Europe: Ch2 Early Modern History

Question 1

Christopher Columbus

Answer 1

Italian sailor, he led a voyage to the Americas in 1492 while trying to find a route east to India and China

Question 2

Renaissance

Answer 2

the period of “rebirth” and creativity that followed Europe’s Middle Ages

Question 3

humanism

Answer 3

the study of history, literature, public speaking, and art that led to a new way of thinking in Europe in the late 1300s

Question 4

Johann Gutenberg

Answer 4

German printer, he eveloped a printing press that used movable type and made book production faster and easier

Question 5

Leonardo da Vinci

Answer 5

Genius of the Renaissance, he was a painter, sculptor, inventor, engineer, town planner, and mapmaker

Question 6

Michelangelo

Answer 6

Italian Renaissance artist, he designed buildings, wrote poetry, and created famous works of art

Question 7

Reformation

Answer 7

a reform movement against the Roman Catholic Church that began in 1517; it resulted in the creation of Protestant churches

Question 8

Catholic Reformation

Answer 8

the effort of the late 1500s and 1600s to reform the Catholic Church from within; also called the Counter-Reformation

Question 9

Martin Luther

Answer 9

German priest, he began the Reformation by nailing a list of complaints above the Catholic Church to a church door

Question 10

Protestant

Answer 10

a Christian who protested against the Catholic Church

Question 11

Scientific Revolution

Answer 11

a series of events that led to the birth of modern science; it lasted from about 1540 to 1700

Question 12

Sir Isaac Newton

Answer 12

English scientist, he identified the laws of gravity and motion and was one of the most influential scientists who ever lived

Question 13

Isabella

Answer 13

Queen of Spain, she helped complete the Reconquista and paid for the voyages of Christopher Columbus

Question 14

Vasco da Gama

Answer 14

Portuguese sailor and explorer, he led the first voyage to reach India from Europe, opening an all-water route to Asia

Question 15

circumnavigate

Answer 15

to go all the way around

Question 16

New World

Answer 16

a term used by Europeans to describe the Americas after the voyages of Christopher Columbus; the Americas were a “New World” to Europeans, who did not know they existed until Columbus’s voyages

Question 17

Enlightenment

Answer 17

a period during the 1600s and 1700s when reason was used to guide people’s thoughts about society, politics, and philosphy

Question 18

English Bill of Rights

Answer 18

a document approved in 1689 that listed rights for Parliament and the English people and drew on the principles of Magna Carta

Question 19

Declaration of Independence

Answer 19

a document written in 1776 that declared the American colonies’ independence from British rule

Question 20

Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen

Answer 20

a document written in France in 1789 that guaranteed specific freedoms for French citizens

Question 21

Reign of Terror

Answer 21

a bloody period of the French REvolution during which the government executed thousands of its opponents and others at the guillotine

Question 22

Napolean Bonaparte

Answer 22

French general, he took over France after the French Revolution and conquered much of Europe

Question 23

industrial revolution

Answer 23

the period of rapid growth in machine-made goods that changed the way people across Europe worked and lived; it began in Britain in the 1700s

Question 24

capitalism

Answer 24

an economic system in which individuals and private businesses run most industries

Question 25

textile

Answer 25

a cloth product

Question 26

suffragettes

Answer 26

women who campaigned to gain the right to vote

Question 27

What are some Italian cities that became rich through trade?

Answer 27

Florence and Venice

Question 28

Traders brough goods to Europe from distand lands, including Africa and Asia. Which seas served as routes for trade?

Answer 28

Mediterranean Sea and Black Sea

Question 29

How do you think the geographic location of the Italian trading cities helped them control trade in the Mediterranean region?

Answer 29

They were centrally located along key trade routes

Question 30

What were some changes made in art during the Renaissance?

Answer 30

• Improved techniques such as 3-D perspective
• Focus on individuals and their unique personalities
• Attempts to learn a wide variety of art forms rather than focusing on just one

Question 31

How did the printing press help spread Renaissance ideas?

