Unit 2: Evolving Identities and the Nation State Flashcards
(39 cards)
abdicate
to give up or renounce (authority, duties, an office, etc.)
absolute monarch
a king or queen who has unlimited power (autocratic power) over a territory and its people (subjects)
An absolute monarch has all the decision-making power when ruling over his or her kingdom. An absolute monarch has either inherited the position or has taken it by force.
Ancien Régime
(“Old Regime” in English): feudal conditions that existed in France before the French Revolution
Aristocracy
a small privileged class of people who were noble (high social rank) by birth
“Nobility” is another word for aristocracy. In addition to the monarchy, the aristocracy held most of the power and wealth in European feudal societies. No one could enter the aristocracy from another class; one had to be born into it.
autocratic
having absolute control over people as in autocratic rule.
The people have little or no say in their government because the ruler has complete control over the people’s lives
clergy
the officials of a religious organization or order
For example, in the Catholic church the officials are the priests, bishops, etc. In a protestant church, the clergy might be called ministers or pastors
conservatism
a belief that society should remain the way it has traditionally been
However, if a society must change, then it should be changed slowly and only through the already existing political and economic system — without revolutions. Conservatism today supports capitalism and calls for little or no government intervention in the economy. In earlier times, conservatism supported absolute monarchs and their power over their subjects.
constitution
a set of rules or laws that determines how a country shall be run
A country’s constitution defines the government’s structure, how people are appointed or elected to the government, what land or territory belongs to the country, and how laws are made.
constitutional monarchy
government by a monarch whose power has been limited by a constitution; the same as a “limited monarch”
The limited monarch does not have absolute power, but must abide by the rules and regulations set out in the constitution. Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom is a limited monarch because the elected British parliament has all the decision-making power. The Queen is limited by the British constitution as to what she can or cannot do.
coronation
the act or ceremony of crowning a monarch; legal recognition of king or queen
dictator
a ruler with absolute power and authority
Usually, a dictator obtains his (or her) position through force.
dictatorship
a form of government in which one person has complete control over the country and its citizens
Usually this person, called a dictator, has obtained the position through force.
divine right of kings
the theory that the monarch has received his or her right to rule from God, rather than from the people
egalitarianism
a belief in human equality, especially with respect to social, political, legal, and economic rights and privileges; an equitable or fair social structure
emigré
(French) literally, a person who has “migrated out”; often a political self-exile
For example, during the French Revolution, many of the nobility of France fled the country. They were called emigrés.
Enlightenment
the Age of Enlightenment; an eighteenth-century movement in European philosophy that advocated reason as the primary basis of authority
The Enlightenment was revolutionary in its ideals of using scientific reason in determining social, religious, and political values and customs.
estate
in France, a social class (group) of people such as the noblemen or peasant class
feudal system
feudalism: the political, social, and economic structure of medieval society that remained in parts of Europe into the 1700s
Feudalism involved the loyalties of peasants (low or common class of people) to the nobility (class of people with high birth or rank). Feudalism was a system in which a small percentage of society (clergy and nobility) had most of the rights and privileges, while the common people (the peasants) had few rights and did most of the labour.
French Revolution
(1789–1799) a period of political and social upheaval in France that spread ultimately throughout Europe
The French governmental structure (an absolute monarchy with feudal privileges for the aristocracy (nobility) and Catholic clergy) change radically to a form based on Enlightenment principles of democracy, citizenship, and inalienable rights. Nationalism was an integral part of the French Revolution.
Girondin
during the French Revolution, a part of the Jacobin political group (See Jacobin glossary entry.)
The Girondins were opposed to the monarchy but not as violently as the more radical Jacobins were. Radical Jacobins wanted to abolish the monarchy completely, but many Girondins were willing to accept a constitutional monarchy. Therefore, the Girondins were moderate or less radical than most Jacobins.
guillotine
a mechanical device designed to decapitate (chop off the head) of criminals; invented by a French doctor, Dr. Guillotine
Jacobin
during the French Revolution, member of the Jacobin Club (1789-1794)
Most members were radical revolutionaries who wanted to abolish the monarchy and have an elected government. The Jacobins were divided between the more radical members who wanted to completely abolish the monarchy and the less radical Girondins, many of whom would have accepted a constitutional monarchy.
ideology
a set of beliefs that help categorize ideas about the way in which society should be organized
An ideology may also be the belief system honoured by a group of people or a country. For example, democracy is an ideology that describes how a society can be organized politically. Democracy is part of the belief system honoured by Canadians, their ideology.
individualism
belief in the primary importance of the individual and in the virtues of self-reliance and personal independence
