Age of Revolutions (1750-1900) Cheat Sheet

The core ideas of Age of Revolutions (1750-1900) distilled into a single, scannable reference — perfect for review or quick lookup.

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Quick Reference

Enlightenment

18th-century intellectual movement emphasizing reason, natural rights, popular sovereignty, and the social contract as foundations for legitimate government.

Social Contract

The idea that government is an agreement between rulers and the ruled, where the people grant authority in exchange for protection of their rights.

Industrial Revolution

The transformation of production from manual labor and artisan workshops to mechanized factory systems, beginning in Britain in the late 18th century.

Popular Sovereignty

The principle that the authority of government is created and sustained by the consent of its people, who are the source of all political power.

Nationalism

The belief that people sharing a common language, culture, and history constitute a nation and should have their own sovereign state.

Key Terms at a Glance

Enlightenment:18th-century intellectual movement emphasizing reason, natural rights, and popular sovereignty.

Social Contract:Theory that government authority derives from an agreement between rulers and the governed.

Natural Rights:Rights believed to be inherent to all humans, including life, liberty, and property.

Popular Sovereignty:Principle that political power comes from the consent of the people.

Estates-General:French representative assembly of three estates (clergy, nobility, commoners) convened in 1789.

Reign of Terror:Phase of the French Revolution (1793-1794) marked by mass executions under Robespierre.

Napoleonic Code:French legal code establishing equality before law, property rights, and secular governance.

Creole:Person of European descent born in the Americas, who led Latin American independence movements.

Industrial Revolution:Transformation from manual to mechanized production, beginning in Britain in the late 18th century.

Proletariat:The industrial working class who sell their labor for wages.

Bourgeoisie:The middle class, especially factory owners and merchants who control capital.

Nationalism:Belief that people sharing language, culture, and history should have their own sovereign state.

Toussaint Louverture:Leader of the Haitian Revolution who transformed it from a slave revolt into an independence movement.

Simon Bolivar:Venezuelan leader who liberated much of northern South America from Spanish rule.

Laissez-faire:Economic doctrine opposing government intervention in markets, favored by industrial capitalists.

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