Period 3: Terms List A

Enlightenment: movement based on the attempt to understand society and government by applying the Scientific Method; applied natural laws to people and governments

nationalism: belief/movement that supports the idea that a people with a common culture/ethnicity, language, history, and/or territory should have its own government and loyalty to the group

empiricism: method of studying the world and using observations and experiments to test hypotheses and record results

philosophe: Enlightenment thinker/writer/philosopher who used satire (writing about a fictional or exaggerated world/event to criticize society) and educational books to challenge religion, government, and society; studied history and used empiricism to try to build the perfect government/society; shared ideas in salons where wealthy women and men hosted debates and discussions

social contract: agreement by which citizens give up specific powers to the government in exchange for protection; basis of government

laissez-faire: economic term that calls for the government to be completely separated from the economy; no tariffs, monopolies, or government support for businesses; based on the belief that without government interference, people will naturally create an economy that benefits the most people

capitalism: economic system based on the government not interfering with the economy; based on the belief that consumers will only buy goods that they want at the “fair” price which will make producers/merchants find ways to make and sell better goods for less; uses the system of supply and demand to explain how prices will be set

Conservatism: political belief that the government should be limited to protect individual freedoms; resists change and preserves tradition/continuity; based on the belief that government should not try to fix social problems with major changes but to provide stability and support

Fabian Society: British group that wanted to slowly introduce socialism into the government instead of overthrowing it and starting over; believed that the government should address and end social injustice and inequality 

Classical liberalism: political belief that governments should not threaten individual freedoms (speech, religion, press, assembly, etc.); people should be able to do what they want without threatening another person’s liberty; government is necessary to protect freedom but has to be checked to prevent people from abusing that power

feminism: movement that challenged the patriarchy’s belief that women are inferior to men and should be in a subservient role; not demanding full equality and still accepting that men and women are naturally different but wanted women to have more political, educational, and economic rights

Zionism: 19^th century movement that wanted to create a Jewish country and government in Palestine; reaction against government and social movements to restrict or remove Jewish people and influences from countries in Afro-Eurasia

anti-Semitism: beliefs or actions that threaten Jewish people, ideas, cultures, societies; belief that Jewish people cannot be full members of a non-Jewish government or society because their religion separates them from others

Dreyfus Affair: political scandal in France caused when a French military officer Alfred Dreyfus was falsely accused and convicted of giving French military information to the German government; the French people and Catholic Church used his Jewish religion as a reason to convict him, and the French government tried to hide information that proved his innocence

Estates System: organization of social classes in pre-Revolution France with different expectations, rights, and protections; First Estate was the clergy, Second Estate was the nobility, and Third Estate was the rest of the population  

sans-culottes: middle and working-class French citizens who wanted more representation in government during the French Revolution

Committee of Public Safety: government organization created during the French Revolution and led by Robespierre; responsible for protecting the government from internal and external threats and responsible for the Reign of Terror

grands blancs: people of European descent who owned land and plantations in Haiti; considered themselves members of the 2nd Estate in France (landowners) who should receive special privileges from the government, like lower taxes

petit blancs: people of European descent who did not own land but who aligned with the 3rd Estate in the French and Haitian Revolution

Seneca Falls Convention: 1848 meeting in Seneca Falls, New York to organize the American women’s rights movement; produced the Declaration of Sentiments, which used Enlightenment ideas to support equality for women

Reign of Terror (1793-1794): period in which Maximilien Robespierre and the Jacobins controlled France and executed perceived threats to their power; targeted foreigners, people loyal to the monarchy, clergy, and wealthy people

Congress of Vienna: group that met from 1814-1815 to reorganize European governments and territories after Napoleon was defeated; goal was a balance of power to prevent any European government from becoming a threat to the others but gave territories to other governments without considering how this would impact the people who lived there

Realpolitik: “real politics” or the belief that governments should not focus on ideals but work with what is actually possible; based on the belief that a government should act in its own interests without trying to be morally right; ends justify the means

Chartist Movement attempt by artisans and workers in Britain to gain the vote during the 1840’s

Centralists: Latin American politicians who favored strong, centralized national governments with broad powers; often supported by conservative politicians.

Federalists: Latin American politicians who favored regional governments rather than centralized administrations; often supported by liberal politicians.

Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo (1848): ratified by the United States; Mexico lost one-half of its territory.

Romanticism artistic and literary movement in the 19^th century; held that emotion and impression were the keys to understanding the human experience and nature

socialism: economic system in which the government makes some decisions about businesses and regulates working conditions and pay, but businesses are still owned privately

communism: economic philosophy in which all means of production would be owned by the people and there would be no private property because all goods and services would be shared equitably