Unit 5: Conflict, Crisis, and Reaction in the Late 18th Century (copy)

Economic Expansion

A period characterized by growth in trade, technologies, and colonialism, leading to a rise in the middle class, urbanization, and industrialization.

Atlantic Slave Trade

The historical trade route that involved the forced transportation of enslaved Africans to the Americas for labor.

Rationalism

The belief that reason is the primary source of knowledge and truth rather than tradition or authority.

Absolute Monarchies

Governments in which a single ruler has complete control and is not accountable to any authority.

The Enlightenment

A philosophical movement that emphasized reason, individualism, and the challenge of traditional authority.

Seven Years' War

A global conflict (1756-1763) involving major powers of the time, leading to Britain's dominance in colonial territories.

The French Revolution

A period of radical social and political upheaval in France that led to the overthrow of the monarchy and establishment of a republic.

Commercial Revolution

A period of European economic expansion and the rise of capitalism from the 16th to the 18th century.

Transatlantic Slave Trade

A system of forced migration that transported millions of Africans to the Americas, leading to severe social and economic impacts.

Napoleonic Code

A legal code established by Napoleon that emphasized equality before the law and abolished feudal privileges.

Philosophical Values of the Enlightenment

Ideas including Rationalism, Empiricism, Secularism, Individualism, and Humanism that influenced modern political and social thought.

Napoleon's Fall

The decline of Napoleon's power following defeats, leading to his abdication and subsequent exile to Saint Helena.

Haitian Revolution

The first successful slave revolt that resulted in Haiti's independence and established the first black-led republic.

Romanticism

A cultural movement emphasizing emotion and imagination as a reaction against Enlightenment rationalism and the Industrial Revolution.

The Tennis Court Oath

An event marking the assertion of power by the Third Estate during the French Revolution, leading to the formation of the National Assembly.

Price Revolution

A period of inflation in Europe caused by the influx of precious metals from the New World, affecting social and economic structures.

The Congress of Vienna

A conference of European leaders post-Napoleonic Wars aimed at restoring stability and establishing a new balance of power.

Individual Rights

The belief in the protection of liberties and freedoms for individuals, emphasized during the Enlightenment and influenced political reforms.

Socialism

An ideology advocating for collective ownership and control of the means of production, emerging in response to industrialization.