world history vocab topic 12

Prussia

area of eastern and central Europe which came under Polish and German rule in the Middle Ages and from 1701 was ruled by the German Hohenzollern dynasty

Napoleonic Wars

a series of wars from 1804 to 1805 that pitted Napoleon's French empire against the major powers of Europe

Nationalism

a strong feeling of pride and devotion to one's country

Enlightened Despot

absolute ruler who used his or her power to bring about political and social change

Annex

add a territory to an existing state or country

Westernization

adoption of western ideas, technology, and culture

Social Contract

an agreement by which people gave up their freedom to a powerful government in order to avoid chaos

Legitimacy

principle by which monarchies that had been unseated by the French Revolution or Napoleon were restored

Depopulation

reduction in the number of people in an area

Censorship

restriction on access to ideas and information

Suffrage

right to vote

Natural Rights

rights that belongs to all humans from birth, such as life, liberty, and property

Versailles

royal French residence and seat of government established by King Louis XIV

English Bill of Rights

series of acts passed in 1689 by the English Parliament that limited the rights of the monarchy and ensured the superiority of Parliament

Peace of Westphalia

series of treaties that ended the Thirty Years' War

War of the Australian Succesion

series of wars in which various European nations competed for power in Central Europe after the death of Hapsburg emperor Charles VI

Deficit Spending

situation in which the government spends more money than it takes in

Estates

social classes

Mercenary

soldier serving in a foreign country for pay

Checks and Balances

system in which each branch of a government has the power to monitor and limit the actions of the other two

Prime Minister

the chief executive of a parliamentary government

Bourgeoisie

the middle class

Reign of Terror

time period during the French Revolution from September 1793 to July 1794 when people in France were arrested for not supporting the revolution and many were executed

Treaty of Paris

treaty of 1763 that ended the Seven Years' War and resulted in British dominance of the Americas

Natural Law

unchanging principle, discovered through reason, that governs human conduct

Henry IV

(1050-1106) was a German king who became Holy Roman Emperor in 1084. His efforts to increase the power of the monarchy led him into conflict with Pope Gregory VIII over lay investiture. Gregory excommunicated he but later reinstated him in the church after he did penance.

Warm-water port

port that is free of ice year round

Charles V

(1500-1558) was the Holy Roman emperor during the time of Martin Luther's reformation efforts. His immense empire included large areas of Europe. A staunch Catholic, he rejected Luther's doctrines. The Protestant upheaval, along with political pressures, led him to voluntarily give up his throne. He divided the empire between his son and his brother. He entered a Catholic monastery where he remained until his death.

El Greco

(1541-1614) was a master of Spanish painting who also worked as a sculptor and architect during Spain's Golden Age.

Miguel de Cervantes

(1547-1616), a Spanish novelist, playwright, and poet, was the most important figure in Spanish literature. His novel Don Quixote is his most well-known work.

James I

(1566-1625) was a king of Scotland who also became king of England and Ireland. He deeply believed in the divine right of kings to rule over all their subjects without interference from anyone. His views were in sharp contrast to Parliament, leading to constant conflict. He was also the author of the King James version of the Bible.

Cardinal Richelieu

(1585-1642) considered one of the greatest politicians in history, he played an important role in France's history while serving as chief minister to Louis XIII.

George Washington

(1732-1799) was a wealthy Virginia planter before becoming the commander of American forces during the Revolutionary War and first president of the United States. He owned a vast estate named Mount Vernon. Using his skill as a politician, negotiator, and general, Washington was able to keep the American cause of liberty alive during and after the revolution.

Thomas Hobbes

(1588-1679) was an influential English political philosopher, best known for his work Leviathan . In it, he strongly advocated that only a powerful government was capable of protecting society. He believed that people entered into a social contract with their government to avoid the inevitable chaos and lawlessness of life in "the state of nature." His political philosophy was foundational for later thinkers of the Enlightenment, including Locke, Rousseau, and Kant.

Oliver Cromwell

(1599-1658) was an English soldier and gentleman who led the forces against Charles I of England during the English Civil War. He made himself Lord Protector of England in 1653, leading the country as a republic until his death.

Charles I

(1600-1649) was the second Stuart king of England, Scotland, and Wales. His belief in the divine right of kings brought him into constant conflict with Parliament. This conflict eventually led to the English Civil War and Charles's defeat and execution for treason.

Jean Baptiste Colbert

(1619-1683) served under King Louis XIV of France as controller general of finance (from 1665) and secretary of state for the navy (from 1668). He carried out economic programs that helped make France the strongest power in Europe.

John Locke

(1632-1704) grew up during the tumultuous era of the English Civil Wars. A prolific writer on political philosophy, his works strongly influenced the U.S. Constitution and the development of American government. He proposed that people are born with certain natural rights that cannot be taken away, including life, liberty, and property. His radical ideas on government's responsibility to the people were fundamental to the leaders of the American Revolution.

