Nationalism and Revolutions of the 18th and 19th Centuries

Practice vocabulary flashcards covering the Enlightenment, the American, French, and Haitian Revolutions, Latin American wars of independence, and 19th-century European and Asian nationalism.

Nationalism

A strong feeling of pride, loyalty, and devotion to one's nation—a group of people sharing common culture, history, language, and identity—often asserting that the nation should govern itself independently.

Carbonari Uprising

A failed insurrection in the 1820s that spurred the growth of nationalistic sentiments across the fragmented Italian peninsula.

Giuseppe Mazzini

An Italian nationalist who unsuccessfully attempted to transform Italy into a unified republic in the 1830s to give the people a say in government.

Giuseppe Garibaldi

The military leader whose campaigns brought the fragmented states, kingdoms, and regions of the Italian peninsula under unified control by 1871.

German Confederation

A loose association of 39 Germanic states established in 1815 and overseen by Austria prior to German unification.

Otto von Bismarck

The first Chancellor of the German Empire in 1871 who achieved unification through "blood and iron" rather than through popular movements.

Ottomanism

An effort by the Ottoman Empire to foster nationalism and counter separatist movements by reducing linguistic and religious differences, adopting an official flag, and applying secular policies.

Balkan Nationalism

Nationalist movements that arose among various ethnic groups in Southeastern Europe as Ottoman dominance waned, leading to independence for nations such as Greece, Serbia, and Bulgaria in the 1800s.

Jean-Jacques Dessalines

A lieutenant under Toussaint L'Ouverture who continued leading the Haitian revolutionaries after L'Ouverture's capture, ultimately forcing a French retreat and surrender with the help of yellow fever.

Lola Rodriguez de Tió

A political activist and writer who encouraged revolution in Puerto Rico and Cuba and wrote the lyrics to "La Boriqueña," the national anthem of Puerto Rico.

Ilustrados

The "enlightened" bourgeois class of early Filipino nationalists educated in European cities such as Madrid, Paris, and Berlin who engaged in the Propaganda Movement for nationalist reform in the Philippines.

Jose Rizal

A prominent writer and member of the ilustrados who advocated for nationalist reform in the Philippines during the Propaganda Movement.

Storming of the Bastille

The event on July 14, 1789, that symbolized the end of absolute monarchy in France and marked the beginning of the people's revolt against royal oppression and tyranny.

Committee of Public Safety

The de facto French revolutionary government from 1793 to 1794, led by Maximilien Robespierre, which executed suspected counter-revolutionaries by guillotine during the Reign of Terror.

Maximilien Robespierre

The French revolutionary leader who directed the Committee of Public Safety during the Reign of Terror until his own arrest and execution by guillotine in 1794.

Toussaint L'Ouverture

The dominant military and political leader who emerged by July 1801 to lead the Haitian Revolution against French colonial rule.

Leclerc Expedition

A military expedition launched by Napoleon Bonaparte in February 1802 with the intent of restoring French authority and re-establishing slavery in Haiti.

Battles of Lexington and Concord

The armed conflicts on April 19, 1775, that marked the outbreak of open military hostilities in the American Revolutionary War.

Siege of Yorktown

The military engagement that concluded on October 19, 1781, with British General Cornwallis's surrender, effectively marking the end of major combat operations in the American Revolutionary War.

Treaty of Paris (1783)

The treaty signed on September 3, 1783, that officially concluded the American Revolutionary War and recognized the independence of the United States of America.

Social Contract Theory

John Locke's political idea stating that government is limited in scope, requires the consent of the governed, has distinct branches to prevent abuse of power, and may be altered or abolished if it fails to protect citizens' rights.

Letter from Jamaica

A revolutionary document written by Simón Bolívar on the eve of the Latin American revolutions that used Enlightenment philosophy to justify resistance to Spanish colonial rule.

Nationalism

A strong feeling of pride, loyalty, and devotion to one's nation—a group of people sharing common culture, history, language, and identity—often asserting that the nation should govern itself independently.

Nation-State

A sovereign political entity in which a defined territory and government coincide with a population sharing a unified identity and culture.

Liberalism

A political ideology emphasizing individual rights, representative government, the rule of law, and civil equality before the law.

Conservatism

A political ideology emphasizing social order, stability, established institutions, and traditional hierarchies while opposing radical political upheaval.

American Revolution

An anti-colonial conflict (1775–1783) in which thirteen North American colonies overthrew British rule to establish a new republic founded on Enlightenment ideals.

French Revolution

A transformative political upheaval (1789–1799) in which the monarchy was overthrown, traditional social hierarchies dismantled, and new concepts of popular sovereignty and citizenship established.

Haitian Revolution

A successful anti-slavery and anti-colonial insurrection (1791–1804) by enslaved people in Saint-Domingue that led to freedom and the establishment of the first Black republic.

Latin American Revolutions

A series of early nineteenth-century wars of independence across Central and South America that dismantled Spanish and Portuguese imperial dominance.

Toussaint L'Ouverture

The formerly enslaved military and political strategist who organized uprisings, defeated foreign armies, and led Saint-Domingue toward self-governance until his capture in 1802.

Simón Bolívar

A key military and political leader known as 'El Libertador' who liberated multiple northern South American nations and advocated for a unified Hispanic American federation.

Napoleon Bonaparte

The French general who seized power following the French Revolution, crowned himself emperor, conquered much of continental Europe, and modernized administrative and legal systems.

Napoleonic Code

A uniform French civil legal framework enacted in 1804 that standardized legal principles, protected private property, and guaranteed legal equality for male citizens.

Congress of Vienna

An 1814–1815 peace conference of European monarchs and diplomats that restored a conservative balance of power to prevent future revolutionary upheavals after Napoleon's defeat.

Jean-Jacques Dessalines

A lieutenant under Toussaint L'Ouverture who continued leading the Haitian revolutionaries after L'Ouverture's capture, ultimately forcing a French retreat and surrender with the help of yellow fever.

Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen

The landmark French revolutionary document adopted on August 26, 1789, that established human rights and held government accountable, stating people have the right to rebel if their rights are violated.

Maximilien Robespierre

The French revolutionary leader who directed the Committee of Public Safety during the Reign of Terror until his own arrest and execution by guillotine in 1794.

Leclerc Expedition

A military expedition launched by Napoleon Bonaparte in February 1802 with the intent of restoring French authority and re-establishing slavery in Haiti.

Battles of Lexington and Concord

The armed conflicts on April 19, 1775, that marked the outbreak of open military hostilities in the American Revolutionary War.

Siege of Yorktown

The military engagement that concluded on October 19, 1781, with British General Cornwallis's surrender, effectively marking the end of major combat operations in the American Revolutionary War.

Treaty of Paris (1783)

The treaty signed on September 3, 1783, that officially concluded the American Revolutionary War and recognized the independence of the United States of America.

Social Contract Theory

John Locke's political idea stating that government is limited in scope, requires the consent of the governed, has distinct branches to prevent abuse of power, and may be altered or abolished if it fails to protect citizens' rights.

Letter from Jamaica

A revolutionary document written by Simón Bolívar on the eve of the Latin American revolutions that used Enlightenment philosophy to justify resistance to Spanish colonial rule.