Period 3 Vocab

Estates-General

France's traditional national assembly with representatives of the three estates, or classes, in French society: the the clergy, nobility, and commoners
significance: ended when the peasant estate formed the National Assembly, leading to the French revolution

Congress of Vienna

gathering of European diplomats in Vienna, Austria from October 1814-June 1815. the representatives of the "great powers" that had defeated Napoleon-Britain, Austria, Prussia, and Russia-dominated the proceedings, which aimed to restore the prerevolutionary political and social order
significance: aimed to restore the ancien regime

Declaration of the Rights of Man

document from the French revolution (1789) that was influenced by the American Declaration of Independence and in turn influenced other revolutionary movements
significance: granted rights to commoners, who had previously little rights

Louis XVI

monarch of France, married to Marie Antoinette; beheaded because he failed to grant reforms
significance: the last king of France before the fall of the monarchy

Napoleon Bonaparte

a French military leader and emperor who conquered much of Europe in the early 19th century
significance: the first ruler of France after the revolution

Otto von Bismarck

transformed a collection of small German states and Prussia into the German Empire and was the first chancellor
significance: aimed to make the German Empire the most powerful ever

assembly line

each worker is only responsible for one or two tasks, and repeat the same task over and over on different items as they pass along the line
significance: sped up the manufacturing process and reduced labor hours necessary to complete a product

communism

philosophy and movement that began in the middle of the 19th century with the work of Karl Marx; it has the same general goals as socialism, but it includes the belief that violent revolution is necessary to destroy the bourgeois world and institute a new word run by and for the proletariat
significance: became the dominant political philosophy of countries in Asia and Eastern Europe

Industrial Revolution

a change from an agricultural to an industrial society and from home manufacturing to factory production
significance: made industries more productive and efficient

socialism

a political and economic theory of social organization based on the collective ownership of the means of production; its origins were in the early 19th century, and it differs from communism by a desire for slow or moderate change compared with the communist call for revolution
significance: aims to make everybody in a society equal

Communist Manifesto

1848; a book written by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels that urged a worker uprising to seize control of the factors of production from the upper and middle classes
significance: formed the basis for modern communist thought

Karl Marx

1818-1883; a philosopher, author, social theorist, and economist famous for his theories about capitalism and communism
significance: wrote the Communist Manifesto

emancipation

the liberation of a group of people, particularly slaves
significance: freed the slaves in North America

anarchism

a philosophical and political movement that is against all enforced kinds of hierarchy/ruling
significance: supported personal autonomy and democracy

Bloody Sunday

tsarist soldiers shot unarmed civilians in St. Petersburg in 1905
significance: triggered the 1905 revolution

Boxer rebellions

an uprising by a Chinese secret society known as the Boxers that wished to drive all foreigners out of China
significance: an important example of Chinese nationalism

Mahmut II

an Ottoman sultan (1808-1839) who reformed and consolidated the Ottoman empire
significance: westernized the Ottoman empire

Meiji Restoration

restoration of imperial rule under Emperor Meiji in 1868 by a coalition led by Fukuzawa Yukichi and Ito Hirobumi
significance: enacted western reforms to strengthen Japan

Muhammad Ali

reigned 1805-1848; Egyptian general who built a powerful army on the European model and became the effective ruler of Egypt in spite of its official status as an Ottoman territory
significance: considered the founder of modern Egypt

Opium Wars

armed conflict in China in the mid-19th century between the forces of Western countries and the Qing dynasty over the opium trade
significance: the start of an era in which the Western powers tried to gain control over the Chinese

State Duma of Russia

the lower house of the parliament in the Russian empire
significance: a representative assembly that required approval to pass legislation

Young Turks Party

19th-century Turkish reformers who pushed for changes within the Ottoman empire such as universal suffrage and freedom of religion
significance: established a multi-party democracy

Taiping Rebellion

1850-1864; rebellion in Qing China led by Hong Xiuquan, during which 20-30 million were killed
significance: symbolic of the decline of China during the 19th century

Witte Industrialization Program

minister of finance Sergei Witte pushed for greater exports, ambitious industrialization, and large foreign loans
significance: modernized Russia and made it competitive with other great powers

