Modern European Lingo

Barshchina- The Austrian weekly labor requirement, which was often six out of seven days, that was forced upon serfs in Hapsburg domains in the 1700s; similar to the corvée in France

Bastille- The abandoned prison that was stormed by peasants who wanted the weapons inside, in the hopes that they could stop Louis XVI from dismissing the National Assembly; the Storming of the Bastille was on July 14, 1789

Bataan Death March- Japanese soldiers marched POW’s around in the Philippines in 1942; many died by sun torture, starvation, or execution

Battle of the Lira, The- Attempt by the Fascist government in Italy to raise the value of the lira, the national currency; Italian products became more expensive and exports declined as a result

Battle of Wheat, The- Project in Fascist Italy that aimed at making land more agricultural; marshlands were drained

Bedchamber Crisis- Queen Victoria refused to replace her Ladies of the Bedchamber, who were Whigs, under Peel’s Tory ministry in 1839; Peel resigned

Beer Hall Putsch- General Erich Ludendorff planned this uprising in a beer hall; gained support from Hitler and the Nazi Party; they succeeded in taking Munich, but failed in Berlin; they were arrested and put in jail, following the revolt in 1923

Benefice System- System of selling ecclesiastical posts to the highest bidders; caused civil unrest in the German population prior to the Reformation

Berlin Airlift- The attempt by the United States to give food, fuel, and supplies to people in West Berlin; began in 1948 in response to the Berlin Blockade

Berlin Blockade- The Soviet Union shut down highways and railroads between Berlin and areas occupied by the West; began on June 20, 1948; attempt to put pressure on the West, who wanted a separate West German state

Berlin Decree- Policy of Napoleon that expanded on the Decree of Milan, which began the boycott of British goods, as part of the Continental System; said that any ship that went through British ports would have its goods taken and be given no profit; written in 1807

Bill of attainder- The consequence that was reached by committing a felony or treason and included the loss of civil rights; example: the Earl of Strafford received a bill of attainder during the Long Parliament

Bill of Rights- Established under William and Mary after the Glorious Revolution in 1688; instated that the monarch could not levy taxes without the approval of Parliament, that there would be no martial law in times of peace, and that there would be no intervention in the election of jurors or members of Parliament; beginning of constitutional monarchy in England