World History: Revolutions, Industrialization, and Imperialism

A set of 40 vocabulary flashcards spanning the major political, industrial, and imperialist developments of the 18th and 19th centuries.

Enlightenment

An intellectual and philosophical movement in the 17th and 18th centuries that emphasized reason, logic, and individualism over tradition.

American Revolution

The conflict from 1775 to 1783 in which the 13 American colonies won independence from British rule.

French Revolution

A period of radical social and political upheaval in France beginning in 1789 that overthrew the monarchy and established a republic.

Haitian Revolution

The successful anti-slavery and anti-colonial insurrection by self-liberated slaves against French colonial rule in Saint-Domingue.

Industrial Revolution

The transition to new manufacturing processes in Europe and the United States, starting in the late 18th century and involving the use of machinery.

Steam Engine

A machine that uses the expansion or rapid condensation of steam to generate power, serving as a key driver of the Industrial Revolution.

Urbanization

The social process by which cities grow and societies become more urban, often due to migration from rural areas.

Factory System

A method of manufacturing that uses machinery and division of labor, concentrating production in large specialized buildings.

Bourgeoisie

In Marxist theory, the social class that owns the means of production and is characterized by their control of capital.

Proletariat

The class of wage-earners in an economic society whose only possession of significant material value is their labor-power.

Liberalism

A political and moral philosophy based on the rights of the individual, liberty, consent of the governed, and equality before the law.

Conservatism

A political and social philosophy that promotes traditional social institutions and seeks to preserve the established order.

Nationalism

An ideology and movement that promotes the interests of a particular nation, especially with the aim of gaining and maintaining sovereignty.

Socialism

An economic and political system where the means of production are owned or regulated by the community as a whole.

Marxism

A social, political, and economic theory originated by Karl Marx, which focuses on the struggle between capitalists and the working class.

Cottage Industry

A business or manufacturing activity carried on in a person's home rather than in a factory.

Railroad

A system of tracks and trains that revolutionized transportation and the movement of goods during the 19th century.

Telegraph

A system for transmitting messages from a distance along a wire, which transformed long-distance communication.

Capitalism

An economic system in which a country's trade and industry are controlled by private owners for profit, rather than by the state.

Child Labor

The employment of children in industry or business, which became a significant social issue during the Industrial Revolution.

New Imperialism

A period of colonial expansion by European powers, the United States, and Japan during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Scramble for Africa

The rapid invasion, occupation, and colonization of African territory by European powers between 1881 and 1914.

Berlin Conference

A meeting held in 1884–1885 to regulate European colonization and trade in Africa, formalizing the division of the continent.

Sepoy Rebellion

A major uprising in India in 1857–1858 against the rule of the British East India Company.

Suez Canal

An artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt connecting the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea, facilitating shorter trade routes to Asia.

Indirect Rule

A colonial policy of leaving the local traditional structures in place and ruling through existing indigenous leaders.

Direct Rule

A colonial system where the central government of the sovereign power controls the administration of the colony through its own officials.

Spheres of Influence

A spatial region or concept division over which a state or organization has a level of cultural, economic, military, or political exclusivity.

Opium Wars

Two conflicts in the mid-19th century between China and Western powers (primarily Britain) over British trade in opium and Chinese sovereignty.

Treaty of Nanking

The 1842 peace treaty that ended the First Opium War, marking the first of many unequal treaties imposed on China.

Colonialism

The policy or practice of acquiring full or partial political control over another country, occupying it with settlers, and exploiting it economically.

Imperialism

A policy of extending a country's power and influence through diplomacy or military force, often over distant territories.

White Man’s Burden

The idea that white colonizers had a duty to manage the affairs of non-white people and facilitate their supposed progress.

Social Darwinism

The application of the theory of evolution and "survival of the fittest" to human societies, used to justify imperialism and social inequality.

Panama Canal

An artificial waterway in Panama that connects the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, drastically reducing travel time for ships.

Aboriginal Resistance

The efforts by indigenous populations, such as those in Australia, to defend their lands and culture against European settlers.

Migrant Labor

A workforce that moves from one place to another for employment, often on a seasonal or temporary basis.

Transcontinental Railroad

A contiguous network of railroad trackage that crosses a continental landmass, such as the one completed in the United States in 1869.

Chinese Exclusion Act

A United States federal law signed in 1882 that prohibited all immigration of Chinese laborers.

King Leopold II

The King of the Belgians who established and brutally exploited the Congo Free State as his own private property.