History - Unit 5 Vocab

Enlightenment

Enlightenment

A philosophical movement which started in Europe in the 1700's and spread to the colonies. It emphasized reason and the scientific method. Writers of the Enlightenment tended to focus on government, ethics, and science, rather than on imagination, emotions, or religion. Many members of the Enlightenment rejected traditional religious beliefs in favor of Deism, which holds that the world is run by natural laws without the direct intervention of God.

Social Contract

An Enlightenment concept; an agreement between the people and their government signifying their consent to be governed; popular in the 16th-18th centuries among theorists such as Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, and Jean-Jacques Rousseau, as a means of explaining the origin of government and the obligations of subjects.

Deism

A popular Enlightenment era belief that there is a God, but that God isn't involved in people's lives or in revealing truths to prophets.

Nationalism

sense of commonality based on language, religion, social customs, and territory; sometimes harnessed by governments to foster a sense of unity

Feminism

the belief that women should possess the same political and economic rights as men; became popular during the Enlightenment

Mary Wollstonecraft

English writer and early feminist who denied male supremacy and advocated equal education for women; wrote A Vindication of the Rights of Women, a famous feminist document in 1792

Suffrage

the right to vote in political elections

Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen

Adopted August 26, 1789, statement of fundamental political rights adopted by the French National Assembly at the beginning of the French Revolution.

Reign of Terror

(1793-1794) during the French Revolution when thousands were executed for "disloyalty;" led by Robespierre who tried rebels and had them executed often by guillotine

Jamaica Letter

A was a document written in Jamaica by South American revolutionary leader Simon Bolivar where he famously expanded his views on thee independence movement in Venezuela and the way the government under the way they tried to operate.

Simon Bolivar

The most important military leader in the struggle for independence in South America. Born in Venezuela, he led military forces there and in Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia.

Toussaint L'Ouverture

Was an important leader of the Haitian Revolution and the first leader of a free Haiti; in a long struggle again the institution of slavery, he led the blacks to victory over the whites and free coloreds and secured native control over the colony in 1797, calling himself a dictator.

Realpolitik

practical politics, ends justified the means, power more important than principles; utilized by Otto von Bismarck to unify Germany

Otto von Bismarck

Chancellor of Prussia from 1862 until 1871, when he became chancellor of Germany. A conservative nationalist, he led Prussia to victory against Austria (1866) and France (1870) in order to create a sense of national unity; assisted German unification in 1871

Industrial Revolution

A period of rapid growth in the use of machines in manufacturing and production that began in England c. 1750

cottage industry

Manufacturing based in homes rather than in a factory, commonly found before the Industrial Revolution; work was highly skilled and valued

factory system

A method of production that brought many workers and machines together into one building; replaced localized cottage industry. Workers were paid by the hour instead of for what they produce; decreased the need for skilled labor and led to exploitation of workers

seed drill

created by Jethro Tull, it allowed farmers to sow seeds in well-spaced rows at specific depths; this boosted crop yields and population growth

Spinning Jenny

This machine played an important role in the mechanization of textile production; conceived c. 1764 by James Hargreaves, an English weaver.

crop rotation

The practice of rotating use of different fields from crop to crop each year, to avoid exhausting the soil; utilized during the c. 1750 time period and led to increased crop yields and growing population

steam engine

A machine that turns the energy released by burning fuel into motion. Thomas Newcomen built the first crude but workable one in 1712. James Watt vastly improved his device in the 1760s and 1770s. It was then applied to machinery.

telegraph

A device for rapid, long-distance transmission of information over an electric wire. It was introduced in England and North America in the 1830s and 1840s.

Adam Smith

Scottish economist who wrote the Wealth of Nations in 1776, a precursor to modern capitalism.

Laissez-faire economics

hands off approach to economic development; the government should limit its interference in the economy

Urbanization

An increase in the percentage and in the number of people living in cities as opposed to the countryside.

Karl Marx

1818-1883. 19th century philosopher, political economist, sociologist, humanist, political theorist, and revolutionary. Often recognized as the father of communism. Analysis of history led to his belief that communism would replace capitalism as it replaced feudalism. Believed in a classless society.

Communism

a political theory derived from Karl Marx, advocating class war and leading to a society in which all property is publicly owned and each person works and is paid according to their abilities and needs.

Socialism

a political and economic theory of social organization which advocates that the means of production, distribution, and exchange should be owned or regulated by the community as a whole.

Capitalism

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

Proletariat

Marx's term for the exploited class, the mass of workers who do not own the means of production

Bourgeoisie

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