Unit 1 Exam Flashcards
What is the Ancient Regime?
Social Economic and Political characteristics of European Monarchies during the 18th Century
What happened in the 18th Century?
Transition between the Early Modern Age and Modern Age. important changes took place which contributed to the collapse of the ancient regime.
What was the 18th Century Society like?
Feudal society
What was the 18th Century Economy like?
Agrarian Economy
What was the main form of government in Europe in the 18th Century?
Absolute Monarchies
How did the feudal system work?
Society was divided into three estates. class determined by birth. 2 main groups: the privileged and non-privileged.
How was the feudal relationship between the king and lords?
The king exchanged fief (a piece of land) and peasants in return for loyalty and military aid from the knights.
How was the feudal relationship between the lords and the knights?
The lords exchanged food protection and shelter in return for homage and military service from the knights.
How was the feudal relationship between the knights and peasants?
The knights exchanged food, protection, and shelter in return for the peasants to work on their land and pay rent.
What privileges did the Nobility and Clergy have?
Exemption of most taxes, not judged equally in court, had different laws, had possession of most of the land, had the best jobs. The nobility also held most of the public positions and land.
What were tithes?
Portion of income given to the church by the peasants.
What amount of the population were the peasants?
Nearly 85% of the population in countries like France and Spain.
How was life for the peasants?
They had to pay taxes, participated in the army, and barely had any possessions. They lived at the limit of subsistence and suffered severely from increases in taxation
What were the bourgeoisie in charge of?
They were in charge of most of the trading activities, banking, craftsmanship and lawyers. Some of them became very rich and had very high standards of living. They had huge economic importance but could not participate in politics, which is what they soon demanded to do.
How did production work?
It was usually for self-subsistence and most land was used to cultivate crops (cereals). This provided just enough food for the population to survive on
What was subsistence farming based on?
On a 3-field crop rotation system and fallow (leaving soil without being sown in order to restore its fertility)
What was agriculture dependent on and what consequences did it have?
On climate, which meant that subsistence crises were common and periods of hunger alternated with periods of plenty.
What consequences did subsistence crises have on the peasants?
Life became very difficult for them, prices increased and with them, hunger and misery.
Who did the land belong to?
Most lands (around 40%) belonged to the privileged groups and the king. The rest belonged either to the bourgeoisie or was communal land used by the residents of the parish (church).
What were the guilds?
A group of artisans that controlled industry in cities. They were the basic production unit from the middle ages.
What did the guilds control?
They controlled the quantity, size and quality of production.
What was thought about innovation?
They were not encouraged and were very rare. Traditional production prevailed.
How were products fabricated?
They used textile machines in peasant’s homes. These were called DOMESTIC SYSTEMS and helped increase production and reduce prices.
What happened to the industry in the 18th century?
Population began to grow and people began favouring industrial production,
What was created to aid industrial production and how did they work?
Royal Factories. They produced mainly weapons and luxury articles (porcelain, glass, tapestries). They were protected by the state and although they created industry, they were not competitive.
Why was there a growth in international trade?
The creation of colonial empires and the development of navigation.
What did the triangular trade consist of?
Raw Materials from America to Europe, Manufactured Goods from Europe to Africa, Slaves from Africa to America
What were Royal Monopolies?
Something where the king would appoint a company with full control of trade over a determined area. This provided great benefits for both the crown and company.
What was the divine right of kings?
This was a theory that believed that the king’s power was provided by God himself.
What did the king do in an absolute monarchy?
They took all the decisions, created all the laws, named the judges and was also head of the army.
When and where did absolutism appear?
in France during the 17th Century
Who was Jacques Bossuet?
The French bishop and author who created the theory of ‘the divine right’.
What did absolutism mean for the nobility and king?
It meant the king no longer depended on the nobility politically. The nobility did not really care as their social and economic influence was expanded.
What did absolute monarchies do to control their countries and colonies?
They created a strong body of civil servants, permanent diplomats (officials that represented the country abroad) and a powerful army.
How did the monarchy pay for all the expenses they had?
They increased taxes for the non-privileged groups.
What new political model arose in Europe after the failure of absolutism? When?
Parliamentarianism in the 17th Century
What did the bourgeoisie want? What did they do to try and get it?
They wanted political power that corresponded to their economic position. They led several revolutions and managed to stop the growing power of the king and controlled their parliament.
What was the glorious revolution?
It was a revolution that took place in 1688 and forced the Stuarts to abdicate in England. William III of Orange was named the new English king. He had to accept a limitation on his powers and had to sign a ‘Bill of Rights’ to acknowledge parliamentary power.
