Regents study guide Flashcards
(36 cards)
The Age of Absolutism (1600s-1700s)
A) The Age of Absolutism was the period in European history when nations were governed (ruled) by absolute monarchs.
B) The term “monarch” means “king.” Absolute monarchs were kings who had total control over the nations that they ruled.
C) Key characteristics/features of absolute monarchs:
1) Absolute monarchs centralized political control, which means that they did not share power with anyone else.
2) Absolute monarchs believed in Divine Right, which was the idea that kings received their power to rule directly from God.
3) Absolute monarchs believed that their power was unlimited. They made laws without the consent (approval) of the people.
D) Some important absolute monarchs include:
1) Peter the Great- He was the absolute monarch of Russia. He also westernized Russia, which means that he imitated the customs and traditions of countries in Western Europe in order to strengthen his nation.
2) Louis XIV- He was the absolute monarch of France.
3) Philip II- He was the absolute monarch of Spain.
4) Henry VIII- He was the absolute monarch of England.
5) Suleiman the Magnificent- He was the absolute monarch of the Ottoman Empire.
6) NOTE: In addition to knowing that these men were absolute monarchs, the Regents also wants you to know that Peter the Great, Louis XIV, and Suleiman the Magnificent helped expand (enlarge) the territory of their nations by taking over neighboring lands.
Scientific Revolution (1500s-1600s)
A) The Scientific Revolution was a sudden and dramatic change in how people viewed the world. B) During the Scientific Revolution, science and reason (logic) were used to explain how the world worked. People no longer turned only to the Bible and the Catholic Church for answers.
C) Key people of the Scientific Revolution:
1) Copernicus- Astronomer who developed the Heliocentric Theory- The idea that the planets revolve around the sun.
2) Galileo Galilei- Astronomer who proved that Copernicus was correct. He was put on trial by the Catholic Church because his ideas contradicted (went against) its teachings.
3) 3) Sir Isaac Newton- Mathematician and astronomer who developed calculus and the theory of gravity.
4) Johannes Kepler- Astronomer who helped discover how planets move.
5) Descartes- Mathematician, scientist, and philosopher.
D) Key effects (results) of the Scientific Revolution:
1) It resulted in the spread of new ideas throughout Europe.
2) It challenged the traditional authority (power) of the Catholic Church since European scientists proved that many Church teachings were incorrect.
3) The new ideas of this period directly led to the Enlightenment (SEE NEXT TOPIC).
The Enlightenment (170
A) The Enlightenment was the period in European history when reason (logic) was used to understand and improve society. In fact, the Enlightenment is often called “The Age of Reason.
B) Key ideas of the Enlightenment:
1) Enlightenment philosophers believed that society could be improved by using reason (logic) and natural law (universal rules that are always true).
2) Enlightenment philosophers believed that governments receive their authority (power) from the people (NOT from God).
3) Enlightenment philosophers believed in democracy (a gov’t where the people have a say).
4) NOTE: The Regents likes you to know that the Scientific Revolution and the
Enlightenment both encouraged the spread of new ideas and the use of reason
C) Key people of the Enlightenment:
1) John Locke- He believed that all people have natural rights (the right to life, liberty, and property). He also said that people have the right to overthrow governments that fail to protect these rights.
2) Baron de Montesquieu- In order to prevent kings from being too strong, he believed that power in government should be divided into three branches (executive, legislative, judicial) so that there is a separation of powers and a system of checks and balances.
3) Voltaire- He believed that everyone is entitled to freedom of speech and freedom of religion.
4) Rousseau- He believed that society is a social contract (an agreement in which all people agree to work for the common good of society).
D) Key effects (results) of the Enlightenment:
1) Since Enlightenment philosophers believed that people can overthrow unfair
governments, the Enlightenment helped cause political revolutions in France, Latin America, and the United States (SEE NEXT TOPIC BELOW).
2) Enlightened Despots- These were European kings and queens who believed in Enlightenment ideas and ruled using Enlightenment principles (ideas)
Political Revolutions
A political revolution is an event in which the people of a country overthrow an existing government and create a new government.
