Key Terms of 18th and 19th Century European History

Posted on Jan 26, 2025 in History

Absolute monarchy: A system of government where the king or queen alone has all the power.
Ancien Régime: The social and political system in France before the 1789 Revolution.
Bill of Rights: A statute which guarantees the rights of the individual citizen.
Bourgeoisie: The rich, educated class including factory owners, merchants, and bankers.
Clergy: Priests, bishops, and other ministers of the church.
Enlightened despot: An absolute monarch who ruled according to the principles of Enlightenment.
Nobility: The people of the highest social group in society, the aristocracy.
Privileged: Because of one’s high social position, having advantages that others do not possess.
Unprivileged: Because of one’s low social position, not having advantages that others do possess.

Economic liberalism: The belief that defends private property and the freedom of trade and industry.
Mercantilism: The economic system of limiting imports and increasing exports in order to accumulate wealth.
Subsistence farming: Agriculture which produces only enough crops for people to live on.

Enlightenment: An intellectual movement which believed in reason, science, and knowledge.
Political liberalism: The belief that governments should promote the liberty of the individual and freedom of choice.
Right to vote: The right to participate in choosing the government by means of elections.
Separation of powers: When executive, legislative, and judicial powers are in the hands of different people.
Executive branch: The part of government which makes sure that laws are enforced.
Judicial branch: The part of government which deals with justice and the interpretation of laws.
Legislative branch: The part of government which makes laws and prepares the state budget.

Battle of Waterloo: The battle in 1815 where Napoleon was finally defeated.
Congress of Vienna: A conference held in Vienna in 1815 to reorganize Europe after the Napoleonic wars.
Constitutional monarchy: A monarchy with a constitution defining and limiting the monarch’s powers.
Consulate: The government of France from the end of the Directory to the start of Napoleon’s empire (1799-1804).
Convention: The government of France from 1792 to the formation of the Directory in 1795.
Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen: An official statement of man’s right to liberty, equality, and property.
Girondist: A member of a group of moderate republicans in revolutionary France.
Great Fear: The peasant rebellion against the aristocracy when farms and palaces were burnt.
Holy Alliance: An agreement signed in 1815 between Russia, Austria, and Prussia.
Jacobin: A member of a group of radical republicans in revolutionary France.
Liberalism: An ideology and doctrine which says that people are free and have fundamental rights.
Nation: A group of people with cultural ties who choose to live together.
Nationalism: The ideology which advocates the rights of nations to create their own state.
Sans-culotte: A radical left-wing republican in revolutionary France.
Suffrage: The right to vote in elections.
Veto: To refuse to allow something.