WH Vocab Test 2

Divine Rights of Kings

the belief that kings receive their power from God and are responsible only to God

Puritans

English Protestants who felt that the Church of England needed further reform and sought to simplify and regulate forms of worship

Natural Rights

rights with which all humans are born, including the rights of life, liberty, and property

Absolutism

a political system in which a ruler holds total power

Boyar

a Russian noble

Czar

Russian for caesar; the title used by Russian emperors

Geocentric

Earth-centered; a system of planetary motion in which the sun, moon, and other planets revolve around the Earth

Heliocentric

Sun-centered; the system of the universe in which the Earth and planets revolve around the Sun

Universal Law of Gravitation

one of Newton’s three rules of motion; it explains that planetary bodies continue in elliptical orbits around the sun because every object in the universe is attracted to every other object by a force called gravity

Rationalism

a system of thought expounded by René Descartes based on the belief that reason is the chief source of knowledge

Scientific Method

a systematic procedure for collecting and analyzing evidence that was crucial to the evolution of science in the modern world

Inductive Reasoning

the doctrine that scientists should proceed from the particular to the general by making systematic observations and carefully organized experiments to test hypotheses or theories, a process that will lead to correct general principle

Enlightened Absolutism

a system in which rulers tried to govern by Enlightenment Principle while maintaining their full royal powers

Bourgeoisie

the middle class, including merchants, industrialists, and professional people

Electors

individuals qualified to vote in an election

Coup d’état

a sudden overthrow of the government

Consulate

the government established in France after the overthrow of the Directory in 1799, with Napoleon as first consul in control of the entire government

Nationalism

the unique cultural identity of a people based on common language, religion, and national symbols