the modern period unit 4 study guides

Key Concepts and Definitions

• Nation-state: a sovereign state with a centralized government and a shared national identity among its citizens
• Sovereignty: the supreme authority of a state to govern itself and make decisions independently
• Nationalism: a sense of loyalty and devotion to one's nation, often accompanied by a desire for political self-determination
• Westphalian sovereignty: the principle that each nation-state has exclusive sovereignty over its territory, established by the Peace of Westphalia (1648)
  • Marked the end of the Thirty Years' War and the Holy Roman Empire's authority over European states
• Social contract theory: the idea that individuals surrender some freedoms to a government in exchange for protection and stability, as proposed by philosophers like Thomas Hobbes and John Locke
• Divine right of kings: the belief that monarchs derive their authority from God and are accountable only to God, not their subjects
• Absolutism: a system of government in which the monarch holds supreme and unlimited power, exemplified by rulers like Louis XIV of France

Historical Context and Precursors

• Feudalism: the dominant social and political system in medieval Europe, characterized by a hierarchical structure of lords and vassals
  • Decline of feudalism due to factors like the Black Death, the Hundred Years' War, and the rise of towns and commerce
• Renaissance: a period of cultural, artistic, and intellectual revival in Europe from the 14th to the 17th centuries, which emphasized humanism and individualism
• Reformation: a religious movement in the 16th century that challenged the authority of the Catholic Church and led to the establishment of Protestant denominations
  • Contributed to the weakening of the Holy Roman Empire and the rise of independent states
• Age of Exploration: a period of European overseas exploration and colonization from the 15th to the 17th centuries, driven by advances in navigation and the desire for trade and wealth
  • Led to the establishment of global empires and the spread of European influence
• Thirty Years' War (1618-1648): a series of conflicts in Europe involving religious, dynastic, and territorial disputes, which ended with the Peace of Westphalia and the recognition of state sovereignty

Factors Contributing to Nation-State Formation

• Centralization of power: the consolidation of political authority in the hands of a monarch or a central government, often through the creation of a professional bureaucracy and a standing army
• Economic development: the growth of trade, commerce, and industry, which provided resources for state-building and created a middle class with a stake in political stability
• Printing press: the invention of movable type printing by Johannes Gutenberg in the 15th century, which facilitated the spread of ideas and the standardization of language
  • Helped to create a sense of national identity through the dissemination of vernacular literature and political pamphlets
• Enlightenment: an intellectual movement in the 18th century that emphasized reason, individualism, and progress, and challenged traditional authority
  • Influenced the development of political ideologies like liberalism and republicanism
• Revolutions: political upheavals that challenged the existing order and led to the establishment of new forms of government, such as the American Revolution (1765-1783) and the French Revolution (1789-1799)

Major Nation-States and Their Development

• France: the emergence of a centralized monarchy under the Bourbon dynasty, particularly during the reign of Louis XIV (1643-1715), who embodied the principles of absolutism
  • The French Revolution and the subsequent Napoleonic Wars (1803-1815) led to the spread of nationalist and revolutionary ideas across Europe
• England/Great Britain: the development of a constitutional monarchy and a parliamentary system following the English Civil War (1642-1651) and the Glorious Revolution (1688)
  • The Act of Union (1707) united England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain
• Spain: the unification of Castile and Aragon under the Habsburg dynasty in the 15th century, followed by a period of global expansion and the establishment of a vast colonial empire
  • Decline in the 17th century due to economic and political challenges, including the Dutch Revolt and the Thirty Years' War
• Prussia: the rise of a powerful militaristic state under the Hohenzollern dynasty, particularly during the reign of Frederick the Great (1740-1786)
  • Played a key role in the unification of Germany in the 19th century
• Russia: the expansion and modernization of the Russian Empire under the Romanov dynasty, particularly during the reign of Peter the Great (1682-1725)
  • Emergence as a major European power through territorial expansion and political reforms

