Notes

absolute monarchy A form of government in which the king believes that they hold supreme power and are responsible for their actions to God alone.
anarchy absence of any form of political authority or political institutions.
arbitration the settling of a dispute by following the guidelines of an impartial person.
aristocracy social level at the top of the class system.
autocracy rule by one person with unlimited power.
BCE stands for "Before the common era." It is expected to eventually replace BC, which means "Before Christ,"
bourgeoisie the middle class; social class between the very wealthy and the working class.
CE CE stands for "Common Era." It is a relatively new term that is experiencing increased usage and is expected to eventually replace AD. AD is an abbreviation for "Anno Domini" in Latin or "the
chancellor the chief minister of some European countries.
colony a permanent settlement formed by a country in a distant land that remains under its control.
conscription forced enrollment in the armed forces; draft.
constitutional monarchy A government in which a monarch’s power is limited by a constitution.
cortes parliament set up in Spain.
creole a white aristocrat born in colonial Latin America.
dictatorship A government under the rule of someone having absolute power.
diet parliament or legislative assembly.
disenfranchised deprived of the right to vote.
divine right The doctrine that holds that monarchs derive their power directly from and are accountable only to God.
Duma an elected national legislature in Russia between 1905 and 1917.
emancipation freeing someone from oppression, slavery, or bondage.
émigrés persons who fled France in hopes of gaining support to restore Louis XVI to power.
estate A class in France during the 1700s, such as the nobility, clergy, or commoners, possessing distinct political rights.
guerrilla warfare fighting by small, mobile groups that employ hit-and-run tactics.
imperialism a policy of extending a nation’s authority over other areas of the world.
junkers aristocratic landowners in Germany.
kaiser an emperor of Germany.
kulturekampf cultural struggle between church and state in Germany.
liberalism desire to change government to promote civil liberties, democratic reforms, and social progress.
mercenary hired for service in an army of a foreign country.
mestizo A person born of mixed Native American and white ancestry.
mulatto A person born of mixed African and white ancestry.
nationalism desire for self-rule and restoration of their customs and traditions.
nation-state a political organization composed of one nation inhabited by one group of people.
nihilists members of a Russian movement in the 1800s that rejected traditional values and advocated assassination and terrorism.
papal infallibility Roman Catholic doctrine stating that the pope is free from error when he speaks on matters of faith and morals.
peninsulares colonial leaders born in Spain or Portugal.
plebiscite a direct vote in which all people were allowed to participate.
pogrom an organized slaughter of a minority group.
reactionary one who opposes progress or liberalism.
realpolitik the right of the state to pursue its own advantage by any means.
republic nation in which voters choose representatives to govern themselves.
revolution the violent overthrow of a government.
risorgimento resurgence or revival, name given to the movement for Italian unity.
russification to make Russian in character.
scorched-earth policy process by which you burn everything before your enemy gets a chance to replenish their own resources.
secede to withdraw formally from an alliance or union.
sectionalism excessive devotion to local political and economic interests without regard for interests in other regions.
succor something that furnishes help or relief,
suffice to meet or satisfy a need.
suffrage the right to vote.
tithe a tax paid to the Church.
ultraroyalists an extremely conservative French aristocrat in the 1800s.
unicameral one-house legislature.
vales reales unbacked paper money.
viceroy governor
westernization the spreading of European culture to other parts of the world.
zemstvos local council that governed in tsarist Russia.
zollverein economic union formed in Germany.