Western Civilization Spring Final Exam Study Guide Flashcards

This flashcard set covers essential terms, influential figures, and key events of Western Civilization from the 1600s through the mid-20th century, including the Enlightenment, Revolutions, and World Wars.

Absolutism

An approach to governance where a monarch holds supreme authority, exemplified by Louis XIV of France and absolute monarchs in Austria, Prussia, and Spain.

Constitutionalism

A system of government in which power is limited by law or a formal constitution, as seen in the evolution of government in Stuart England and the Netherlands.

Louis XIV

Known as the "Sun King," he was the central figure of French absolutism who built the palace of Versailles and reigned during the late 17th and early 18th centuries.

Baroque

An artistic movement in Europe characterized by its drama, grandeur, and specific key works designed to reflect power and religious emotion.

Glorious Revolution

The 1688 event in Stuart England that drove the evolution of constitutional government and involved William of Orange.

Agricultural Revolution

A period of essential innovations in the 17th and 18th centuries that transformed farming and had major consequences for the population and economy of Western Europe.

Mercantilism

An economic policy and component of the 18th-century Atlantic economy where nations sought to increase wealth through government regulation of trade.

Scientific Revolution

A 16th and 17th-century movement characterized by a rational worldview and contributions from thinkers like Copernicus, Galileo, and Newton.

Enlightenment

An 18th-century intellectual movement emphasizing reason and individualism, which influenced the policies of absolute monarchs.

French Revolution

The period of political and social upheaval beginning in 1789 that saw the rise of the Committee of Public Safety and eventually Napoleon Bonaparte.

Napoleon Bonaparte

Leader who rose during the French Revolution, established domestic policies in the early 1800s, and pursued territorial expansion across Europe.

Congress of Vienna

The peace settlement that ended the era of the French Revolution and the Napoleonic Wars, heavily influenced by Metternich.

Industrial Revolution

The transition to new manufacturing processes starting in the British Isles during the 18th and 19th centuries, involving the cottage industry and factory systems.

Zollverein

The customs union of German states in the 19th century that served as a step toward German unification.

Realpolitik

A system of politics based on practical rather than moral or ideological considerations, notably used by Otto von Bismarck.

Triple Alliance

A pre-WWI alliance consisting of Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy.

Triple Entente

A pre-WWI alliance consisting of France, Great Britain, and Russia.

M.A.I.N.

An acronym identifying the long-term causes of WWI: Militarism, Alliances, Imperialism, and Nationalism.

Totalitarianism

A 20th-century system of government that is centralized and dictatorial, requiring complete subservience to the state.

Final Solution

The Nazi program for the systematic genocide of Jews during World War II.

Copernicus

A major thinker of the Scientific Revolution known for proposing the heliocentric model of the universe.

John Locke

An Enlightenment philosopher whose ideas on natural rights and governance provided foundations for liberal political thought.

Rousseau

An Enlightenment thinker known for his works on the social contract and the nature of human freedom.

Montesquieu

An Enlightenment philosopher who advocated for the separation of powers within government.

James Watt

An innovator of the Industrial Revolution whose improvements to the steam engine were crucial for industrialization.

Robespierre

A leader of the Committee of Public Safety during the French Revolution's Reign of Terror.

Otto von Bismarck

The Prussian politician who spearheaded the unification of Germany through his policy of Realpolitik.

Count Cavour

A leading figure in the movement toward Italian unification in the 19th century.

Enclosure acts

Laws passed in Britain that converted common lands into private property, serving as background for the Agricultural and Industrial Revolutions.

Continental System

Napoleon's economic blockade of Great Britain intended to destroy British trade and strengthen the French Empire.

Metternich

The Austrian politician who was a leading figure of 19th-century conservatism and the Congress of Vienna.

Social Darwinism

The application of the concept of "survival of the fittest" to human societies, often used to justify imperialism.

Lebensraum

The territory that a state or nation believes is needed for its natural development, associated with Nazi German expansionism.

Nuremberg Laws

Antisemitic and racist laws in Nazi Germany that deprived Jews of citizenship and basic rights.

Tennis Court Oath

A pivotal event during the beginning of the French Revolution where members of the Third Estate vowed to create a new constitution.

Thermidorian Reaction

A parliamentary revolt during the French Revolution which resulted in the fall of Robespierre and the end of the Reign of Terror.

Chartism

A UK parliamentary reform movement of the mid-19th century that advocated for universal male suffrage and other democratic reforms.

Factory Act

Legislation passed to improve working conditions and regulate labor relations during the Industrial Revolution.

Separate spheres

A 19th-century gender ideology that suggested men and women should occupy different social and physical spaces (public vs. private).

Protective tariff

A tax on imported goods designed to protect domestic industries from foreign competition.