A system of government in which the head of state is a hereditary position and the king or queen has almost complete power

a fleet of warships

1598 - Granted the Huguenots liberty of conscience and worship.

A palace built by Louis XIV outside of Paris; it was home to Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette

Condition of roughly equal strength between opposing countries or alliances of countries.

Belief that a rulers authority comes directly from god.

a person who has the right to vote in an election

a professional soldier hired by a foreign army

reduction in population

the peace treaty that ended the Thirty Years' War in 1648

This war was over the inheritance of the throne by Maria Theresa, for the Salic law prevented a woman from solely ruling the state

adoption of western ideas, technology, and culture

a landowning noble of Russia

absolute in power or authority

port that is free of ice year round

A person who does not agree with the beliefs of his or her leaders

1689 laws protecting the rights of English subjects and Parliament

government in which a constitution or legislative body limits the monarch's powers

government whose power is defined and limited by law

A group of advisers to the president.

the head of an elected government; the principal minister of a sovereign or state.

A government ruled by a few powerful people

God's or nature's law that defines right from wrong and is higher than human law

An agreement between the people and their government signifying their consent to be governed

the idea that all humans are born with rights, which include the right to life, liberty, and property

An economic system in which prices and wages are determined by unrestricted competition between businesses, without government regulation or fear of monopolies.

an economic system characterized by private or corporate ownership of capital goods

restriction on access to ideas and information

Informal social gatherings at which writers, artists, philosophes, and others exchanged ideas

overly decorated

very highly ornamented

Absolute ruler who used his or her power to bring about political and social change

1765; law that taxed printed goods, including: playing cards, documents, newspapers, etc.

A belief that ultimate power resides in the people.

agreement signed by British and American leaders that stated the United States of America was a free and independent contry

government in which power is divided between the national, or federal, government and the states

A system that allows each branch of government to limit the powers of the other branches in order to prevent abuse of power

social classes

middle class

situation in which a government spends more money than it takes in

An assembly of representatives from all three of the estates, or social classes, in France.

A pledge made by the members of France's National Assembly in 1789, in which they vowed to continue meeting until they had drawn up a new constitution

A group with a distinct political interest

person who flees his or her country for political reasons

(1793-94) during the French Revolution when thousands were executed for "disloyalty"

A machine for beheading people, used as a means of execution during the French Revolution.

A strong feeling of pride in and devotion to one's country

A comprehensive and uniform system of laws established for France by Napoleon

A series of wars fought between France (led by Napoleon Bonaparte) and alliances involving England and Prussia and Russia and Austria at different times (1799-1812).

to add or attach

Napoleon's policy of preventing trade between Great Britain and continental Europe, intended to destroy Great Britain's economy.

A hit-and-run technique used in fighting a war; fighting by small bands of warriors using tactics such as sudden ambushes

the hereditary right of a monarch to rule

a series of alliances among European nations in the 19th century, devised by Prince Klemens von Metternich to prevent the outbreak of revolutions