Unit 5 vocab honors world history

kaiser

A German emperor

heliocentric theory

the idea that the earth and other planets revolve around the sun

geocentric theory

in the middle ages, the earth centered view of the universe in scholars believed that the earth was an immovable object located at the center of the universe

westernization

an adaption of the social, political, or economic institutions of Western-especially European or American countries

coup d’etat

sudden overthrow of government leaders by a small group

absolute monarch

A king or queen who has unlimited power and seeks to control every aspect of society

divine right

The idea that monarchs are God’s representatives on earth and are therefore answerable only to God

czar

A Russian emperor (from the roman title caesar)

constitutional monarch

A system of governing in which the ruler’s power is limited by law

scientific revolution

A major change in European thought, starting in the mid-1500s, in which the study of the natural world began to be characterized by careful observation and the questioning of accepting beliefs

scientific method

A logical procedure for gathering information about the natural world, in which experimentation and observation are used to test hypotheses

enlightenment

An 18th century European movement in which thinkers attempted to apply the principles of reason and the scientific method to all aspects of society

social contract

the agreement by which people define and limit their individual rights thus creating an organized society or contract

congress of Vienna

A series of meetings in 1814-1815, during which the European leaders sought to establish long lasting peace and security after the defeat of Napoleon

nationalism

the belief that people should be loyal mainly to their nation- that is to people whom they share a culture and history, rather than to a king or empire

Declaration of the rights of man

Statement passed by the National Assembly of France in 1791 that denounced aristocratic privileges and stated that all citizens were equal with basic civil rights

estate

One of three distinct social classes in France during the 1700s; clergy, nobility, and commoners (the third estate)

estates general

An assembly of representatives from all three of the estates or social classes, in France

national assembly

A French congress established by representatives of the third estate on June 17, 1789, to enact laws and reforms in the name of the French people.

nation state

A group of people, having common culture and identity, that have their own government.

Napoleonic code

A comprehensive and uniform system of laws establish for France by napoleon

continental system

Napoleon’s policy of preventing trade between great Britain and continental Europe, intended to destroy great Britain’s economy.

balance of power

A political situation in which no one nation is powerful enough to pose a threat to others

peninsulas

In Spanish colonial society, colonists who were born in Spain

creole (criollo)

In Spanish colonial society, a colonist who was born in Latin America to Spanish parents