

Amercian idea that the United States should stretch across the entire North Amercian continent

Electorate

Body of people allowed to vote

Repeal

Cancel

Capital offense

Crime punishable by death

Segregation

Forced separation by race, sex, religion, or ethnicity

Benjamin Disraeli

He forged the Tories into the modern Conservative Party. Alternated with Gladstone as prime minister and fought for important reforms. He and the Conservative Party pushed through the Reform Bill of 1867. By giving the vote to many working-class men, the new law almost doubled the size of the electorate

William Gladstone

He led the Whigs who evolved into the Liberal Party. Alternated with Disraeli as prime minister and fought for important reforms. In the 1880s, it was the turn of him and the Liberal Party to extend suffrage. Their reforms gave the vote to farmworkers and most other men

Napoleon III

He was the nephew of Napoleon Bonaparte, who rose to power and set up the Second Empire. His appeal cut across lines of class and ideology. The bourgeoisie saw him as a strong leader who would restore order. His promise to end poverty gave hope to the lower classes. People of all classes were attracted by his name, a reminder of the days when France had towered over Europe. Unlike his famous uncle, however, he would bring France neither glory nor an empire. He ruled almost as a dictator, with the power to appoint his cabinet, the upper house of the legislature, and many officials. In the 1860s, the emperor began to ease controls. He lifted some censorship and gave the legislature more power. On the eve of his disastrous war with Prussia, he even issued a new constitution that extended democratic rights. He promoted investment in industry and large scale ventures such as railroad building and the urban renewal of Paris. He legalized labor unions, extended public education to girls, and created a small public health program. His worst failures were in foreign affairs. In the 1860s, he tried to place Maximillian, an Austrian Hapsburg prince, on the throne of Mexico. Through Maximillian, he hoped to turn Mexico into a French satellite. His successes were almost as costly as his failures. He helped Italian nationalists defeat Austria, and in return, the regions of Nice and Savoy were ceded to France. But this victory soon backfired when a united Italy emerged as a rival on France's border. Following the capture of him, German forces advanced toward Paris and encircled the city. At the news of his capture, republicans in Paris declared an end to the Second Empire

Queen Victoria

Her reign was the longest in British history. Although she exercised little real political power, she set the tone for what is now call the Victorian Age. As queen, she came to embody the values of her age. These ideals included duty, thrift honesty, hard work, and above all respectability. She herself embraced a strict code of morals and manners. As a young woman, she married a German prince, Albert, and raised a large family. Under her, the British middle class—and growing numbers of the working class—felt great confidence in the future. That confidence grew as Britain expanded its already huge empire. She, the empress of India and ruler of some 300 million subjects around the world, became a revered symbol of British might. During her reign, she witnessed growing agitation for social reform. The queen herself commented that the lower classes "earn their bread and riches so deservedly that they cannot and ought not to be kept back." As the Victorian era went on, reformers continued the push toward greater social and economic justice"

Libel

Knowing publication of false and damaging statements

Home rule

Local self government

Absentee landlord

One who owns a large estate but does not live there

Penal colony

Place where people convicted of crimes are sent

Expansionism

Policy of increasing the amount of territory a government holds

Premier

Prime minister

Rotten borough

Rural town in England that sent members to Parliament despite having few or no voters

Provisional

Temporary

Coalition

Temporary alliance of various political parties

Louisiana Purchase

Territory purchased by Thomas Jefferson from France in 1803

Abolition movement

The campaign against slavery and the slave trade

Free trade

Trade between countries without quotas, tariffs, or other restrictions

Secret ballot

Votes cast without announcing them publicly

Secede

Withdraw