WH Turn of the century

Topic #1: Scientific Advancements and Industrial Innovation

• Mass production: The large-scale production of standardized products, especially in the manufacturing industry, pioneered by Henry Ford to create affordable automobiles.

• Assembly line: A manufacturing process introduced by Henry Ford that uses conveyor belts and workers performing specific tasks, allowing for the rapid production of cars and other goods.

• Interchangeable parts: A system of creating identical parts that can be easily substituted for one another in machines or products, introduced by Eli Whitney (not Alexander G. Bell).

• Pasteurization: The process of heating liquids to kill harmful bacteria, developed by Louis Pasteur, improving public health and food safety.

• Übermensch (Superman) vs. Untermensch (Subhuman): Philosophical ideas from Friedrich Nietzsche, where the Übermensch is an individual who transcends conventional morality, while the Untermensch refers to those deemed inferior, often used in racist ideologies.

• Henry Ford: Founder of Ford Motor Company and a key figure in introducing the assembly line, mass production, and affordable cars.

• Orville & Wilbur Wright: American inventors who built the first successful powered airplane in 1903, revolutionizing aviation.

• Joseph Lister: British surgeon who pioneered antiseptic surgery, reducing infection rates and improving surgical outcomes.

• Louis Pasteur: French scientist best known for his work in microbiology, including developing pasteurization and creating vaccines for rabies and anthrax.

• Charles Darwin: English naturalist who developed the theory of evolution by natural selection, fundamentally changing biology and our understanding of life.

• Special Creation Theory vs. Evolution: The Special Creation Theory holds that life was created by a divine force, while Evolution, supported by Charles Darwin, suggests that species evolved through natural processes over time.

• Gregor Mendel: Father of modern genetics, his studies on pea plants established the fundamental laws of inheritance, contributing to the understanding of genetic traits.

• John Dalton: British scientist who developed the atomic theory and the concept of the atom, laying the groundwork for modern chemistry.

• Dmitri Mendeleev: Russian chemist who created the periodic table of elements, organizing them by atomic mass and predicting the properties of undiscovered elements.

• Marie and Pierre Curie: Renowned scientists who discovered radium and polonium, conducting pioneering research in radioactivity, which led to advancements in nuclear science.

• Herbert Spencer: British philosopher who applied the theory of evolution to sociology and social development, coining the term "survival of the fittest" to describe social progress.

• Friedrich Nietzsche: German philosopher who critiqued traditional morality and religion, advocating for individualism and the concept of the Übermensch (Superman).

Topic #2: Women Sought Rights and Freedoms at the Turn of the Century

• Suffrage: The right to vote, especially women's struggle for the right to vote in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, led by figures like Lucretia Mott and Susan B. Anthony in the U.S. and Emmeline Pankhurst in the UK.

• The Cult of Domesticity: A 19th-century ideal that women’s primary role was in the home, emphasizing virtues like piety, purity, and domesticity, often used to limit women's participation in public life.

• Petition drive: A campaign for social change through collecting signatures to demand action, commonly used by women’s rights activists to secure suffrage and legal reforms.

• Hunger strike: A form of protest where individuals refuse to eat, famously used by suffragettes like Emmeline Pankhurst to demand women's voting rights.

• Lucretia Mott and Susan B. Anthony: Early American women's rights leaders who worked together to advocate for women’s suffrage and social reforms, including the Seneca Falls Convention.

• The International Council for Women (ICW): A global organization founded in 1888 to promote women's rights across different nations, connecting women's rights movements around the world.

• Emmeline Pankhurst: Leader of the British suffragette movement, founder of the Women’s Social and Political Union (WSPU), known for her militant tactics to win women's voting rights in the UK.

• Women’s Social and Political Union (WSPU): A militant suffragette organization founded by Emmeline Pankhurst and her daughters in the UK, known for direct actions like protests and hunger strikes to demand the right to vote.

Topic #3: Escalating Tension Pre-1914

• Kaiser: The title of the emperors of Germany, notably Wilhelm II, who ruled during the buildup to World War I and was an important figure in European tensions leading to the war.

• Bundesrat: The upper house of the German Parliament, representing the states of Germany. It was part of the complex German political structure during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

• Chancellor: The head of government in Germany. Otto von Bismarck was a prominent Chancellor who unified Germany in the 19th century and implemented social welfare programs.

• Reichstag: The German Parliament, the lower house, that was part of the legislative process and a key institution in German politics during the early 20th century.

• Social insurance program: A series of government programs introduced by Otto von Bismarck in Germany to provide health, accident, and pension insurance for workers, aimed at social stability.

• Otto von Bismarck: Chancellor of Germany, credited with uniting the German states into the German Empire in 1871, and creating a series of social reforms like insurance programs.

• La Belle Époque: A period in Europe, particularly in France, from the late 19th century to the start of World War I, known for cultural flourishing, economic prosperity, and optimism.

• William II: Kaiser of Germany from 1888 to 1918, whose aggressive policies and militarism contributed to the tensions that led to World War I.

• Anarchist: A person who advocates for the abolition of all forms of government and authority, with notable anarchist movements in Europe during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

• David Lloyd George: British Prime Minister during World War I, who was instrumental in wartime policy and post-war negotiations, including the Treaty of Versailles.

• Pogrom: Violent attacks against Jewish communities, especially in Eastern Europe, often occurring with the support or acquiescence of authorities, particularly in Tsarist Russia.

• “People’s Budget”: A 1909 proposal by David Lloyd George in Britain to introduce taxes on the wealthy to fund social welfare programs and reforms.

• “Sick Man of Europe”: A term used to describe the declining Ottoman Empire, which was seen as weak and vulnerable to territorial losses and political instability.