China's Self-Strengthening Movement

Chinese attempt (1860-1895) to blend Chinese cultural traditions with European industrial technology
significance: revived the Chinese dynasty

Berlin Conference

meeting organized by German chancellor Otto von Bismarck in 1884-1885 that provided the justification for European colonization of Africa
significance: ended slavery by African and Islamic powers

Boer Wars

1899-1902; war between Great Britain and the Boers in South Africa over control of the rich mining country
significance: established the British Union of South Africa, made up of all the South African colonies

Charles Darwin

English naturalist whose scientific theory of evolution by natural selection became the foundation of modern evolutionary studies
significance: introduced the idea of evolution

Monroe Doctrine

American doctrine issued in 1823 during the presidency of James Monroe that warned Europeans to keep their hands off Latin America and that expressed growing American imperialistic views regarding Latin America
significance: proclaimed the US as the "protector" of the Western hemisphere

Russo-Japanese War

a military conflict between the Russian Empire and the Empire of Japan from 1904-1905
significance: the first war of the modern era in which a non-European power defeated a powerful European power

sepoy mutiny

the revolt of Indian soldiers in 1857 against certain practices that violated religious customs
significance: dissolved the East India Company; forced the British to reorganize the army, financial system, and administration

Suez Canal

a man-made waterway connecting the Mediterranean Sea to the Indian Ocean via the Red Sea
significance: made a more direct route for shipping between Europe and Asia and allowed for passage from the North Atlantic to the Indian Ocean without having to circumnavigate Africa

"White Man's Burden"

the idea the Europeans have a duty/responsibility to help uncivilized nations
significance: justified imperialism and the exploitation of native's lands

Zulu Kingdom

a southern African state in modern-day South Africa
significance: defeated the British at the Battle of Isandlwana in 1879

Panama Canal

a constructed waterway that connects the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans across the Isthmus of Panama
significance: allowed ships to go from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean without circumnavigating South America

Indian National Congress

a political party in India, founded to form a platform for civil and political dialogue among educated Indians
significance: the first modern nationalist movement to emerge in the British Empire in Asia and Africa

Muslim League

a political group that called for a separate Muslim nation to be created at the time of the partition of British India
significance: safeguarded the rights of Indian Muslims

Open Door Policy

a statement of principles initiated by the US that called for protection of equal privileges for all countries trading with China
significance: increased foreign influence in China

Reign of Terror

a period of the French revolution when a series of massacres and public executions took place in response to revolutionary fervor
significance: intended to purge France of the enemies of the revolution

Russification

the policy of enforcing Russian culture on the vast numbers of ethnic minorities that lived in the Russian Empire
significance: bound everybody to the tsar

spheres of influence

the claim by a state to exclusive or predominant control over a foreign area or territory
significance: gave the power to the state that claimed the territory

Chinese Exclusion Act

a United States federal law signed by President Chester A. Arthur prohibiting all immigration of Chinese laborers
significance: the first law implemented to prevent a specific ethnic group from immigrating to the United States

Sino-Japanese War

war between China and Japan from 1897-1901 over the status of Korea; China was badly defeated
significance: marked the emergence of Japan as a major world power and demonstrated the weakness of the Chinese empire

White Lotus Rebellions

a rebellion in the 19th century in China led by a Buddhist over taxes and government corruption
significance: marked the diminishing power of the Qings control and prosperity

laissez-faire

the idea that government should refrain from interfering in economic affairs
significance: gave businesses autonomy from government regulations

White Australia Policy

an Australian policy that effectively banned all non-European immigration into the country
significance: most Australians were white

"second Industrial Revolution"

a period of growth for pre-existing industries and expansion of new ones, such as electrical power and telephones
significance: made industries more productive and efficient

the Raj

the rule over much of South Asia between 1765 and 1947 by the East India Company and then by a British government
significance: was intended to increase Indian participation in government, but the Indians were very much oppressed

social mobility

the movement of individuals within the social strata in a society
significance: allowed individuals to achieve a better lifestyle