Political and Social Transformations

• Absolute monarchy: the concentration of power in the hands of a single ruler, often justified by the divine right of kings, as exemplified by Louis XIV of France
• Constitutional monarchy: a system of government in which the monarch's power is limited by a constitution and a representative assembly, as developed in England/Great Britain
• Republicanism: a political ideology that emphasizes the importance of civic virtue, popular sovereignty, and the rejection of hereditary rule, as embodied by the American and French Revolutions
• Liberalism: a political philosophy that emphasizes individual rights, limited government, and free markets, as articulated by thinkers like John Locke and Adam Smith
• Secularization: the process of separating political authority from religious influence, as reflected in the Enlightenment idea of the separation of church and state
• Social hierarchies: the transformation of traditional social structures based on birth and privilege, with the emergence of a middle class and the concept of social mobility
  • The French Revolution's abolition of feudalism and the declaration of equality before the law

Economic Impacts and Industrialization

• Mercantilism: an economic policy that emphasized the accumulation of wealth through trade surpluses and the establishment of colonies, as practiced by European powers in the 17th and 18th centuries
• Agricultural revolution: the improvement of agricultural techniques and the enclosure of common lands, which increased food production and freed up labor for industry
• Industrial Revolution: the transition from manual labor to mechanized manufacturing, which began in Britain in the late 18th century and spread to other parts of Europe and North America
  • The development of new technologies like the steam engine, the spinning jenny, and the power loom
• Urbanization: the growth of cities and the migration of rural populations to urban areas, driven by the demand for industrial labor and the improvement of transportation networks
• Economic nationalism: the promotion of domestic industry and trade through tariffs, subsidies, and other protectionist measures, as exemplified by the American System in the early 19th century

Cultural and Ideological Shifts

• Enlightenment: an intellectual movement that emphasized reason, individualism, and progress, and challenged traditional authority and superstition
  • The influence of thinkers like Voltaire, Montesquieu, and Rousseau on political and social reforms
• Romanticism: an artistic and literary movement that emphasized emotion, imagination, and the beauty of nature, as a reaction against the rationalism of the Enlightenment
  • The celebration of national identity and the glorification of the past, as reflected in the works of writers like Johann Wolfgang von Goethe and Victor Hugo
• Nationalism: the emergence of a strong sense of national identity and pride, often based on shared language, culture, and history
  • The unification movements in Germany and Italy in the 19th century, led by figures like Otto von Bismarck and Giuseppe Garibaldi
• Secularization: the decline of religious influence in public life and the rise of secular values and institutions
  • The separation of church and state in the United States Constitution and the French Revolution's de-Christianization campaigns
• Scientific revolution: the advancement of scientific knowledge and the application of rational inquiry to the natural world, as exemplified by the works of Isaac Newton and Galileo Galilei
  • The challenge to traditional religious authority and the promotion of a mechanistic worldview

Legacy and Global Implications

• Colonialism: the establishment of European control over vast territories in Africa, Asia, and the Americas, often justified by the idea of the "civilizing mission" and the superiority of Western culture
  • The scramble for Africa in the late 19th century and the partition of the continent among European powers
• Imperialism: the extension of a nation's power and influence through military, political, and economic dominance, as exemplified by the British Empire and the United States' Monroe Doctrine
• Decolonization: the process of former colonies gaining independence and sovereignty, often through nationalist movements and armed struggles
  • The wave of decolonization in the mid-20th century, with the emergence of new nation-states in Africa and Asia
• Globalization: the increasing interconnectedness of the world through trade, communication, and cultural exchange, facilitated by advances in transportation and technology
  • The spread of Western culture and values, as well as the rise of global institutions like the United Nations and the World Trade Organization
• International relations: the development of a system of diplomacy and international law based on the principles of state sovereignty and non-interference
  • The Concert of Europe in the early 19th century and the establishment of the League of Nations after World War I
• Legacy of nationalism: the persistence of nationalist ideologies and movements, both as a force for self-determination and as a source of conflict and division
  • The role of nationalism in the outbreak of World War I and the rise of fascist regimes in the interwar period