BAC History key terms

Long historical period beginning with the invention of writing in the Near East, around 3000 BCE, and ending with the fall of the Roman Empire in the West in 476 CE.

European period running roughly from the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 to the capture of Constantinople in 1453, marked by feudalism, the growth of Christianity and the rise of kingdoms.

Cultural and intellectual movement of the 15th and 16th centuries in Europe, reviving interest in classical antiquity and promoting humanism, scientific curiosity and artistic innovation.

European intellectual movement of the 18th century that championed reason, science, individual rights and criticism of absolute power and religious authority.

Political and social upheaval beginning in 1789 that abolished the absolute monarchy and noble privileges in France and spread the principles of liberty, equality and national sovereignty.

Regime led by Napoleon Bonaparte, first as Consul and then as Emperor from 1804 to 1815, which spread some revolutionary reforms across Europe through conquest.

Meeting of European powers in 1814-1815 that reorganised the map of Europe after Napoleon's defeat and sought to restore a balance of power among monarchies.

Process starting in Britain in the late 18th century in which mechanised production, factories and new energy sources transformed economies and societies.

Political sentiment or movement asserting that a people sharing language, culture or history should form its own nation and state, or that its nation's interests should prevail.

Global conflict from 1914 to 1918 opposing the Allied and Central powers, fought largely in Europe and marked by trench warfare and mass mobilisation.

Worldwide conflict from 1939 to 1945 pitting the Axis powers against the Allies, marked by total mobilisation, the Holocaust and the first use of atomic bombs.

Type of war in which a state mobilises all its economic, human and moral resources and in which civilians become direct targets or actors.

Set of clandestine movements and networks that opposed occupying or collaborationist authorities, notably in Europe during the Second World War.

Political or administrative cooperation with an occupying power, especially the cooperation of parts of the French state and society with Nazi Germany between 1940 and 1944.

Authoritarian French government established in 1940 after defeat by Germany, headed by Marshal Pétain and abolishing the republican regime until 1944.

Deliberate and systematic destruction of a national, ethnic, racial or religious group, such as the extermination of European Jews by Nazi Germany.

Period of geopolitical rivalry from about 1947 to 1991 between the United States and its allies and the Soviet bloc, without direct armed confrontation between the two superpowers.

Process by which colonised peoples gained political independence from European empires, mainly in Asia and Africa between 1945 and the 1970s.

Gradual process of economic and political integration of European states since the 1950s, through treaties creating shared institutions and a common market.

Medieval social and political system based on personal ties between lords and vassals, land tenure and seigneurial power over peasants.

Intellectual attitude placing human dignity and reason at the centre of reflection, and valuing education in classical texts; central to the Renaissance.

Form of government in which power is exercised by representatives chosen by the people rather than inherited by a monarch.

Peace treaty of 1919 ending the First World War for Germany, imposing territorial losses, disarmament and heavy reparations that fuelled resentment.

Social class of wage earners who own no means of production and must sell their labour to survive, a central notion in industrial-era social analysis.

Discipline studying the organisation of space by societies, including the distribution of populations, resources, activities and the relationships between places.

Portion of space appropriated and organised by a society, defined by boundaries and by the uses and representations its inhabitants give it.

Growing interdependence of economies, societies and cultures worldwide through trade, investment, migration, communication and transport networks.

Large city that concentrates population, economic decision-making, services and influence over a surrounding region or even at global scale.

Process of growth in the share of a population living in cities, accompanied by the physical expansion of built-up areas.

Line separating two political or administrative units, or more broadly a limit between spaces, which can be open, closed or contested.

Movement of people from one place to another, whether within a country or across borders, for economic, political, family or environmental reasons.

Model of development seeking to meet present needs without compromising those of future generations, balancing economic, social and environmental concerns.

Public policies and actions designed to organise the use of space, reduce regional inequalities and equip territories with infrastructure and services.

Political and economic grouping of European states created by successive treaties, with shared institutions, a single market and common policies.

Group of states under Soviet political and economic influence during the Cold War, organised around planned economies and communist single parties.

Legal category for widespread or systematic attacks on a civilian population, such as murder, deportation or persecution, defined in international law after 1945.