History Midterms

Natural law

system of right or justice held to be common to all humans and derived from nature rather than from the rules of society, or positive law.

Natural rights

Rights to life liberty and property

Social contract

An agreement between a government and the people; what rights people will give up iin exchange for what protections

General willl

A collectively held values/ideals by a group of people that rule their lives (Rousseau )

Estates General

A meeting between the Three Estates of french society to advise the king on how to handle fiscal problems and present petitions

Tennis Court Oath

After the deputies of the third estate were locked out of the estates general room, they met in royal tennis court and pledged to not separate until France became a constitutional monarchy

Civil Constitution of the Clergy

Law passed that limited Church powers; took property and lowered amt of bishops, and made it required that priests be loyal first to France and second to Pope; Pope’s power was limited in spiritual affairs

Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the CItizen

A document that abolished serfdom, special privileges of nobility, est. principle of quality in law, ended required payments to Church, made all citizens eligible for gov. Positions and made every citizen regardless of estate eligible for taxation. Freedom of thought and religion. However, refused to extend those rights to women.

Women’s march on Versailles

Parisian women, angry with the high price of bread, stole the city’s cannons and marched to Versailles, where they demanded to meet with the King. They didn’t leave until he agreed, and they took him back to Paris where he would stay for the rest of his life

Emigres

French nobles that fled the French Revolution that tried to get military assistance from other European countries to end the revolution

Jacobians

Radical republican faction led by Robespierre that led France through the most violent phase of the French Revolution that hoped for a direct democracy

Reign of Terror

An era of “radical equality” brought about by Robespierre. During wartime, anyone suspected of being a traitor was executed. This included nobility, the rich/wealthy, and critics of the FR. Considered part of levee en masse to report people who were threats.

Levee en masse

(After Prussia and Austria declared war on France) a proclamation that every citizen must help with the war effort. Men must fight, children must learn to love their country, women must be nurses, the elderly must be patriotic.

Consulate

Established after the failed Directory. Led by three consuls, similar to Roman consulate. First Consulate had all the real power, though - Napoleon Bonaparte. principles of representation and legislative supremacy were discarded. The executive branch was given the power to draft new laws, and the legislative branch became little more than a rubber stamp. Elections became an elaborate charade, with voters stripped of real power.

Plebiscite

A direct vote of every citizen

Napoleonic Code

A set of rules applied throughout all Napoleon’s conquered territory. Reestablish slavery in French colonies; women had fewer rights than children; abolished serfdom and nobility; “freedom” of press (any change was an improvement, still very restrictive but better than nothing)

Continental System

A system of cutting the UK and Portugal from trade to hurt Napoleon’s enemies.

Blockade

seal off (a place) to prevent goods or people from entering or leaving (Usually military)

Congress of Vienna

Leaders of European powers met to decide how to order post war/post-Napoleon world. Preserved a balance of power between all countries to make sure one wasn’t too more powerful than the others. Reestablished the Bourbon Kings of Spain, established confederated Germany, and divided Italy into smaller independent states. It worked, the next European war after it was WW1 - 90 years later.

Concert of Europe

the vague consensus among the European monarchies favouring preservation of the territorial and political status quo

Balance of power

Not one country was too powerful than the other; meant to avoid wars of conquest

Toussaint L’Ouverture

Escaped slavery and united enslaved people and free black Haitians to unite. Took over Haiti in 1801 and made a constitution granting equal rights to all men. Arrested in 1802 and slavery was reestablished. Died in prison.

Haitian Massacre

Dessalines’s first act to destroy all tools of slavery after retaking Haiti. This included all white people, entailing a mass execution.

Peninsulares

People living in Spanish colonies that were born in Spain. Top of racial hierarchy.

Creoles

People of spanish descent; born in the Americas. Second to top in racial hierarchy.

Miguel Hidalgo

A Mexican priest. Launched the Mexican war for independence with his speech “Grito de Dolores”. Led the first successful battle of the war before being executed.

Simon Bolivar

Venezuelan military and political leader who led what are currently the countries of Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, Panama and Bolivia to independence from the Spanish Empire.

Jose de San Martin

Argentine soldier, statesman, and national hero who helped lead the revolutions against Spanish rule in Argentina (1812), Chile (1818), and Peru (1821).

Cottage industry

a business or manufacturing activity carried on in a person's home.

Interchangeable parts

A process of creating identical products: each part created separately and assembled in an assembly line. Its identical nature allows it to repaired easily.

Enclosure Act

Allowed wealthy farmers to expand their farms, forcing smaller farmers out of the countryside and into cities, where they took up work in factories.

Urbanization

The increase in people moving into cities / the expansion of city areas.

