Unit 5 AP World History Key Terms

Estates-General

France's traditional national assembly with representatives of the three estates, or classes, in French society: the clergy, nobility, and commoners; third estate was most populous yet had the least power

National Assembly

Comprised of the third estate that declared themselves as the legitimate governing body of France

Declaration of the Rights of Man

Statement of fundamental political rights adopted by the French National Assembly at the beginning of the French Revolution

Jacobins

Radical and violent advocates of a Republic during the French Revolution who were led by Maximilien Robespierre

Enclosure

The division of communal fields, meadows, and lands in Western Europe into individually managed farm plots

Urbanization

The significant growth of cities; happened due to innovations that increased the efficiency of agriculture, thereby requiring less farmers and allowing populations to shift to cities

Domestic System

An economic process in which merchant-employers would send materials to rural producers who worked in their homes to make goods

Flying Shuttle

A machine that industrialized the weaving process and greatly sped up the previous hand-weaving system

Spinning Jenny

A machine that made it much easier to spin cloth and thereby increased the supplies available to weavers; helped start the factory system of cotton manufacturing

Cotton Gin

A machine that quickly separates cotton fibers from their seeds and helped speed up textile production

Steam Engine

An engine that used steam power to propel the object it is built into; revolutionized the transportation of goods through steamboats

Interchangeable Parts

Machines and parts that were produced uniformly so that they can be easily replaced when something broke down

Assembly Line

A system of production where each factory worker adds only one part to a finished product rather than making the whole product themselves

Free- market System (Capitalism)

An economic system where the means of production are privately owned and demand for goods and services would determine prices

Laissez-faire capitalism

A system of capitalism where the government completely removes itself from regulating the economy

Socialism

An economic system where the production and distribution of goods are mainly controlled by the government rather than the private enterprise; espouses the principle that goods should be distributed by the government based on need rather than allowing free markets to decide

Communism

A political, social, and economic ideology whose main goal was the establishment of a society where everything is commonly owned and there are no social classes, money, or governments

Labor unions

An organization of employees that represent the workers in dealings with employers; mainly used to collectively bargain for higher wages, improved worker conditions, and better working hours

Social mobility

The ability of a person to work their way up from one social class to the next

Communist Manifesto

A book written by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels that layer out the basis of the modern communist movement; argued that capitalism would inevitably self-destruct and would be replaced by socialism and eventually communism

Proletariat

The wage-earning class in a capitalist society that only had control of their own labor; Marx argued that this class was going to revolt against the bourgeoisie due to exploitation

Bourgeoisie

The ruling class in a capitalist society that had control of the means of production; Marx believed that this class exploited the proletariat class of workers through capitalism

Natural Rights

Rights that are often viewed as inalienable and innate; championed by Locke to be the right to 'life, liberty, and property" and used to justify many revolutions

Suffrage

The right to vote in public elections; usually referring to the struggle of women's groups during this time to gain the right to vote

Abolition

The campaign to eliminate slavery and the slave trade

Social Contract Theory

A model of society where the people would cede authority to a government in exchange for the government's protection of human liberties; argues that the people have a right to dissolve the government if it fails to uphold the Contract and does not adequately protect the people

Declaration of Independence

The document signed by leaders of the American colonists that declared independence of the colonies from the British monarch

French and Indian War (Seven Years' War)

A global war fought mainly between France and England that arose due to a regional conflict over land in North America; led to the American colonist fighting on behalf of the British and the British monarch's increased taxation

Thomas Paine

An American colonist who was one of the most outspoken proponents of declaring independence from England; wrote a famous pamphlet called Common Sense that urged the American colonists to revolt against the encroachments made by the British monarchy and form a better government

Maximilien Robespierre

A leader of the French Revolution who led the most radical and violent phases of the conflict

Napoleon Bonaparte

A brilliant 19th century French military leader and emperor who conquered much of Europe; led France's revolutionary government in their various conflicts with other European nations

Reign of Terror

The period during the French Revolution where Robespierre ruled and used revolutionary terror to solidify control; resulted in countless executions and violence

Congress of Vienna

An assembly that met as Napoleon's rule came to an end that attempted to reorganize Europe in order to preserve the balance of power and prevent another leader similar to Napoleon; restored the monarchs of many countries and ignored many rights established by French revolutionaries

Toussaint L'Ouverture

Led a slave rebellion that successfully took control of Haiti from France; resulted in Napoleon's belief that New World colonies were more trouble than they worth

Simon Bolivar

A Venezuelan statesman who led the revolt of SOuth American colonies against Spanish rule

Miguel Hidalgo

Mexican priest and revolutionary who initiated an unsuccessful revolt against Spanish rule; regarded as a national hero in Mexico's struggle for independence from Spain

Eli Whitney

The innovator during the Industrial Revolution who invented the cotton gin and interchangeable parts

Adam Smith

Formulated the foundations of capitalism in his book The Wealth of Nations (1776); argued that private ownership is the best way to achieve economic growth and fairness

Karl Marx

Established the basis for Marxism in his book The Communist Manifesto (1848), which inspired socialism and communism; argued that capitalism exploits workers and predicted a revolt by the working class to seize the means of production

Luddites

Workers who destroyed equipment in factories during the night to protest abysmal working conditions and low wages; led to harsh backlash from the government, who sided with the business owners and punished the workers

John Locke

A prominent Enlightenment thinker who promoted the idea of a representative government that is obligated to protect a man's natural right to "life, liberty, and property;" heavily influenced the founding fathers and Thomas Jefferson's work in the Declaration of Independence

Voltaire

An Enlightenment philosopher who was famous for his advocacy of religious, political, and social liberties, including the freedom of religion and the separation between Church and State

Jean-Jacques Rousseau

An Enlightenment thinker who formulated the social contract theory of government; advocated for the power of the people and laid the intellectual foundations for the American and French Revolution