Key Terms

• Nationalism- patriotic feelings, principles, and efforts
• Social Darwinism- the theory that individuals, groups, or peoples are subject to the same Darwinian laws of natural selection as plants and animals 
• Imperialism- a policy of extending a country's power and influence through diplomacy or military force
• Economic Imperialism- the policy of extending the rule or authority of an empire or nation over foreign countries; one country has a lot of economic power or influence over others
• French Revolution- a revolution in France that overthrew the monarchy
• Enlightened Absolutism- a form of government in which a number of absolute monarchs adopted reforms yet maintained a firm grip on power
• Individualism- a philosophy stressing the recognition of every person as a valuable individual with inborn rights
• Mercantilism- the economic belief that a favorable balance of trade would increase overall wealth and power for a country
• Rationalism- a philosophy of the Enlightenment which declared that using the power of reason, humans could arrive at truth and improve human life
• Relativism- a philosophy of the Enlightenment that different ideas, cultures, and beliefs had equal merit
• Romanticism- a movement that placed emphasis on innate emotions and instincts rather than reason as well as on the virtues existing in a natural state
• Skepticism- a philosophical movement that arose in response to rationalism and maintained that human perception is too relative to be considered credible
• Thirty Years' War- a war in Germany between 1618 and 1648 that was essentially fought between the Catholics and the Protestants
• Laissez faire- economic doctrine advocating freeing the economy from government intervention and control
• Contract government- political theory that views the government as stemming from the people, who surrender some personal freedom in return for government protection of rights and property
• Public sphere- cultural and political environment that emerged during the Enlightenment, where members of society gathered to discuss issues of the day
• Liberalism- political theory emphasizing free trade, individual rights, and the rule of law to protect rights as the best means for promoting social and economic improvement
• Federation- union of equal and sovereign states rather than a thoroughly integrated nation
• Republic- political system in which the interests of all citizens are represented in government
• General will- political concept that once agreement among citizens creates a statem that state is endowed with a higher wisdom about policies with which virtuous citizens could not disagree
• Capitalism- economic system where the means of production are privately owned
• Materialism- organization of society from the organization of production
• Federalism- a political system that utilizes provinces and states rather than a centralized system
• Nation- a sovereign political entity and defined territory of modern times representing a supposedly united people
• Realpolitik- a political philosophy most commmonly attributed to Otto von Bismarck involving a practical, tough-minded approach to politics