History Final

Seven Years’ War (1756–1763)

A global war primarily between Britain and France. It left Britain in massive debt and led directly to the taxing of American colonies.

Industrialization

A societal shift where machines replaced skilled labor. This era introduced clocks, discipline, and factories, leading to a loss of worker autonomy and increased job hatred.

Hong Xiuquan

A religious leader who claimed a divine mission. He led the Taiping Rebellion, which caused millions of deaths in China.

Taxation and Representation

The practice of taxing American colonies without granting them political voice, exemplified by the Stamp Act and various trade regulations. This was a core cause of the American Revolution.

The Village Blacksmith

An 1840 poem by Longfellow. It serves as a symbol of independent, pre-industrial labor and stands in contrast to the alienation experienced in factories.

Taiping Rebellion (1850–1864)

A Chinese civil war that was an anti-Qing religious movement. It severely weakened China.

Estates General

The French political assembly where each estate had only one vote. Its convocation eventually triggered the French Revolution.

Nation / Nationalism

A shared, imagined identity creating loyalty to a people rather than a king. This ideology fueled numerous revolutions and wars.

Zeng Guofan

A Qing general who successfully defeated the Taiping rebels. His actions demonstrated the weakening power of the central Qing government.

Bastille Stormed (July 14, 1789)

The storming of the Bastille, a symbol of royal tyranny, marked the beginning of the French Revolution.

King Leopold II

The individual who personally owned the Congo. He forced rubber labor upon the native population, leading to the deaths of millions.

Queue

The mandatory Qing hairstyle that symbolized submission. It was widely resented by the Han Chinese population.

National Razor (Guillotine)

An execution tool used during the French Revolution, particularly during the Reign of Terror. It killed thousands, including many revolutionaries.

Congo Free State

King Leopold II's private colony in Africa, notorious for forced labor and mutilation. It inspired Joseph Conrad's novel 'Heart of Darkness'.

Gavrilo Princip

A Serbian nationalist responsible for assassinating Archduke Franz Ferdinand in 1914, an event that triggered World War I.

Napoleon Bonaparte

A military ruler of France who spread revolutionary ideas across Europe, dominating it before his eventual downfall.

Berlin Conference (1884–85)

A meeting of European powers that formally divided Africa amongst themselves, formalizing the era of imperialism.

Trench Warfare

A static form of fighting characterized by trenches, 'no-man's-land', massive casualties, and stalemates during WWI.

Hispaniola

A Caribbean island that was a French sugar colony and the primary site of the Haitian Revolution.

White Man’s Burden

A racist imperial ideology that promoted a "civilizing mission" to justify the exploitation of non-European peoples and lands.

John J. Pershing

The leader of U.S. forces in WWI, known for favoring aggressive attacks and commanding the Meuse-Argonne Offensive.

Toussaint Louverture

A former enslaved leader who organized a slave army, becoming key to the success of the Haitian Revolution.

Bakumatsu

The period of collapse of the Japanese shogunate, triggered by Commodore Perry's arrival in 1853, which ultimately led to the Meiji Restoration.

Meuse-Argonne Offensive (1918)

A major U.S. offensive during WWI, considered the deadliest U.S. battle ever, and crucial in helping to end the war.

Republic of Haiti

Founded in 1804, it was the first Black republic and the result of a successful slave revolt.

Fukuzawa Yukichi

A prominent Japanese modernizer who promoted Western learning and served as an ideological leader of the Meiji Restoration.

Verdun & Somme (1916)

Two major WWI battles that resulted in extreme casualties and became symbols of the war's futility.

Gens de couleur

Free mixed-race Haitians who demanded rights and were among the early leaders of the Haitian Revolution.

The Ainu

The indigenous people of Hokkaido, who were victims of Japanese imperialism through forced assimilation policies.

Woodrow Wilson

The U.S. president during WWI, known for advocating for the League of Nations and promoting the concept of self-determination.

Jean-Jacques Dessalines

A key Haitian independence leader who declared independence and secured permanent freedom for the nation.

Meiji Restoration (1868)

A revolution in Japan that restored the emperor to power and initiated a period of rapid modernization.

Sino-Japanese War (1894–95)

A conflict in which Japan defeated China, leading to Japan's emergence as a new imperial power.

Mohamed Bouazizi

A Tunisian street vendor whose self-immolation in 2010 sparked the beginning of the Arab Spring uprisings.

Vladimir Lenin

The Bolshevik leader of the Russian Revolution in 1917, who went on to found the Soviet Union.

Port Arthur

The site of a Japanese surprise attack against Russia in 1904, which initiated the Russo-Japanese War.

Arab Spring (2010–2013)

A series of uprisings across the Middle East and North Africa, primarily demanding jobs and dignity for citizens.

New Imperialism

A period of late 1800s expansion into Africa and Asia, driven by industrialization and racist ideologies.

Management

The factory supervision system designed to control time and labor, thereby removing worker autonomy.

Century of Humiliation (1839–1949)

A period of extensive foreign domination of China that fueled the rise of Chinese nationalism.

Proletariat / Bourgeoisie

Marxist terms referring to the class divide between workers (proletariat) and owners (bourgeoisie), forming the basis of class struggle.

Opium

The British drug trade in China, which caused widespread addiction, led to wars, and significantly weakened Qing rule.

Karl Marx

A critic of capitalism and author of the Communist Manifesto, whose ideas inspired numerous revolutions worldwide.

Qing Dynasty

The Manchu rulers who constituted the last imperial dynasty of China, ultimately collapsing in 1911.