Industrial Revolution, Imperialism, and Australian History Practice Flashcards

This set of vocabulary flashcards covers key terms and concepts from the Industrial Revolution, the era of Imperialism, the Atlantic Slave Trade, Australian Federation and rights movements, and the causes and impacts of World War I.

Industrialisation

The growth of factories and machine-based production that marked a shift from hand-made goods.

Urbanisation

The movement of people from rural areas to cities, often driven by the search for work in factories.

Capitalism

An economic system based on private ownership of businesses aiming for profit.

Trade unions

Groups formed by workers to protect their rights and improve working conditions.

Child labour

The employment of children in dangerous work, common during the Industrial Revolution.

Imperialism

When powerful nations expand their control over weaker countries or regions to gain land, resources, and influence.

Triangular Trade

A three-way trade system linking Europe, Africa, and the Americas involving manufactured goods, enslaved people, and raw materials.

Middle Passage

The brutal sea journey transporting enslaved Africans across the Atlantic to the Americas, characterized by overcrowding and disease.

Plantation

A large farm using enslaved labour to produce raw materials like sugar, cotton, and tobacco.

Abolition

The movement intended to end the practice of slavery.

Federation

The unification of separate colonies into one nation with a Commonwealth Government and state governments sharing power.

Constitution

The set of rules outlining how Australia is governed, created at the time of Federation.

Bicameral Parliament

A governing body consisting of two houses, which in Australia are the House of Representatives and the Senate.

Commonwealth Franchise Act 1902

A law that gave white women the right to vote and stand for federal parliament, while excluding most Indigenous and non-European people.

Louisa Lawson

The founder of the Dawn Club in 1888 who campaigned for women’s suffrage in Australia.

Harvester Judgment (1907)

A legal decision that established the principle of a “fair and reasonable wage” for workers to support a family.

White Australia Policy

A set of laws, starting with the Immigration Restriction Act 1901, designed to maintain a racially exclusive society by limiting non-European migration.

Dictation Test

A test given in any European language to unwanted migrants to ensure they failed and could be excluded under the White Australia Policy.

Militarism

The building of large armies and development of new weapons, which served as a underlying cause of WWI.

Alliances

Agreements between nations to defend each other, which caused a small conflict to escalate into a global war.

Nationalism

Extreme pride in one's nation and competition for dominance that contributed to the tension leading to WWI.

Archduke Franz Ferdinand

The individual whose assassination served as the trigger event that started World War I.

Mateship

A reason for enlistment where men joined the army due to pressure from friends or a desire not to appear cowardly.

War Precautions Act 1914

A law giving the Australian government broad powers during WWI, including censorship, internment of enemy aliens, and economic controls.

Conscription

The policy of forcing men to join the military for service, which was rejected in Australian referendums in 1916 and 1917.

Billy Hughes

The Australian leader who proposed conscription to maintain troop numbers during World War I.

Armistice

The agreement on 11 November 1918 that ended the fighting in World War I.