World History Study Guide from 1648

This is the growing list of study terms for World history, from 1648 (the same midpoint used by the CLEP exams) to the present.

This should grow to about 500 terms -- about half non-honors and half honors -- and every term should be described in the table. An examination on this material will be given in late December 2011 or early January 2012.

Regular/non-honors study terms

Term	Definition
Age of Exploration	A time period where nation-states in Europe (mainly England France Portugal and Spain) embarked on expeditions to far lands. The American continents were found during this period.
caravel	A miniature, highly maneuverable, light weight ship developed by the Portuguese. Often used to carry cargo.
England	An imperialistic nation-state based out of the British isles off the coast of Europe. England was also the largest noncontiguous empire in history.
Forbidden City	Imperial palace located in Beijing, China. Used for twenty-four emperors during the Ming and Qing dynasties.
Isaac Newton	(1643-1727) Man who discovered and explained the invisible force of gravity.
The Enlightenment	Characterized by rationalist philosophers challenging assumed beliefs up till the enlightenment. Possibly caused by the Scientific Revolution's ability to explain the universe. Highlights include Voltaire, Hume, Descartes, Kant, Smith, Burke, Jefferson, Locke, and Diderot.
John Locke	(1632-1704) Famous English enlightenment philosopher. Created idea of Government's Social Contract. Created idea of "Social Contract" that prompted protestant rebellion in England and American Revolution.
Voltaire	(1694-1778) Famous French Enlightenment philosopher. Voltaire taught of absolute freedom, but resulting revolution devolved into mindless bloodshed. Nevertheless Voltaire was the leader of the enlightenment and greatest figure in the Enlightenment.
Nation-state	A country in Europe governed by a monarch. These began to develop in the 1400s the largest Three being England, France and Spain.
Monarch	The absolute ruler of a nation-state who is above the law.
capitalism	An economic system that private companies own all capital goods and sell them at a competitive price. This system is almost always successful until excessive government prevails.
Reign of Terror	Started after the execution of Louis XVI when Maximilian Robespierre guillotined numerous alleged enemies, including Marie Antoinette, and ended with his death (1794); a time of terrifying chaos when anyone could be killed for no reason
Napoleon	(lived 1769-1821) Dictator of France after the French Revolution; signed peace treaties with major European enemies, created a successful system of laws known as the Napoleonic Code, and conquered much of continental Europe; defeated at Battle of Waterloo
Battle of Waterloo	1815 Marked the end of Napoleon's reign in France when he was defeated by Prussia and Great Britain
Congress of Vienna	1815 Convention of European nations proposing a balance of powers among the rival nations to ensure than no single nation could threaten the others
Concert of Europe	Established during the Congress of Vienna; alliances between the nations requiring assistance of each other if war broke out, protecting against any revolutions or invasion; adopted changes including the legitimacy of monarchies and growing nationalism in Europe
Edmund Burke	(1729-1797) a conservative Irish statesman in the British parliament who sided with the American colonies in the period leading up to the American Revolution. He coined the phrase "salutary neglect" for the colonies, and his political assessments were often brilliant, as when he predicted a bad outcome for the French Revolution.
David Hume	(1711-1776) A Scottish philosopher and historian who promoted materialism and naturalism rather than spirituality. He was a “skeptic” (non-believer) towards religion, and wrote "A Treatise on Human Nature." Hume believed in relativism rather than absolute truth.
Immanuel Kant	(1724-1804) A leading German philospher, Kant felt that behavior is moral only if it would work as a rule if everyone did it (e.g., littering would thus be immoral). Kant wrote “A Critique of Pure Reason” to criticize the use of pure reason to determine morality.
Declaration of Independence	(1776) Established the right of the people break their "social contract" with a ruler (a king) when he violates natural rights, such as the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Written primarily by Thomas Jefferson
United States Constitution	(1787) The oldest working constitution in the world, it established a masterful design for government.
The Federalist Papers	(1788) Brilliant essays encouraging ratification of the U.S. Constitution, written mostly by Alexander Hamilton and James Madison