Louis XIV

(1638-1715) he served as king of France (1643-1715) and is considered the symbol of absolute monarchy.

Peter the Great

(1672-1725), tsar of Russia, reigned jointly with his half-brother Ivan V (1682-1696) and alone (1696-1725). He was proclaimed emperor in 1721. He was one of Russia's greatest statesmen, organizers, and reformers.

Montesquieu

(1689-1755) was born Charles Louis de Secondat into a family of wealth and inherited the title Baron de Montesquieu from his uncle. Like many other reformers, he did not let his privileged status keep him from becoming a voice for democracy. His first book, titled Persian Letters , ridiculed the French government and social classes. In his work published in 1748, The Spirit of the Laws , he advanced the idea of separation of powers—a foundation of modern American democracy.

Voltaire

(1694-1778) was born François-Marie Arouet, but was known as Voltaire. He was an impassioned poet, historian, essayist, and philosopher who wrote with cutting sarcasm and sharp wit. Voltaire was sent to the Bastille prison twice due to his criticism of French authorities and was eventually banned from Paris. When he was able to return to France, he wrote about political and religious freedom. Voltaire spent his life fighting what he considered to be the enemies of freedom, such as ignorance, superstition, and intolerance.

Benjamin Franklin

(1706-1790) was a man of many talents. Born in 1706, Franklin was an author, inventor, and a statesman who helped persuade France to enter the Revolutionary War on the side of the Americans. He was actively involved in framing the Declaration of Independence.

Jean-Jaques Rousseau

(1712-1778) was a Swiss-born philosopher and writer whose works inspired leaders of the French Revolution. He revolutionized thought in politics and ethics, had an impact on how parents educated their children, and even influenced people's taste in music and in other arts.

Frederick II

(1712-1786) succeeded his father, Frederick William I, to serve as king of Prussia (1740-1786).

Maria Theresa

(1717-1780) was the archduchess of Austria and queen of Hungary and Bohemia (1740-1780), wife and empress of the Holy Roman emperor Francis I (1745-1765) and mother of the Holy Roman emperor Joseph II (1765-1790).

Adam Smith

(1723-1790) was a Scottish economist most remembered for his masterpiece, An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations . His argument for free markets with minimal government interference has helped shape productive economies around the world for more than 200 years. He has been called the father of modern economics and remains one of the most influential economic philosophers in history.

Catherine the Great

(1729-1796) was the German-born empress of Russia (1762-1796) who led her country in becoming part of the political and cultural life of Europe.

Jacques Necker

(1732-1804) was director of the French treasury before the revolution, Necker attempted to reform the country's finances, although he also tried to finance France's participation in the American Revolution through heavy borrowing, while trying to conceal the country's huge deficit. Later, his calls for reform were thwarted by Louis XVI.

George III

(1738-1820) was the longest reigning monarch in British history, ruling at a time when Britain and France struggled to dominate Europe; he shared the blame for the loss of Britain's American colonies.

Joseph II

(1741-1790) ruled as Holy Roman Emperor in Austria and is considered the most radical of the enlightened despots. He continued many of the modernizing governmental reforms introduced by his mother, Maria Theresa, with the goal of equal treatment for all his subjects. He abolished serfdom and encouraged freedom of the press. Most notably, Joseph supported religious equality for Protestants and even Jews. He is also remembered for traveling among his subjects in disguise to learn about the everyday problems of the peasantry.

Thomas Jefferson

(1743-1826) is known mainly as the primary author of the Declaration of Independence. Jefferson also served as minister to France and later as the third president of the United States.

Olympe de Gouges

(1745?-1793), author of the Declaration of the Rights of Women, railed against the treatment of women in France, addressing her concerns directly to Marie Antoinette.

James Madison

(1751-1836) was a renowned U.S. statesman and fourth president of the United States. He is often called the "father of the Constitution" for the major role he played at the Constitutional Convention of 1789, which framed the federal Constitution.

Louis XVI

(1754-1793) was king of pre-revolutionary France. He failed to support his ministers, who tried to reform France's finances and social institutions. Although he agreed in 1789 to summon the Estates-General, he resisted demands for reform by the National Assembly. He was later branded a traitor and executed in 1793.

Marie Antoinette

(1755-1793) frivolous ways, conduct, and various scandals helped discredit the monarchy. She told her husband, Louis XVI, to resist reform demands by the National Assembly. Like Louis, she was branded a traitor and executed.

Marquis de Lafayette

(1757-1834), a French noble, fought alongside the Americans in the Revolutionary War. Upon his return to France, Lafayette led the call for reform and in 1789 presented a draft of the Declaration of the Rights of Man to the National Assembly. He was hated by some for his moderate stance, and fled to Austria, but later returned.

