Untitled Flashcards Set

English Civil War and Glorious Revolution

- The English Civil War was a competition between the monarchy and

parts of the Parliament over power.

- Stuart monarchs (James I and Charles I) both aspired to expand royal

power just as was happening in France at the same time.

- The outcome of both the English Civil War and the Glorious Revolution

prevented the establishment of an absolutist monarchy model in

England.

Continuities and Changes to Economic Practice and Development

- The Agricultural Revolution increased agricultural productivity and crop

yields.

- The importation of food from the Americas, as well as the introduction

of new crops (such as potatoes) from the Columbian Exchange vastly

improved the diet of Europeans.

- Labor became increasingly free in Western Europe as serfdom ended

and serfs became peasants. In Eastern Europe serfdom remained the

dominant system.

- Many goods were produced in the home under the “cottage industry”

system.

- The growth of a market economy led to the expansion of the financial

industry including banking and stock markets.

- The European market economies will become the global model.

Economic Development and Mercantilism

- The European dominated global trade network contributed to the

agricultural, industrial, and consumer revolutions in Europe.

- European nations followed mercantilist policies by drawing on

resources from New World colonies and elsewhere.

- The global slave trade expanded as demand for New World crops

grew.

- Overseas products helped develop a consumer market in Europe.

- The importation of New World crops and the introduction of new crops

(potatoes) contributed to an increase in the European food supply.

- Foreign lands provided raw materials, finished goods, labor, and

markets for European commercial and industrial enterprises.

Dutch Golden Age

- The Dutch Republic successfully revolted against Spanish rule in the

late-1500’s and established an independent, Protestant majority state.

- The Dutch state was really controlled by the urban business elite and

wealthy rural landowners.

- The Netherlands became a major banking and commercial center.

Balance of Power

- Following the Peace of Westphalia (ended the Thirty Years’ War),

religion declined as a source of tension and competition among

European nations.

- The notion of a “balance-of-power” became more important. The idea

is that no single European state should be allowed to dominate the

continent.

- Poland declined as a serious power due to its inability to develop a

strong central government.

Absolutist Approaches to Power

- Louis XIV’s near continual wars provoked the formation of several

coalitions of nations against Bourbon France.

- New developments in military technologies (muskets, cannons) led to

new styles of combat and the establishment of large, standing

professional armies.

Comparison in the Ages of Absolutism and Constitutionalism

- The struggle within and among states resulted in varying degrees of

political centralization.

- The new concept of the sovereign state and secular systems of law

played a central role in the creation of new political institutions.

- The competition for power between monarchs and corporate and

language minority groups produced different distributions of

governmental authority in European states.

- Monarchies seeking enhanced power faced challenges from nobles

who wished to retain traditional forms of shared governance and

regional autonomy.

- Within states, minority local and regional identities based on language

and culture led to resistance against the dominant national