Modern Era Historical Vocabulary

A set of vocabulary flashcards defining foundational terms, historical periods, and concepts of the Modern Era.

“Modern Era”

In our class, this is defined as: the period of history beginning around 1750-1900, marked by global exploration and trade, scientific and political change, industrialization, and increasing connections between world regions.

The Enlightenment

An 18th-century intellectual movement that emphasized reason, science, and individual rights, and challenged traditional authority such as absolute monarchs and the Church.

Scientific Revolution

A period from roughly the 1500s to 1700s when new methods of observation, experimentation, and mathematics transformed how Europeans understood nature and the universe.

Industrial Revolution

The shift beginning in Britain in the late 1700s from manual production of goods and farming to machine-based manufacturing in factories, powered by new energy sources such as coal and steam.

Imperialism

A policy in which a powerful nation extends its control over other territories or peoples through conquest, political pressure, or economic dominance.

Industrialization

The process by which a society develops large-scale machine production, factories, and industries, leading to urban growth and changes in work and daily life.

Revolution

A sudden, major change in a society’s political system, economy, or ideas, often involving the overthrow of an existing government.

Colonization

The process of a nation establishing and maintaining control over foreign territory by settling it and exploiting its land, resources, and people.

Abolition

The movement to end slavery and/or the act of formally ending a practice or institution.

Parliament

A representative governing body that makes laws and limits the power of a ruler; in England, it developed into the legislature that shares power with the monarch.

Monarchy

A system of government in which a king, queen, or emperor holds supreme authority, usually inherited by birth.

Wealth Inequality

The uneven distribution of money, property, and resources among people or groups in a society.

Constitution

A written (or unwritten) set of fundamental principles and laws that establishes how a government is organized and defines the rights of citizens.