Modern European Lingo

Algeciras Conference- Germany considered invading the French colony of Morocco in 1905 and then attended this Spanish meeting in 1906; Germany withdrew after finding little support

Amulet- An item, sometimes completely random, such as a dead frog, that people often carried or wore around to avoid catching the plague in 14th century Europe

Anabaptistism- A small sect of Christianity that involved adult baptism; begun by Conrad Grebel, who attempted and failed to create a theocracy in Munster; were persecuted until the 20th century

Anarchism- Ideology that advocated ending the existence of the state in the early 19th century; found across Europe; many anarchists in France were led by Proudhon, who believed that the state should be replaced by a union of peasants; rejected capitalism

Anatomy- Biological study and depiction of the human body; used as topic in Renaissance art; studied in depth by Vesalius

Ancien régime- Term for Europe prior to 1789, when the French Revolution occurred and changed the course of monarchism in France; also called the Old Regime

Ancient- Period of time from roughly 500 BC-500 AD

Anglicanism- The system of beliefs that stemmed from Henry VIII’s decision to separate from the Catholic Church and to become the head of the Church of England; associated with English Protestantism and the Church of England; Elizabeth I adopted the 1553 Book of Common Prayer in the Act of Uniformity(1559); beliefs defined in the Thirty-nine Articles were primarily Protestant

Annulment- Process of erasing a marriage; granted by the pope

Anschluss- Means “union;” German union with Austria was forbidden by the Treaty of Versailles, but Hitler violated that provision

Anthropology- A social science that began to be studied in the late 19th century; involved the study of the remnants of human civilizations and cultures

Anti-Semitism- Prejudice or discrimination against Jews; employed by Hitler in the Nuremburg Laws

Appeasement- Policy endorsed by Britain and France in 1938 (WWII); they believed that Hitler would stop after reclaiming the areas of pre-WWI Germany; included surrendering the Sudetenland to Hitler during the Munich Conference; policy ended when Hitler invaded Poland

April Theses- Lenin’s plan for a proletarian socialist revolution; promised “Peace, Land, and Bread;” introduced in 1917

Archbishop- Position in clerical hierarchy above bishops, priests, and monks but below cardinals and the pope

Archbishop of Canterbury- Highest position in Anglican Church; Cranmer was the original one, appointed by Henry VIII

Aristocratic Resurgence- Term used to refer to the increase in the exclusivity of the nobility and the installment of new institutions that would be biased against the monarch in order to reassert the power of the nobility across Europe; occurred in the 1700s