10th Grade European History Final Exam Study Guide

Flashcards for vocabulary review

Feudalism

The dominant social structure based on land exchanged for service and protection.

Catholic Church

Had significant influence over political, economic, and social life during the Middle Ages.

Black Plague

Caused massive population loss and weakened Church authority during the Middle Ages.

The Crusades

Increased trade and weakened feudal power structures during the Middle Ages.

Magna Carta

Limited the power of the monarchy and laid the foundation for parliamentary democracy in England.

Renaissance

A rebirth of classical knowledge, focused on individual achievement and non-religious life.

Humanism

Emphasized the study of humanities and the importance of human values.

Niccolò Machiavelli

Promoted realistic political thinking in 'The Prince'.

Printing Press (Johann Gutenberg)

Helped spread new ideas rapidly during the Renaissance.

Reformation

Challenged Church authority and led to the creation of Protestant churches.

Martin Luther

Criticized Church corruption and sparked widespread reform with his 95 Theses.

John Calvin

Taught predestination – the idea that God chooses who is saved during the Reformation.

Henry VIII

Broke from the Catholic Church and formed the Church of England.

Counter Reformation

The Catholic Church's response to the Reformation.

Scientific Revolution

Promoted observation and experimentation.

Copernicus

Proposed the heliocentric model – the Sun at the center.

Galileo

Used the telescope to support the heliocentric theory.

Isaac Newton

Developed laws of motion and gravity.

Absolute Monarchs

Held total power over their states.

Philip II of Spain

Launched the failed Spanish Armada.

Louis XIV of France

Built the Palace of Versailles and ruled as the 'Sun King'.

Peter the Great

Modernized Russia and built St. Petersburg.

Glorious Revolution

Resulted in William and Mary ruling under a constitutional monarchy.

The Enlightenment

Focused on using reason to improve government and society.

John Locke

Natural rights; life, liberty, property.

Thomas Hobbes

Believed people are naturally selfish; supported strong rulers.

Montesquieu

Separation of powers to prevent tyranny.

Voltaire

Freedom of speech and religion.

Rousseau

General will and social contract.

Mary Wollstonecraft

Equal education for women.

Adam Smith

Laissez-faire capitalism; free markets.

French Revolution

Caused by social inequality, Enlightenment ideas, and financial crisis.

French Revolution

Started in 1789 with the Storming of the Bastille.

Estates System

1st (Clergy), 2nd (Nobles), 3rd (Everyone else)

Reign of Terror

Led by Robespierre; thousands executed during the French Revolution.

Napoleon

Rose to power after the chaos of the French Revolution.

Napoleonic Code

Legal reform promoting equality (not for women).

Battle of Waterloo

Final defeat of Napoleon in 1815.

Congress of Vienna

Redrew Europe and restored monarchies after Napoleon's defeat.

The Agricultural Revolution

Helped increase food supply and population, setting the stage for industrialization.

The Industrial Revolution

Began in Britain due to natural resources (coal and iron), capital, labor, and political stability.

Steam engine, interchangeable parts, and assembly line

Transformed production during the Industrial Revolution.

Capitalism

Reshaped society during the Industrial Revolution due to the rise of capitalism, urbanization, and factory systems.

Italian Unification

Italy was divided into various states and influenced by foreign powers (especially Austria).

Sardinia (Piedmont)

Led unification through war, diplomacy, and alliances (e.g., with France).

Otto von Bismarck

Used 'blood and iron'—war and Realpolitik—to unite German states.

World War I

Triggered by the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary in 1914.

MAIN (Causes of WWI)

Militarism, Alliances, Imperialism, and Nationalism.

Triple Alliance

Germany, Austria-Hungary, Italy.

Triple Entente

France, Russia, Britain.

Trench Warfare

Dominated the Western Front, causing a long and bloody stalemate in WWI.

BRAT (Treaty of Versailles)

Blame, Reparations, Army limits, and Territory loss.

Russian Revolution

Food shortages, military defeats, and poor leadership by Czar Nicholas II.

Bolsheviks

Led by Lenin, overthrew the provisional government in the October (November) Revolution promising 'Peace, Land, and Bread'.

Totalitarianism

A political system in which the state recognizes no limits to its authority.

Joseph Stalin

Established a totalitarian regime using censorship, propaganda, and a secret police in the USSR.

Benito Mussolini

Established a Fascist regime, emphasized nationalism, and used Black Shirts to enforce control in Italy.

Adolf Hitler

Established a Nazi dictatorship in Germany by promoting nationalism, anti-Semitism, and the idea of Lebensraum

World War II

Began in 1939 after Germany invaded Poland.

Axis Powers

Germany, Italy, and Japan.

Allies (WWII)

Britain, the USSR, and the U.S.

The Holocaust

The genocide of 6 million Jews and millions of other minorities by the Nazis.

Aryan Racial Superiority

Nazi ideology centered around Aryan racial superiority, anti-Semitism, and eugenics.

Cold War

An ideological conflict between the capitalist West (led by the U.S.) and the communist East (led by the USSR).

Key Terms (Cold War)

Iron Curtain, Containment, Truman Doctrine, Marshall Plan, NATO vs. Warsaw Pact.

End of the Cold War

Reforms under Mikhail Gorbachev (Glasnost and Perestroika), the fall of the Berlin Wall (1989), and the dissolution of the USSR (1991).

The European Union (EU)

Was created in 1993 to promote economic cooperation and prevent future conflicts.