Answer 31

It allowed books to be printed quickly and cheaply.

Question 32

What led to the Reformation?

Answer 32

People thought the church had become corrupt. Officials were too focused on their own power and had lost sight of their religious duties.

Question 33

Why did church leaders launch the series of reforms known as the Catholic Reformation?

Answer 33

They wanted to focus more on spiritual concerns and less on political power. They also wanted to make church teachings easier for people to understand.

Question 34

How did European attitudes toward science change in the 1500s and 1600s?

Answer 34

People began placing more importance on what they observed and less on what they were told. They used their observations to come up with logical explanations for how the world worked.

Question 35

What do you think is the greatest advance of the scientific revolution? Why?

Answer 35

Astronomers discovered how the stars and planets move in the sky
Biologist learned how blood circulates throughout the body
Physicists figured out how mirrors and pendulums worked
Newton figured out how gravity worked
Compasses and improvements in shipbuilding aided navigation

Question 36

What drove Europeans to launch the voyages of discovery?

Answer 36

Curiousity, adventure, spreading relgion, and finding riches

Question 37

What enabled Spain to create a huge, powerful empire in the Americas?

Answer 37

They were the first Europeans to reach the Americas. They defeated and enslaved the two largest native empires: Aztecs and Incas.

Question 38

How did other countries’ American colonies differ from Spain’s?

Answer 38

They did not find huge deposits of gold or silver. Instead, they found resources such as wood, furs, rich soil, and different foods.

Question 39

What does “divine right” mean?

Answer 39

Monarchs (kings and queens) thought God gave them the right to rule however they chose.

Question 40

What did enlightenment thinkers believe the purpose of government should be?

Answer 40

to protect and serve the people

Question 41

What was the significance of the English Bill of Rights?

Answer 41

It reinforced the Magna Carta and further limited the monarch’s power

Question 42

Why do you think many Americans consider Thomas Jefferson a hero?

Answer 42

He eloquently explained the reasons for the revolution in the Declaration of Independence and laid the groundwork for the government that would be formed after the war.

Question 43

How successful do you think the French Revolution was? Explain your answer.

Answer 43

It was a partial success. Peasants and workers gained political rights and improved wages. However, Napolean took power shortly thereafter and ruled harshly.

Question 44

How were Napoleon’s forces weakened and then defeated?

Answer 44

Bitterly cold weather and smart Russian tactics weakened Napolean’s army. Great Britain, Prussia, and Russia then joined forces to defeat him.

Question 45

In which country did the start of the industrial revolution take place?

Answer 45

Great Britain because its colonies had the resources necessary for industrial growth

Question 46

How did changes in farming help pave the way for industrial growth?

Answer 46

Wealthy farmers had been buying up land. People used to own small farms had to work for others or move to the cities instead. At the same time, the growing population led people to create new, more efficient farming tools such as the seed drill.

Question 47

What were two inventions that contributed to industrial growth during this period?

Answer 47

Water frame: sped up cloth production
steam power: allowed you to build factories in cities rather than near a river. Also, trains and riverboats
Bessemer furnace: turned iron into stronger steel
Telegraph: sped up communication

Question 48

What problems did industry create? How did people work to solve these problems?

Answer 48

Cities became dirty, noisy, and crowded.Workers remained poor and diseases spread rapidly. Political reforms were passed to improve wages and safety.

Question 49

John Locke

Answer 49

A philosopher during the enlightenment. He believed government should be a contract between the ruler and the people.

Question 50

Which person played an important role in spreading the ideas of the Renaissance beyond Italy?

Answer 50

Johann Gutenberg

Question 51

Which event marked the beginning of the French Revolution?

Answer 51

Storming of the Bastille

Question 52

A period of rapid growth in machine-made goods during the 1700s and 1800s is the

Answer 52

Industrial revolution