The English Revolution/Glorious Revolution (1689)
A) The English Revolution (also called the Glorious Revolution) is the event in which the people of England successfully limited the power of their monarchs (kings).
B) The English Revolution took place because people in England believed that the absolute monarchs of England were unfair and had too much power.
C) Key effects (results) of the English Revolution/Glorious Revolution
1) England’s government became a limited (or constitutional) monarchy- This is a form of government in which the power of monarchs (kings) is limited (decreased) by written laws.
2) Below is a list of laws that each limited the power of the English king in some way: a) The Magna Carta
b) The Petition of Right
c) The English Bill of Rights
d) Habeas Corpus
e) NOTE: As a result of these laws, English kings had to share power with Parliament (the lawmaking body of the English government that represents the people).
French Revolution and Napoleon (1789-1815)
A) The French Revolution was the event in which the people of France overthrew their king (Louis XVI) and fought for more rights.
B) Key causes of (reasons for) the French Revolution:
1) French society was divided into three estates (social classes). The people of the Third Estate were mostly peasants. They were angry that they had very few rights and paid the highest taxes (even though they had the least money).
2) France was ruled by absolute monarchs. The French people believed that these kings abused their power and denied (took away) the rights of the people.
3) The ideas of the Enlightenment inspired the French people to overthrow their unfair kings and to create a new government that protected their rights.
4) France was in an economic crisis- The kings spent too much money and put France in debt.
C) Key events of the French Revolution:
1) Declaration of the Rights of Man- This was a document written during the French Revolution that gave equal rights to the men of France and created a fair system of taxation.
2) Reign of Terror- This was an event where the leaders of the French Revolution executed thousands of people that they believed were loyal to the king. The Jacobins were the radical (extreme) group leading this event and Robespierre was the leader of the Jacobins.
D) Key effects (results) of the French Revolution:
1) King Louis XVI of France was executed by Robespierre and the Jacobins.
2) The middle class of France gained more power and rights.
E) Napoleon Bonaparte
1) Napoleon Bonaparte was the ruler who came to power at the end of the French Revolution.
2) He expanded (enlarged) French territory by conquering neighboring lands in Europe. By doing so, he made French people feel nationalism (pride in their country).
3) NOTE: The Regents wants you to know that Napoleon was finally defeated in 1812 because he made a big error (mistake): He invaded Russia during the winter and the freezing climate (weather) of Russia killed thousands of his soldiers. The same mistake was later made by Hitler during WWII.
Latin American Revolutions (1800-1830)
A) The Latin American Revolutions were the events where the colonies of Latin America (Central America, South America, and the Caribbean) fought to gain independence (self-government) from Spain, Portugal, and France.
D) NOTE: After gaining independence, attempts were made to unify (combine) the different areas of Latin America in order to form one country. These attempts failed because Latin America has many natural boundaries (i.e.- Andes Mountains, Amazon Rainforest, etc.) that prevent communication between regions.
Key Events of World War II
A) Invasion of Poland- This event started WWII. Poland was quickly defeated by Germany because Poland lacks natural boundaries (i.e.- it has very flat plains that were easy to conquer).
B) Pearl Harbor- Japan launched a surprise attack against the United States. This event brought us into World War II.
C) NOTE: The Regents wants you to know that Hitler failed to conquer Russia (the Soviet Union) at the Battle of Stalingrad because of the harsh climate (severe winter) and large size of the nation. The same was true of Napoleon Bonaparte 130 years earlier. Geography has always been Russia’s best defense.
D) D-Day Invasion- This was the beginning of the final Allied push against Germany. It resulted in the eventual defeat of Germany.
E) Atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki- This was the final event of World War II. The U.S. dropped two atomic bombs on Japan. Japan surrendered soon after.
F) The Holocaust
1) This was the event during World War II in which Hitler and the Nazis tried to kill all Jews in Europe. 6 million Jews and 6 million non-Jews were killed during this event.