Maximilien Robespierre

(1758-1794) was a French revolutionary elected to the Estates-General in 1789. He later became an important member of the Jacobin club and a member of the Committee of Public Safety. As a member of the Committee he began the Reign of Terror. He was later arrested and executed by the revolution's leaders.

Napoleon Bonaparte

(1769-1821) was a huge figure in European history. He was a military genius who was elected consul for life. He later crowned himself France's emperor. His legal, educational, and militaristic reforms impacted French society for generations.

Philip II

(359 B.C. -336 B.C. ), restored internal peace to Macedonia, built an effective army, and then formed alliances with many Greek city-states or conquered them. After defeating the united forces of Athens and Thebes at Chaeronea, all of Greece came under his control. Assassination ended his aim to conquer Persia.

Free Enterprise System

An economic system, also known as capitalism, in which private businesses are able to compete with each other with little control by government. Products, prices, and services are driven by free market laws of supply and demand rather than government regulations.

Hapsburg Empire

Central European empire that lasted from the 1400s to the 1900s and at its height included the lands of the Holy Roman Empire and the Netherlands

Frederick William I

Frederick William I (1688-1740) was the second Prussian king who helped transform his country into a prosperous state.

Huguenots

French Protestants of the 1500s and 1600s

Philosophe

French for "philosopher"; French thinker who desired reform in society during the Enlightenment

Marseilles

French port city; troops marched to a patriotic song as they left the city, the song eventually became the French national anthem

Dissenter

Protestant whose views and opinions differed from those of the Church of England

Plebiscite

a ballot in which voters have a direct say on an issue

Partition

a division into pieces

Absolute Monarchy

a form of government in which a ruler has complete authority over the government and lives of the people he or she governs

Faction

a group or clique within a larger group that has different ideas and opinions than the rest of the group

Jacobin

a member of a radical political club during the French Revolution

St. Petersburg

a port city in northwestern Russia founded in 1703 by Peter the Great

Congress of Vienna

assembly of European leaders that met after the Napoleonic era to piece Europe back together; met from September 1814 to June 1815

Continental System

blockade designed by Napoleon to hurt Britain economically by closing European ports to British goods; ultimately unsuccessful

Napoleonic Code

body of French civil laws introduced in 1804; served as a model for many nations' civil codes

Guilotine

device used during the Reign of Terror to execute thousands by beheading

Balance of Power

distribution of military and economic power that prevents any one nation from becoming too strong

Tennis Court Oath

famous oath made by on a tennis court by the Third Estate in pre-revolutionary France

Guerilla Warfare

fighting carried on through hit-and-run raids

Armada

fleet of ships

Bastille

fortress in Paris used as a prison; French Revolution began when Parisians stormed it in 1789

Abdicate

give up or step down from power

Limited Monarchy

government in which a constitution or legislative body limits the monarch's powers

Federal Republic

government in which power is divided between the national, or federal, government and the states

Oligarchy

government in which ruling power belongs to a few people

Constitutional Government

government whose power is defined and limited by law

Autocratic

having unlimited power

Divine Right

idea that a ruler's authority came directly from God

Salon

informal social gathering at which writers, artists, philosophes , and others exchanged ideas

Boyar

landowning noble in Russia under the tsars

Edict of Nantes

law issued by French king Henry IV in 1598 giving more religious freedom to French Protestants

Stamp Act

law passed in 1765 by the British Parliament that imposed taxes on items such as newspapers and pamphlets in the American colonies; repealed in 1766

Estates-General

legislative body made up of the representatives of the three estates in pre-revolutionary France

Popular Sovereignty

limited government based on the separation of powers and a system of checks and balances

Yorktown, Virginia

location where the British army surrendered in the American Revolution

Concert of Europe

loose peacekeeping organization whose goal was to preserve the agreements set up by the Congress of Vienna

Free Market

market regulated by the natural laws of supply and demand

Puritan

member of an English Protestant group who wanted to "purify" the Church of England by making it more simple and more morally strict

Sans-culottes

members of the working class who made the French Revolution more radical; called such because men wore long trousers instead of the fancy knee breeches that the upper class wore

Levee

morning ritual during which nobles would wait upon French king Louis XIV

Cahiers

notebooks used in pre-revolutionary France to record grievances

Intendant

official appointed by French king Louis XIV to govern the provinces, collect taxes, and recruit soldiers

Ancien Regime

old order system of government in pre-revolutionary France

Elector

one of seven German princes who would choose the Holy Roman emperor

Baroque

ornate style of art and architecture popular in the 1600s and 1700s

Cabinet

parliamentary advisors to the king who originally met in a small room, or cabinet

Rococo

personal, elegant style of art and architecture made popular during the mid-1700s that featured designs with the shapes of leaves, shells, and flowers

Laissez faire

policy allowing business to operate with little or no government interference