World History Unit 2 Exam Study Guide

Machiavelli/The Prince:

Absolutism: A form of government where a monarch has power to rule their land
freely, with no laws or legally organized direct opposition in force.

The Enlightenment: The belief that mankind would advance over time. This
created a desire for rationality, logic, and consistency.

Christopher Columbus: A Spanish explorer who made voyages to the west and
discovered the New World. This resulted in the Columbian Exchange and the increase
in voyages to the New World.

Phillip II of Spain: The King of Spain and Portugal who reigned during Spains
Golden Age. The Spanish Armada ended as a failure and was unable to defeat
Protestantism in England and the Netherlands.

Spanish Conquest of Aztecs: Hernan Cortess conquest of the Aztecs between

1519 and 1521. It resulted in the encomienda system and the Columbian Exchange.

Hernan Cortes: One of the conquistadors from Spain who conquered the
Mexican Empire(Aztecs) between 1519 and 1521. His conquest resulted in the
encomienda system and the death of many natives.

Isaac Newton: An English scientist who made major contributions to the Scientific
Revolution. His work on the Laws of Science were applied to many fields, such as
science, religion, history, philosophy, and politics.

Vasco da Gama: A Portuguese explorer who rounded the Cape of Good Hope
and reached Calicut, acquiring many spices. This led to the Portuguese gaining control
of the spice trade.

Navigational Improvements: Technological improvements in sailing during the

Age of Exploration. These resulted in increased overseas exploration.
 The encomienda system: The system created by Queen Isabella which permitted
the Spaniards to collect tributes from American natives and use them as laborers.
Spanish settlers abused the Indians for their own economic interests, forcing them to
work, which resulted in starvation and disease.

Smallpox: A disease that was spread by Europeans to the Native Americans. This
made the Spanish conquests of the Americas easier.

Cash crops: Crops like sugar, cotton, cocoa, and tobacco which were grown with
the purpose of selling. Many cash crops were grown in plantations, which required a lot
of workhands, resulting in a higher demand for slaves.

The Scientific Revolution: The scientific revolution were the advances in science
that led to the Enlightenment. These developments transformed the increased the
preference for the artificial over the natural.

The Transatlantic Slave Trade: The trade of slaves in which African slaves were
enslaved and transported, mainly to the New World. Many of the slaves were forced to
work on plantations and died of disease.

Spices/Spice trade: Spices were popular in Europe and the Spice trade was
controlled by the Italians, Egypt, and the Ottomans. This served as one of the motives
for the Age of Exploration because countries hoped to get direct access to the Indian
markets, cutting out the middlemen.

The Middle Passage: The sea journey where slave ships from Africa to the
Americas. During the journey, many of the slaves died because of disease and
malnourishment.

Age of Exploration - motives/goals: The period of time in which interest in

European overseas exploration increased. The motives were the 3 Gs(Gold, God,
Glory), which were to get direct access to Indian and Chinese markets, convert Indians
to Christianity, and win fame and fortune.

The Ottoman-Hapsburg Wars: The series of wars between the Ottoman Empire
and Hapsburg Empire post 1517, in which the Ottomans expanded into Europe. As a
result, both empires were weakened, the Ottomans were shown the limits of their power,
and the Ottomans wanted to catch up to European technology.

Tokugawa Shogunate vs. Qing China:

The Columbian Exchange: The exchange of plants, animals, and diseases

between the New World and the Old World. This resulted in the devastation of the native
population along with dietary benefits for the Old World.

Venice(merchants/republics): Venice merchants controlled the spice trade as

acting as a middleman between the

European Wars of Religion: The series of wars between 1524 and 1648 that
resulted from the Protestant Reformation in Europe(Eighty Years War, French Wars of
Religion, Thirty Years War). This resulted in massive depopulation and increase in
religious tolerance.