AP Euro Kumer Unit 2

Absolute Monarchy

A political system where a ruler holds complete authority without legal limits.

Divine Right

Idea that monarchs get their power directly from God.

Louis XIV

French absolute monarch who centralized power and built Versailles.

Jean-Baptiste Colbert

Louis XIV’s finance minister who strengthened France through mercantilism.

Enlightened Absolutism

Absolute rulers who used Enlightenment ideas to reform laws and society.

Partition of Poland

Late 1700s division of Poland by Russia, Prussia, and Austria, removing it from the map.

Peter the Great (Russia)

Tsar who modernized Russia and built St. Petersburg.

Glorious Revolution

1688 overthrow of James II, leading to a constitutional monarchy in England.

Dutch Republic

Wealthy 17th-century commercial republic dominated by trade and finance.

Merchant Oligarchy

Government dominated by a small, powerful group of wealthy merchants.

Prussia

German state known for military power and efficient government.

Battle of Vienna

1683 battle where European forces stopped the Ottoman advance into Central Europe.

Ottoman Empire

Major empire controlling parts of Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa.

Louis XIV’s Wars

Expansion-driven wars that drained France’s money and united Europe against it.

Anglo-French Rivalry

Competition between Britain and France for colonies, trade, and global influence.

French Revolution

Movement from 1789–1799 that overthrew absolutism and demanded equality and rights.

Liberal Phase of the FR

Early phase (1789–1792) focused on constitutional monarchy and individual rights.

Execution of Louis XVI

1793 event symbolizing the end of monarchy and rise of radical revolution.

Jacobin Republic

Radical government (1792–1794) pushing equality and strict revolutionary policies.

Robespierre

Key Jacobin leader who directed the Reign of Terror.

Reign of Terror

Period of mass arrests and executions to eliminate “enemies of the revolution.”

De-Christianization

Movement to reduce Church influence and promote secular culture.

Revolutionary Army

Citizen army that defended France from internal and foreign enemies.

Toussaint L’Ouverture

Leader of the Haitian Revolution and former enslaved man who became Haiti’s ruler.

Haitian Revolution

Successful slave revolt that ended slavery and created the first Black republic.

Napoleon Bonaparte

Military leader who became emperor and expanded French control across Europe.

Napoleonic Military Tactics

Fast-moving armies, flexible formations, and mass conscription.

Nationalism

Strong loyalty to a nation and desire for unity or independence.

Congress of Vienna

1814–1815 meeting that restored order after Napoleon and balanced European power.

Market Economy

Economic system where prices and production are set by supply and demand.

Agricultural Revolution

New farming tools and methods that increased food production.

Putting-Out System

Merchants giving raw materials to rural workers to produce goods at home.

Cottage Industry

Home-based manufacturing before factories, especially textiles.

Industrial Revolution

Shift to factory production, machines, and urbanization in the 1700–1800s.

Slave Labor

Forced labor system with no freedom or wages, crucial to plantation economies.

Consumer Culture

Society centered around buying goods for comfort, fashion, and lifestyle.

Raw Materials

Natural resources used to make products (cotton, coal, sugar, etc.).

Atlantic Trade

Trade network linking Europe, Africa, and the Americas, including enslaved people.

Empiricism

Belief that knowledge comes from observation and experience.

Enlightenment

18th-century movement promoting reason, science, and individual rights.

Voltaire

Enlightenment writer who defended free speech and criticized intolerance.

Diderot

Editor of the Encyclopedia, which spread Enlightenment knowledge.

Locke

Philosopher who argued for natural rights and government by consent.

Rousseau

Thinker who promoted the social contract and popular sovereignty.

Natural Rights

Basic human rights: life, liberty, and property.

Salons

Gatherings where elites discussed Enlightenment ideas.

Adam Smith

Economist who supported free markets and limited government interference.

Free Trade

Trade with minimal restrictions between nations.

Free Market

Economy driven by competition and supply/demand, not government control.

Deism

Belief that God created the universe but does not intervene.

Skepticism

Questioning traditional beliefs using logic and evidence.

Atheism

Belief that no god or deity exists.

Religious Toleration

Allowing people to practice different religions freely.

Baroque

Dramatic, emotional artistic style of the 1600s and early 1700s.

Romanticism

Movement valuing emotion, imagination, and nature (late 1700s–1800s).

Inoculation

Early method of disease prevention by exposing someone to a weakened form of a disease.

Privacy

Growing idea that individuals deserve personal space and freedom from intrusion.

Consumer Revolution

Rise in demand for new goods (tea, sugar, textiles) in the 1700s due to increased production and global trade.