AP European History Flashcards: Globalization

What this deck covers

This deck focuses on Globalization, giving you a quick way to review the definitions, rules, and examples that matter most for AP European History.

How to use these flashcards

Work through these flashcards in short sessions. Try to answer each prompt before flipping the card, then revisit any cards you miss until the explanation feels automatic.

Flashcard 1: What is the single most important European maritime innovation enabling Atlantic expansion?

Answer: The caravel (ocean-going sailing ship suited to long voyages). Its lateen sails and sturdy design enabled oceanic exploration.

Flashcard 2: Which Dutch chartered company dominated Asian trade in the 1600s?

Answer: Dutch East India Company (VOC). World's first multinational corporation, controlled spice trade.

Flashcard 3: Which option best describes a core feature of late-1900s globalization in Europe: A) autarky B) decolonization C) protectionism D) expanded trade blocs?

Answer: D) Expanded trade blocs. EU and similar organizations reduced trade barriers.

Flashcard 4: What was the Middle Passage?

Answer: The transatlantic voyage transporting enslaved Africans to the Americas. Horrific conditions killed millions during forced ocean crossing.

Flashcard 5: What is the demographic effect of Old World diseases in the Americas after 1492?

Answer: Catastrophic Indigenous population decline due to epidemic disease. Smallpox and other diseases killed 90% in some areas.

Flashcard 6: What was the Berlin Conference (1884–1885)?

Answer: European meeting that set rules for African colonization and partition. No Africans invited; divided continent among European powers.

Flashcard 7: Which institutions were created at Bretton Woods to manage postwar globalization?

Answer: International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank (IBRD). IMF handled currency; World Bank funded reconstruction.

Flashcard 8: Which English/British chartered company became central in India?

Answer: British East India Company (EIC). Evolved from trading company to territorial ruler of India.

Flashcard 9: What was deindustrialization in many colonized regions during the $19^{ ext{th}}$ century?

Answer: Decline of local manufacturing as colonies became raw-material exporters and import markets. Colonial policies destroyed indigenous industries for European benefit.

Flashcard 10: What is the Columbian Exchange?

Answer: Post-1492 transfer of people, crops, animals, and diseases across the Atlantic. Transformed both hemispheres through biological and cultural exchange.

Flashcard 11: What was the triangular trade (as a common Atlantic trading pattern)?

Answer: Europe manufactured goods → Africa enslaved people → Americas raw materials. Connected three continents in a profitable but brutal system.

Flashcard 12: What was the Dutch East India Company (VOC) primarily designed to do?

Answer: Control and profit from Asian maritime trade, especially spices and textiles. Monopolized Dutch trade in Asia for massive profits.

Flashcard 13: What is globalization in AP European History terms?

Answer: Increasing worldwide integration of economies, cultures, and politics. Process accelerated by trade, technology, and cultural exchange.

Flashcard 14: Identify the term for mass movement of Europeans overseas in the $19^{ ext{th}}$ century.

Answer: Mass migration (especially to the Americas and settler colonies). Millions sought economic opportunity and land overseas.

Flashcard 15: Identify the policy: high tariffs and navigation laws to protect national trade.

Answer: Mercantilism. Classic mercantilist tools to control colonial trade.

Flashcard 16: What is the key difference between a colony and a protectorate?

Answer: Colony: direct rule; protectorate: local rulers retained under imperial control. Colonies had foreign administration; protectorates kept puppet rulers.

Flashcard 17: What was the Enlightenment-era critique of colonial slavery called?

Answer: Abolitionism (anti-slavery movement). Enlightenment ideals challenged slavery's moral legitimacy.

Flashcard 18: What is the term for racial mixing and cultural blending in colonial societies?

Answer: Mestizaje (racial and cultural mixing). Created new ethnic identities and hybrid cultures in colonies.

Flashcard 19: What was the "new imperialism" (late $19^{ ext{th}}$ century) primarily driven by?

Answer: Industrial demand for raw materials/markets plus strategic rivalry and nationalism. Economic needs combined with intense national competition.

Flashcard 20: Which event is often seen as accelerating globalization in the late 20th century?