Tenements

a room or a set of rooms forming a separate residence within a house or block of apartments

Factory Acts

A set of laws that restricted child labor. A maximum working week of 48 hours was set for those aged 9 to 13, limited to eight hours a day; and for children between 13 and 18 it was limited to 12 hours daily. The Act also required children under 13 to receive elementary schooling for two hours each day.

Corporations

a business entity that is owned by its shareholder(s), who elect a board of directors to oversee the organization's activities

Monopolies

The exclusive possession or control of a supply or trade by one company.

Vertical integration

the business arrangement in which a company controls different stages along the supply chain; for ex. a company that makes chairs own the timber mill, the place that makes the nails, the transport line that ships everything

Suffragettes

Women part of a movement to give women the right to vote.

Capitalism

Where a country’s economic system is controlled by private business owners with no regulation by the government

Laissez faire

(Idea by Adam Smith) The idea that governments should not regulate markets, because supply and demand will regulate the markets itself.

Socialism

Allows some elements capitalism, but believes it to be selfish. Gov provides citizens everything they need to survive. Most important businesses run by gov

Marxism

Proletariat must rise against bourgeoisie; communism establish by violent uprising; all businesses owned by govt workers. Once everyone is equal, no gov is needed

Social democracy

Gov owns a few key businesses and guarantees basic standard of living; private ownership of other businesses is allowed. Achieve change through elections.

Proletariat

workers or __working-class__ people, regarded __collectively__

Bourgeoisie

the middle class, typically with reference to its perceived __materialistic__ values or conventional __attitudes__

Louis Pasteur

French chemist that discovered germ theory, changed medicine. (Also invented two vaccines)

Tokugawa shogunate

A military rule that created a long period of peace in Japan; people were banned from entering or leaving Japan, and trade with the outside world was limited to preserve culture

Sakoku

policy of controlled and very limited external contact, for business or otherwise, imposed during the Tokugawa shogunate

Meiji Restoration

a coup d'état resulting in the dissolution of Japan's feudal system of government. Led by samurai concerned about modernization. Used the Iwakura mission to model Japanese industrialization after European countries (Germany). Created a modern military (not just samurai) and daimyo land was taken and sold

Russo-Japanese War

Fought over influence in Korea and Manchuria. Russia willing to compromise, Japan not. Japan won, forcing European powers to treat Japan as a main player in politics and challenged European ideas of white superiority

Imperialism

Domination of one country through political, economic, or cultural means by another

Ethcentrism

Evaluating other cultures according to the standards and beliefs that come from your own; assumes observer’s culture is superior. (Also: assuming other should know and understand your country but not learning about theirs)

British East India Company

A company created to trade with India; colonized parts of the Indian subcontinent, colonised parts of Southeast Asia and Hong Kong using it’s economic power to politically control India

Indian Rebellion of 1857

Sepoys (Indian soldiers part of the British military in India) believed they were being forcefully converted to Christianity and that their new rifle cartridges were laced with pigs fat to force them to eat food against their religion. Hundred thousands of sepoys kills British officers and tried to restore emperor. Britain won and abolished the EIC.

British Raj

A political system established after the Indian rebellion of 1857. Run by Brit gov, who appointed a governor that would appoint local legislature. Later, leading universities and city governments could appoint local legislature.

Princely states

were feudatory states under a local or regional ruler in a subsidiary alliance with the British Raj.

Indian National Congress

Formed in 1885 to united educated Indians to work for a better government. Goals: freedom of speech, press, assembly; Indians in gov’t; elected reps w/ actual power; industrialization

“White man’s burden”

Poem that encouraged US to imperialism. It said that it is the “white man’s burden” to “civilize savage nations” and created the notion that colonization led to innovation through westernizing and erasing previous culture

Anglo-Saxonism

Belief that British and American culture was better than all others, so they had a duty to spread it and introduce it to others

Opium War

EIC sold + smuggled Opium into China to keep trade between EIC and unwilling Chinese gov’t going. When Chinese gov tried to confiscate and destroy the drug, Britain declared that it was damaging property and declared war.

Self-strengthening movement

period of radical institutional reforms initiated in China during the late Qing dynasty following the military disasters of the Opium Wars. China modernized industry and technology while also attempting to stay true to traditional beliefs and culture.

Boxer Rebellion

Anti-foreign religious movement. Attacked foreigners and besieged Beijing. Eventually defeated by an international alliance and led to Europeans getting exclusive right to certain areas of Chinese cities.

Dowager Empress

Her husband died and her son was too young to rule, and when her nephew came to power she advised him until 100 days reform. She resisted western reforms, though adopted a few (abolition of slavery and torture). Initially supported Boxer Rebellion, turned against it after attack on Beijing.

