World History Terms 1-8

Jacobin

A member of the Jacobin Club, the most radical and influential political faction of the French Revolution. Active from 1789 to 1794

Guillotine

A machine for beheading people, used as a means of execution during the French Revolution

Maximilien Robespierre

A French lawyer and radical political leader who directed the Reign of Terror during the most intense phase of the French Revolution.

Reign of Terror

The period, from mid-1793 to mid-1794, when Maximilien Robespierre ruled France nearly as a dictator and thousands of political figures and ordinary citizens were executed

Napoleonic Code

A comprehensive and uniform system of laws established for France by Napoleon

Battle of Trafalgar

An 1805 naval battle in which Napoleon’s forces were defeated by a British fleet under the command of Horatio Nelson

Continental System

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

Peninsular War

A conflict, lasting from 1808 to 1813, in which Spanish rebels, with the aid of British forces, fought to drive Napoleon’s French troops out of Spain

Guerrilla

A member of a loosely organized fighting force that makes surprise attacks on enemy troops occupying his or her country

Waterloo

The last major engagement of the Napoleonic Wars fought by a French army under Emperor Napoleon I against two armies of the Seventh Coalition. Waterloo resulted in the end of both Napoleon's career and the First French Empire.

Hundred Days

The brief period during 1815 when Napoleon made his last bid for power, deposing the French king and again becoming emperor of France

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

Concert of Europe

A series of alliances among European nations in the 19th century, devised by Prince Klemens von Metternich to prevent the outbreak of revolutions

Industrial Revolution

The shift, beginning in England during the 18th century, from making goods by hand to making them by machine

Urbanization

The growth of cities and the migration of people into them

Middle class

A social class made up of skilled workers, professionals, businesspeople, and wealthy farmers

Corporation

A business owned by stockholders who share in its profits but are not personally responsible for its debts

Laissez faire

The idea that government should not interfere with or regulate industries and businesses