Imperialism

Belle Epoch

French term meaning 'Beautiful Age'; refers to the decades leading up to World War I when Europe was at its peak of power.

balance-of-power

The European diplomatic goal of preventing any single nation from dominating the entire continent, with Britain being especially dedicated to it.

Crimean War (1853 – 1856)

The first major war fought between European nations since the Napoleonic Wars, where Russia faced an alliance of the Ottoman Empire, Britain, and France, resulting in Russia's defeat.

Balkan Peninsula

The large geographic region of southeastern Europe that includes Greece, Albania, Bulgaria, Serbia, Romania, Bosnia, and other nations.

“the sick man of Europe”

Nickname of the Ottoman Empire in the 1800’s and early 1900’s reflecting its slow decline as an European power.

Bosporus and Dardanelles

The two strategic straits that connect the Mediterranean and Black Seas, controlled by Turkey and coveted by Russia.

Florence Nightingale

A British nurse who led a campaign for female nurses to work at the front during the Crimean War, credited with professionalizing nursing.

nationalism

An emotional political philosophy that glorifies the nation as the primary bond uniting people of a specific background to their land.

“The sun never sets on the British Empire”

Description of the British Empire in the late-19th century, emphasizing its global expanse and influence.

Splendid Isolation

Term for Britain's foreign policy after the Crimean War, focusing on building its Empire and limiting engagement with other nations.

Great Reform Bill of 1867

Law passed by Parliament that extended voting rights to urban working-class men in Britain, reflecting their growing influence.

Franchise Act of 1884

Law that extended voting rights to rural laborers in Britain, enfranchising the entire adult male population.

universal manhood suffrage

Political term indicating that all adult men have the right to vote.

Women’s Social and Political Union (WSPU)

Organization that led the fight for voting rights for British women.

Emmaline Pankhurst

Leading figure in the struggle for voting rights for British women, supported by her daughters and led the WSPU.

Second French Empire (1852 – 1870)

Government of Emperor Napoleon III of France, marked by a dynamic period in French history ending with the Franco-Prussian War defeat.

plebiscite

A direct vote by common people on significant issues, typically requiring a 'yes' or 'no' choice.

Emperor Napoleon III

Nephew of Napoleon, ruler of France who served as President of the Second Republic before becoming Emperor.

Suez Canal

Engineering feat that links the Mediterranean and Red Seas, built in the 1860s by French engineers and financed by British loans.

Piedmont – Sardinia

The most significant Italian state in the 19th century, leading the struggle to unify Italy into a single nation.

Franco-Prussian War (1870 – 1871)

Conflict that led to the unification of Germany, orchestrated by Chancellor Bismarck, resulting in France's decisive defeat.

Third French Republic (1870 – 1940)

Established after France's defeat in the Franco-Prussian War, lasting until WWII, marked by cultural dynamism and political division.

Paris Commune

Radical group that took control of Paris's city government during the Franco-Prussian War, crushed by the French Army in 1871.

Dreyfus Affair

A major political crisis in the Third Republic centered on Alfred Dreyfus, a Jewish Army officer accused of espionage.

anti-Semitism

Hatred towards Jewish people and their religion.

Theodor Herzl

Austrian Jewish journalist who advocated for the creation of an independent Jewish nation in response to anti-Semitism.

zionism

Political and cultural movement advocating for the establishment of the state of Israel.

Emancipation Edict of 1861

Proclamation by Tsar Alexander II of Russia that ended centuries of serfdom, freeing 50 million serfs.

anarchy

Radical political movement calling for the destruction of all forms of government, associated with chaos and disorder.

Trans-Siberian Railroad

Major Russian engineering accomplishment stretching 7,000 miles across Siberia to the Pacific coast.

Austria-Hungary (aka: Dual Monarchy)

- A vast state in central Europe that was formed when the Austrians

granted equal rights to the Hungarian minority in the old Austria

Empire.

Ausgleich

The German term for the 1867 decision by the Austrian government to

elevate the Hungarians to equal status within the Empire. It was done

in hopes of saving the Empire from ethnic disintegration.

Count Cavour

The Prime Minister of Piedmont-Sardinia who led the struggle to

complete the unification of various Italian states into a single kingdom.

defensive alliance

A military alliance where each partner is pledged to defend every other

member should any bbe attacked by another nation.

Giuseppe Garibaldi

Italian nationalist leader who had worked closely with Giuseppe

Mazzini in 1848. During the struggle to unify Italy in 1860, he led the

Red Shirts in liberating southern Italy.

Red Shirts

An Italian nationalist group formed by Garibaldi. The Red Shirts seized

Sicily and the southern regions of the Italian peninsula and later turned

the area over to the new Kingdom of Italy.

Chancellor Otto von Bismarck

The political leader of Prussia and later, the new German Empire. He

spent years carefully planning the unification of Germany under

Prussia’s dominance. He steered the new nation for 20 years.

Ems Dispatch

A famous telegram sent from Kaiser Wilhelm I of Prussia to Chancellor

Bismarck. It described a friendly meeting between the Kaiser and the

French ambassador. Bismarck changed the wording to provoke a war

with France.

Alsace – Lorraine

An historic region laying between France and Germany. The

population is ethnically German, but had been under French control for

centuries. It was fought over for decades.