Spheres of influence

Areas were another countries had culture and economic (but not political) dominance

Open door policy

Created by US; countries agreed to allow trade in each other’s sphere; hoped to avoid conflict

Hundred Days Reform

Brief period of modernization and reform. Guangxu Emperor was just 27 years old - his advisors rejected his plans and kidnapped him, which ended the reforms.

Berlin conference

Meant to prevent fighting between European powers over Africa. Ruled that countries must establish “effective occupation” to occupy territory. No African countries were present

Belgian Congo

Not overseen by gov of Belgian, but personally owned by King Leopoldo II. Instituted brutal rubber farms. Disfigurement and murder was punishment for not farming enough rubber. Millions Congolese were killed or enslaved. This lasted 20 years.

Maji Maji Rebellion

A rebellion in east Africa (now Tanzania). Cotton farms depleted resources. Led by Kinjeketile Ngwale, who encouraged people to unite against the Germans. Succeeded in ending mandatory cotton farming.

Boer War

South African Dutch colonies, later British. Boers (souther-African Dutch descendants) fought with guerrilla warfare against British. Lost, and were put in concentration camps.

Sino-Japanese War

Fought over influence in Korea. Korea became independent from China and made a lot of progress - ethnic Korean culture embrace and slavery and child marriages were ended. Annexed by Japan. Japan won Taiwan and China paid reparations.

Twenty one demands

Japan’s request for special privileges in China to European powers; approved because European powers already used them. Access to resources and trade.

Spanish-American war

Fought to “free” Cuba from Spanish misrule. Started by a media frenzy after an American warship blew up in Havana. US captured Cuba, Puerto Rice, Guam, American Samoa, and Philippines. Afterwards, US faced resistance. Rebels were put in concentration camps. US ended this in 1946, but kept a lease on Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

Annexation of Hawai’i

Independent country, monarchy overthrown by American businessmen (led by Stanford Dole) that wanted to profit off of Hawai’i. Dedicated efforts by monarchy and Hawaiians tried to stop it, but US took over during Spanish-American war

Dollar diplomacy

US banned Europeans from interfering in Latin America. Loaned money to Latin governments at steep rates to put those countries in debt to US. US would invade and reconstruct gov to pay back debts and also obey US. Ex: Panama canal

Immediate cause

The impetus that finally triggers an event

Nationalism

Loyalty and pride of one’s country, often with a belief of superiority. Accompanies the desire by a group of people to form a separate nation for their own ethnicity, culture.

Realpolitik

Leaders shouldn’t care about right or wrong as long as it strengthens country

Militarism

Emphasis on and glorification of military as the purest form of national identity

Triple Alliance

Germany, Italy, Austria/Hungary

Triple Entente

Russia, France, UK

Franz Ferdinand

Heir to throne of Austria/Hungary. Assassinated by a group of Serbian nationalist rebels called the Black Hand.

Black Hand

A Serbian nationalist terrorist group.

Blank check

A promise of complete support no matter how situation pans out.

Ultimatum

final demand or statement of terms, the __rejection__ of which will result in __retaliation__ or a breakdown in relations.

Mobilization

action of a country or its government preparing and organizing __troops__ for active service.

Allies

state __formally__ __cooperating__ with another for a military or other purpose;

Central powers

Alliance between Germany, Austria/Hungary, Bulgaria, and the Ottoman Empire during WWI

Trench warfare

Soldiers living in trenches, firing at enemy trenches across no-man’s land

Unrestricted submarine warfare

practice of using submarines to attack and sink all forms of enemy shipping, whether they are military or civilian. Germany’s use of this brought the US into WWI

Sussex Pledge

A short-lived agreement between the US and Germany to stop unrestricted submarine warfare.

Zimmerman telegram

Telegram that the British gov leaked to American press where Germany offered an alliance to Mexico to invade and take back annexed Mexican land from US if US entered war against Germany

Total war

war that is unrestricted in terms of the weapons used, the territory or __combatants__ involved, or the objectives __pursued__, especially one in which the laws of war are __disregarded__

Fourteen points

Woodrow Wilson’s plan to make the world safe for democracy - promoted self-determination and created League of Nations

Self-determination

the process by which a country determines its own __statehood__ and forms its own __allegiances__ and government as a response of nationalism

Treaty of Versailles

Treaty that ended WWI. Created many inequalities between winners and losers, set up the League of Nations. Gave huge reparations to Germany and gave new land to France and the creation of new countries. Forced losers to reduce military size

War Guilt Clause

Clause of the Treaty of Versailles that officially blamed Germany for causing the destruction of WWI

League of Nations

58 countries that met to resolve situations before they escalating into violence. Every decision had to be unanimous. US did not join. Leave agreed to reduce military size, outlaw war and mustard gas.

Reparations

Payments a loser of a war must pay to the victor.

Mandate

Countries overseen by UK and France that used to be part of the Ottoman Empire. Borders not drawn well.