Exam Study Notes
Protestant Reformation
- A major movement that questioned the Catholic Church during the Renaissance period.
Renaissance
- A period of renewed interest in classical art, literature, and learning in Europe.
Humanists
Renaissance thinkers who emphasized human potential and achievement.
Key Figures:
- Michelangelo
- Leonardo da Vinci
Age of Exploration
- A period of European exploration and colonization of the world.
Motivations
- Search for new trade routes, wealth, and resources.
Prince Henry the Navigator
- A Portuguese prince who sponsored voyages of exploration.
Portugal and Spain
- Leading European powers in exploration and colonization.
Christopher Columbus
- Italian explorer who sailed for Spain and reached the Americas.
Columbian Exchange
- The transfer of plants, animals, diseases, and people between the Americas and Europe/Africa.
Scientific Revolution
- A period of major advances in science and mathematics.
Nicholas Copernicus
- Developed the heliocentric theory (sun-centered universe).
The Enlightenment
- An intellectual movement that emphasized reason and individual rights.
John Locke
- Advocate of natural rights (life, liberty, and property).
Montesquieu
- Promoted the idea of separation of powers in government.
Mary Wollstonecraft
- Early feminist who advocated for women's rights.
A Vindication of the Rights of Woman
- Wollstonecraft's influential work on women's equality.
Emergence of Nation States
- The development of sovereign states with defined territories and governments.
Reasons
- Decline of feudalism, rise of centralized power, and development of national identity.
Absolutism
- A system of government in which the ruler has unlimited power.
Constitutional Monarchies
- A system of government in which the monarch's power is limited by a constitution.
France
- Experienced both absolutism and revolution.
England
- Developed a constitutional monarchy.
The Atlantic Revolutions
- A series of revolutions in the Americas and Europe inspired by Enlightenment ideals.
American Revolution
- The revolution in which the 13 American colonies gained independence from Britain.
French Revolution
- A revolution in France against the monarchy and aristocracy.
Haitian Revolution
- A revolution in Haiti led by enslaved Africans against French colonial rule.
Spanish-American Revolutions
- Revolutions in Spanish colonies in the Americas that led to independence.
Thomas Jefferson
- Author of the Declaration of Independence.
Declaration of Independence
- Document declaring the independence of the American colonies from Britain.
”Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen”
- A document of the French Revolution that declared the rights of all citizens.
Napoleon Bonaparte
- French military leader and emperor who conquered much of Europe.
Toussant L’Ouverture
- Leader of the Haitian Revolution.
Simón Bolívar
- Leader of the Spanish-American Revolutions.
Industrial Revolution
- A period of major technological and economic change that began in Britain.
Britain (why there)
- Factors include natural resources, capital, and a stable government.
Textile Industry
- One of the first industries to be industrialized.
Spinning Jenny
- A machine that revolutionized the textile industry.
Steam-powered machines
- Powered factories and transportation.
Marx and Engels
- Authors of The Communist Manifesto.
The Communist Manifesto
- A political pamphlet that laid out the principles of communism.
Napoleonic Wars
- A series of major conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies against a fluctuating array of European powers.
Congress of Vienna
- A conference of European powers that aimed to restore order after the Napoleonic Wars.
19th-century political ideologies
Liberalism
- A political ideology that emphasizes individual rights and limited government.
Conservatism
- A political ideology that emphasizes tradition and social order.
Nationalism
- A political ideology that emphasizes national identity and unity.
Socialism
- A political ideology that emphasizes social ownership and control of the means of production.
Communism
- A political ideology that advocates for a classless society with common ownership of resources.
1848 Revolutions
- A series of revolutions that occurred throughout Europe.
Berlin Conference
- A conference of European powers that divided Africa among themselves.
Scramble for Africa
- The colonization of Africa by European powers.
King Leopold of Belgium
- The king of Belgium who colonized the Congo and exploited its resources.
Nation Building and Unification Movements
Italian Unification
- The unification of Italy into a single nation.
German Unification
- The unification of Germany into a single nation.
Otto Von Bismark
- The prime minister of Prussia who led the German unification.
Decline of the Ottoman Empire
- A period of decline and territorial loss for the Ottoman Empire.
19th Century Global Resistance to Imperialism
Zulu Wars
- Conflicts between the Zulu Kingdom and the British Empire.
Sepoy Rebellion
- A rebellion in India against British rule.
Taiping Rebellion
- A rebellion in China led by Hong Xiuquan.
Hong Xiuquan
- The leader of the Taiping Rebellion.
19th Century Reform Movements
Abolition of Slavery
- The movement to abolish slavery.
British Slavery Abolition Act
- A British law that abolished slavery in the British Empire.
American Civil War
- A war in the United States over slavery and states' rights.
Women’s Rights Movement
- The movement to gain equal rights for women.
1848 Seneca Falls Convention
- The first women's rights convention in the United States.
Nationalism
- A strong feeling of pride in and devotion to one's country.
Imperialism
- A policy of extending a country's power and influence through colonization, use of military force, or other means.
The Great War (World War I)
- A global war fought between 1914 and 1918.
Austria-Hungary * Germany
- Central Powers.
Sarajevo, Bosnia * Gavrilo Princeps (know the connections)
- Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, the spark that ignited World War I.
Allied Powers * Central Powers
- The two main sides in World War I.
Treaty of Versailles
- The treaty that ended World War I.
League of Nations
- An international organization formed after World War I to promote peace.
Bolshevik Revolution (Russian Revolution)
- A revolution in Russia that overthrew the Tsarist regime.
Vladimir Lenin
- The leader of the Bolshevik Revolution.
Interwar Years
- The period between World War I and World War II.
Fascism * Communism
- Totalitarian ideologies that emerged during the interwar period.
Great Depression
- A severe economic downturn that affected the world in the 1930s.
Joseph Stalin
- The dictator of the Soviet Union.
Collectivization
- The forced consolidation of individual farms into collective farms in the Soviet Union.
Holodomor
- A man-made famine in Ukraine in the 1930s.
Benito Mussolini/Italy
- The fascist dictator of Italy.
Adolph Hitler/Germany
- The Nazi dictator of Germany.
Appeasement
- A policy of giving in to an aggressor to avoid war.
1938 Munich Agreement
- An agreement in which Britain and France appeased Hitler by allowing him to annex part of Czechoslovakia.