1750-1900 Modern Era vocab terms

Capitalism

An economic system in which factors of production are mostly privately owned, and people invest money to make a profit.

Free trade

The exchange of goods and services without restrictions or tariffs.

Imperialism

A situation where corporations from an imperial power control the economy in an independent but weaker state.

Indentured servitude

A labor system where migrant laborers agree to work for a certain number of years in exchange for passage and sometimes a fixed fee.

Labor unions

Organizations formed by workers to advocate for their interests and improve working conditions.

Migrant enclaves

Communities where people from one part of the world settle together in another part, often maintaining their culture.

Modernization

The practice of societies adopting advanced forms of technology, economics, and governance.

Nationalism

The focusing of citizens’ loyalty on the notion that they are part of a “nation” with a unique culture, territory, and common experience, which merits an independent political life; first became a prominent element of political culture in nineteenth-century Europe and the Americas.

Natural Rights

Beliefs that humans have certain inherent rights that should not be abridged, derived from Enlightenment thought.

Resource export economies

Economies specialized in the extraction of natural resources and production of industrial crops.

Settler colonies

Colonies where significant numbers of Europeans permanently migrated and settled.

Suffrage

The right to vote in political elections.

Westernization

The practice of non-Western societies adopting elements of Western culture.

John Locke

An English philosopher known for the idea of the social contract and natural rights.

Stock markets

Locations where people can buy and sell stocks, giving them partial ownership of businesses.

The Abolitionist Movement

An international movement that condemned slavery and sought its abolition.

Cult of Domesticity

An ideology promoting that middle-class women should focus on household duties as wives and mothers.

The New Imperialism

A phase of imperialism by Western nations in the late 19th and early 20th centuries driven by industrialization.

Adam Smith

A British philosopher known for his promotion of laissez-faire capitalism and free markets.

Berlin Conference of 1884

A meeting held by European powers to discuss the colonization of Africa.

Cixi

The effective ruler of Qing Dynasty China from 1861 to 1908, known for her resistance to reforms.

Communism

A political and economic system advocating for public ownership of production and minimal government intervention.

Congo Free State

A brutal Belgian colony in Central Africa characterized by exploitation of its people and resources.

Constitutional government

A system of government that defines and limits the power of the government while protecting the rights of the governed.

Deism

A belief system acknowledging a Supreme Being who created the universe based on reason.

Department store

Large stores that sell a variety of manufactured goods, emerging in industrialized societies.

Factory system

A method of manufacturing using machinery in centralized locations.

Golondrinas

Italian seasonal migrants who traveled to Argentina to work during different harvest seasons.

Guano

Seabird poop, rich in phosphates and nitrates, used in fertilizers.

it sustained the production of crops that fed both the draft animals and the growing human populations of the industrializing world.

Indian Civil Service

The bureaucratic corps established by the British to govern India.

Indian National Congress (I.N.C.)

A political organization formed to unify Indians for independence from British rule.

Indian Rebellion of 1857

A massive rebellion against British rule in India.

Internal combustion engine

A device developed to power motion using controlled explosions of petroleum.

Irish Potato Famine

A catastrophic event in the 1840s resulting in mass starvation and emigration from Ireland.

Johannesburg

An instant city formed during the Witwatersrand Gold Rush, significant for urbanization.

Karl Marx

A German philosopher known for his theories on socialism and communism, co-author of the Communist Manifesto.

Labour Party of Britain

A British political party established for working-class reforms and peaceful transition to socialism.

Liberalism

A political philosophy advocating for freedom and equality, rooted in Enlightenment ideals.

London Municipal Board of Works

Agency established to improve urban life in London during industrialization.

Manchester

An example of a city that grew significantly due to industrialization, facing urbanization issues.

Meiji Restoration

The period restoring power to the emperor of Japan, leading to modernization and industrialization.

Muhammad Ali (of Egypt)

Governor of Egypt who attempted to modernize the economy but ultimately became a resource-export economy.

Public education

An education system funded by the government and offered free to children.

Reform Acts of 1832, 1867, and 1884

Series of laws gradually extending suffrage to adult males in the UK.

Russo-Japanese War

War in which Japan defeated Russia, showcasing Japan's military modernization.

Siam

A kingdom that avoided colonization by implementing reforms under King Chulalongkorn.

Simón Bolívar

Key leader in the Latin American Wars of Independence, advocating for freedom and democracy.

Social Darwinism

The belief system that some humans are more 'fit' and thus deserve to dominate others.

Socialism

An economic and political system where the government takes control of the economy to ensure fair life for workers.

Steam Engine

An engine powered by steam pressure used to advance the Industrial Revolution.

Tanzimat Reforms

A series of reforms in the Ottoman Empire aimed at modernization in the mid-19th century.

Telegraph

Device allowing instant communication over long distances through electrical wires.

The Civilizing Mission

The belief that Western societies had a duty to bring civilization to less-developed parts of the world.

The Chinese Exclusion Act

A law prohibiting Chinese laborer immigration to the U.S. in 1882.

The Declaration of Independence

Document declaring the independence of the United States from Britain.

The Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen

A declaration proclaiming equal rights for all men launched during the French Revolution.

The Declaration of the Rights of Woman (by Olympe de Gouges)

A work advocating for women's equality during the French Revolution.

The Enlightenment

An intellectual movement applying reason and empiricist approaches to improve human societies.

The Haitian Revolution

The only fully successful slave rebellion leading to Haiti's independence.

The Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation (HSBC)

A global banking corporation founded by British merchants in Hong Kong.

The Latin American Revolutions (or Latin American Independence Movements)

Series of movements leading to the independence of Latin American states from Spanish rule.

The Mexican-American War

War waged by the U.S. against Mexico resulting in significant territorial gains for the U.S.

The Opium Wars

Wars fought between Britain and China over opium trade leading to the ceding of Hong Kong.

The Second Industrial Revolution

The phase of industrialization characterized by the development of new industries from 1850 to 1900.

The Self-Strengthening Movement

China's attempt at internal reform in the 1860s and 1870s based on Confucian principles.

The Spanish American War

War resulting in U.S. acquisition of territories from Spain, including the Philippines.

The Taiping Rebellion

A massive rebellion against Qing Dynasty rule in China led by Hong Xiuquan.

Tsar Alexander II of Russia

Emperor of Russia known for reforms, including the abolition of serfdom.

Witwatersrand

An area in South Africa that contains significant gold deposits.

Popular Sovereignty

that authority to govern derived from the people rather than from God or from an established tradition

Fiat

A binding order or decree issued by an authority.
Ex. the Russian Tsar was persuaded to free serfs rather than growing public pressure but… from above

Lynching

The illegal killing by a mob or group often used to “punish“ someone or intimidate others these are often public spectacles (ex. hangings)
Ex. the wave of lynchings in Southern USA subject to many African Americans in the 19th-20th centuries

Unification

Fragmentation

Nativism

belief which cast all people born in the Americas as Americanos while the enemy were those born in Spain or Portugal

“the people“

refer to the common citizens or masses in a nation, especially in the context of political movements or social change as an aid to national aspirations