HIS 102 Mid Term (Ch. 15-18)

The most influential aspect of René Descartes' theories of nature was that

the universe functioned in a mechanistic fashion

In the seventeenth century, why did rulers hesitate to crush rebellions?

Armies were expensives and the rulers didnt want to make the rebels into martyrs

In music, the baroque style reached its culmination in the work of

Bach

What was Descartes' s view that all of reality could ultimately be reduced to mind and matter?

Cartesian dualism

The Baroque style flourished in the context of the

Catholic Reformation

What was the greatest achievement of eighteenth-century medical science?

Conquest of smallpox

How did the idea of "race" transform Europeans' idea of their superiority over other peoples?

European superiority was increasingly defined as biologically superior as well as culturally superior.

How did Cardinal Richelieu increase the power of the centralized French state?

He extended the use of intendants, commissioners for each of France's thirty-two districts

How did the problem of food shortages change in the eighteenth century?

Increased road and canal building permitted food to be more easily transported to regions with local crop failure and famine.

What was Newton's law that all objects are attracted to one another and that the force of attraction is proportional to the objects' quantity of matter?

Law of Universal Gravitation

In the 18th century, the West's largest and richest city was

London

How did famines affect the European population in the seventeenth century?

Malnutrition made people susceptible to deadly diseases, which reduced the population significantly.

Which of the following characterizes the condition of peasants in Western Europe in the eighteenth century?

They were technically free but suffered under a system of debt obligation to feudal lords that prevented them from owning their own land.

In addition to supervising labor and birth, what was a typical task of the midwife?

Treating female medical difficulties

The British victory in the Seven Years' War was ratified by the

Treaty of Paris

Copernicus's theory of the universe

postulated a sun-centered view of the universe

The spinning of thread for the loom

required the work of several spinners for each loom, which led merchants to employ the wives and daughters of agricultural workers at terribly low wages.

Soft pastels, ornate interiors, and sentimental portraits are all characteristics of the style known as

rococo

Rousseau's concept of the general will asserts that

the general will is not necessarily the will of the majority

In the eighteenth century, what was the focal point of community cohesion?

the parish church

The concept of the reading revolution refers to

the shift from reading out loud texts perceived as authoritative to reading many different texts rapidly, silently, and individually

Which of the following characterizes the regions to which slaves were carried from Africa to the Americas?

About 90 percent of slaves were transported to Brazil or the Caribbean, with only 3 percent brought to North America.

Catherine the Great of Russia enjoyed the international support of

French philosophes

What was the outcome of the heightened central control established by absolutist and constitutional governments?

Growth in armed forces

In general, what was Voltaire's attitude toward government?

He believed that a good monarch was the best one could hope for in government.

Why did Pietism, which began in Germany in the late seventeenth century, appeal to people?

It emphasized a warm and emotional religion.

In the eighteenth century, what did the strength of popular religion in Catholic countries reflect?

Its importance in community life

France's strong economy was created by the mercantilist policies of

Jean-Baptiste Colbert

How did the Peace of Westphalia mark a turning point in European history?

Large-scale armed conflicts over religious faith came to an end.

What was one of the social consequences of Peter the Great's bureaucratic system?

People of non-noble origin were able to rise to high positions

Which of the following characterizes education for children outside the home in the early modern era?

Schools for the children of common people taught basic literacy, religion, and some arithmetic for boys and needlework for girls.

What helped to justify the growth of slavery in the eighteenth century?

The emergence of scientific racism

Which of the following describes the enclosure movement of the eighteenth century?

The land was divided into plots bounded by fences to farm more effectively.

Why did abolition campaigns against slavery become more prominent in the late eighteenth century?

The plight of enslaved people became more well known throughout Europe.

Merchant capitalists complained bitterly about

Their inability to directly supervise and direct the work of rural laborers

Why did sugar and tea become commonly consumed products by all social classes in the eighteenth century?

There was a steady drop in prices owing to the expanded use of colonial slave labor.

What place did prostitutes generally hold among the common people in towns?

They were accepted members of the community of the laboring poor.

Why did Protestant countries take the lead in expanding education to all children?

They were inspired by the Protestant idea that every believer should be able to read the Bible.

The primary cause of the English Glorious Revolution was

a fear of the establishment of Catholic absolutism by James II

Europeans believed grain and bread should be available at

a just price—one that was fair to both consumers and producers.

The English political philosopher John Locke held that

a tyrannical government can be overthrown by the people

The proletarianization of peasants in the eighteenth century forced them to

become landless rural wage earners

People of Spanish ancestry born in the Americas were referred to as

creoles

During a young man's period of apprenticeship, he would

earn little money and work hard

Mercantilist theory postulated that

economic activity should be regulated by and for the state

In the eighteenth century, European public health measures

improved water supply and sewage systems

Oliver Cromwell's Protectorate was ultimately a

military dictatorship

Eighteenth-century blood sports such as bullbaiting and cockfighting were

popular with the European masses.

What was the primary goal of Galileo Galilei's experimental method?

to discover what actually occurred in nature rather than to speculate on what should occur

In the 18th century, the diet of the poorer classes consisted largely of bread and

vegetables