Answer: The fall of the Berlin Wall. This event symbolized the end of the Cold War and opened Eastern Europe to global markets.

Flashcard 21: What is a cash crop in the context of global trade and empire?

Answer: Crop grown mainly for export sale (not local subsistence). Contrasts with subsistence farming for local consumption.

Flashcard 22: What is globalization in AP European History (as a historical process)?

Answer: Increasing worldwide integration of economies, politics, cultures, and migration. Encompasses economic, political, and cultural interconnectedness.

Flashcard 23: What was the Suez Canal's main globalization impact after 1869?

Answer: Shortened Europe–Asia sea routes, accelerating trade, empire, and naval strategy. Cut travel time by 40%, boosting imperial control.

Flashcard 24: What is a chartered company in early modern European expansion?

Answer: State-backed corporation granted monopoly trading rights in a region. Combined private capital with state authority for colonial trade.

Flashcard 25: What were joint-stock companies in early modern European expansion?

Answer: Investor-owned firms that pooled capital and shared risk for overseas trade. Enabled large-scale ventures by spreading financial risk.

Flashcard 26: What is the Berlin Conference (1884–1885) best known for in globalization history?

Answer: Rules for European partition of Africa without African representation. European powers divided Africa among themselves arbitrarily.

Flashcard 27: What is the core idea of the "civilizing mission" used to justify imperialism?

Answer: Claim that empire spread "civilization," Christianity, and progress to colonized peoples. Masked exploitation as benevolent cultural improvement.

Flashcard 28: Which European innovation most improved long-distance navigation in the 1400s?

Answer: Caravel (with lateen sails and improved maneuverability). Portuguese design allowed sailing against wind and in shallow waters.

Flashcard 29: What was the primary European economic doctrine of the 1500s–1700s tied to empire?

Answer: Mercantilism. State-controlled trade to maximize gold/silver reserves.

Flashcard 30: What was the Bretton Woods system (1944) designed to create after World War II?

Answer: A stable global financial order with fixed exchange rates and new institutions. Replaced interwar chaos with coordinated monetary rules.

Flashcard 31: What is economic imperialism (informal empire) as a globalization mechanism?

Answer: Control through trade, loans, and investment without direct political annexation. Achieves dominance through economic leverage, not formal rule.

Flashcard 32: Which event is often seen as accelerating globalization in the late 20th century?

Answer: The fall of the Berlin Wall. This event symbolized the end of the Cold War and opened Eastern Europe to global markets.

Flashcard 33: What is the single best definition of "free trade" in $19^{ ext{th}}$-century Europe?

Answer: Reduction of tariffs and trade barriers to allow open international exchange. Promoted unrestricted commerce between nations.

Flashcard 34: What is the Columbian Exchange?

Answer: Post-1492 transfer of goods, peoples, diseases, and crops across the Atlantic. Transformed both hemispheres through biological and cultural exchange.

Flashcard 35: What was the main goal of mercantilism for a state?

Answer: Accumulate bullion by maintaining a favorable balance of trade. Exports must exceed imports to increase national wealth.

Flashcard 36: What did the Congress of Vienna (1815) aim to restore that shaped European global power?

Answer: Balance of power and conservative order after the Napoleonic Wars. Redrew Europe's map to prevent future revolutionary wars.

Flashcard 37: What was the triangular trade in the Atlantic world?

Answer: Trade linking Europe, Africa, and the Americas, including enslaved labor. Ships carried goods, enslaved people, and raw materials in a cycle.

Flashcard 38: What is the plantation system in the Atlantic world?

Answer: Large export-oriented estates using coerced labor, especially enslaved labor. Sugar and cotton plantations drove Atlantic slave trade.

Flashcard 39: What was the Middle Passage?

Answer: Transatlantic voyage transporting enslaved Africans to the Americas. Horrific conditions killed millions during forced ocean crossing.

Flashcard 40: What is imperialism in the 1800s European context?

Answer: Domination of other regions through political control and economic exploitation. Industrial powers sought raw materials and markets globally.

Flashcard 41: What was mercantilism as an early modern economic policy?

Answer: State-directed trade to maximize bullion and maintain a favorable balance of trade. Aimed to accumulate gold/silver and export more than import.