2) The Holocaust is an example of genocide- the attempt to exterminate (kill off) an entire group of people. All genocides are considered human rights violations.
Effects (Results) of World War II: UN
A) Formation of the United Nations
1) The United Nations is the organization that was created after World War II in order to solve international problems (like poverty and disease) and prevent future wars.
2) 191 nations (almost the entire world) currently belong to the United Nations.
3) The United Nations is made of 6 main bodies. 4 of them are:
a) The Security Council- Keeps peace between nations.
b) International Court of Justice- Settles disputes between countries.
c) General Assembly- Votes on key policies of the United Nations.
d) Secretariat- Responsible for day-to-day administration of the United Nations.
4) Declaration of Human Rights- This was a document created by the United Nations that lists the rights that ALL people should have within their nations. This includes the right to freedom of speech, the right to life, and the right to participate in government.
Effects (Results) of World War II: Nuremberg Trials
1) This is the court case where the surviving Nazis who helped Hitler carry out the Holocaust were put on trial.
2) 19 Nazi leaders were executed or sentenced to imprisonment as a result of “crimes against humanity” (i.e.- genocide).
3) NOTE: The Nuremberg Trials are important because they demonstrated that individuals in government could be held accountable (responsible) for their actions
The Cold War (1945-1991)
A) The Cold War was a 50 year struggle between the United States (a democratic nation) and the Soviet Union (a communist nation) after World War II. It is called a “cold” war because the United States and the Soviet Union never directly fought each other.
B) Key events and characteristics/features of the Cold War:
1) After World War II, the Soviet Union took over the small nations of Eastern Europe and turned them into communist satellites (i.e.- nations dominated by the Soviet Union).
2) “Iron Curtain”- This was a term used by Winston Churchill to describe the imaginary line dividing the democratic countries of Western Europe from the communist countries of Eastern Europe.
3) Containment- This was the policy used by the United States in which it attempted to stop the spread of communism. Two examples of containment were:
a) Truman Doctrine- The United States gave $400 million in economic and military aid to Greece and Turkey to help them defeat communist groups within their
countries.
b) Marshall Plan- The United States gave $13 billion to the countries of Western
Europe to help them rebuild after World War II.
4) Crisis in Germany
a) After World War II, Germany was divided into 2 nations. West Germany became a democratic nation. East Germany became a communist nation controlled by
the Soviet Union.
b) Berlin Wall- Concrete wall built by the Communists around the city of West
Berlin to prevent people in East Germany from fleeing to West Germany.
c) Berlin Airlift- Event in which the United States, Britain, and France flew in
supplies to the people of West Berlin after Stalin set up a blockade.
5) Military alliances- Both the United States and Soviet Union formed their own military alliances in order to be prepared for a possible war:
a) NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization)- This was a military alliance between the United States, Canada, and the democratic nations of Western Europe. The
nations of this alliance agreed than an attack on one nation in the alliance was
considered to be an attack on all of the nations of the alliance.
b) Warsaw Pact- This was a military alliance between the Soviet Union and the
other Communist nations of Eastern Europe.
6) Hungarian Revolution of 1956- When Hungary (a communist satellite controlled by the Soviet Union) tried to break away from Soviet control, the Soviet Union sent in the army and repressed (ended) the rebellion.
7) Arms Race- The United States and Soviet Union competed to build up the largest supply of nuclear weapons.
8) Cuban Missile Crisis
a) Began when the United States discovered that the Soviet Union was building
missile bases in Cuba (a new Communist nation) and pointing nuclear missiles at
the United States.
b) The crisis ended when the Soviet Union agreed to remove the missiles.
c) This event is the closest the world has ever come to nuclear war between
countries.
9) NOTE: During the Cold War, Korea and Vietnam (two nations in East Asia) were each divided into 2 separate countries. One side of each country became communist and the other side became democratic. The Korean War and the Vietnam War were the result of this situation. Today, North Korea is still communist and South Korea is still democratic. After the Vietnam War, all of Vietnam became one united communist nation.
