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Europe & Russia: Shaped by History Study Guide

1. A ​democracy ​is the kind of government in which citizens, not a king or other ruler, govern
themselves.

2. During Athens’ ​Golden Age​, the arts, literature, and philosophy flourished.

3. Cities with their own independent governments that were both cities and independent states
were called ​city-states​.

4. A young ruler who became king of Macedonia and helped spread Greek ideas throughout
the entire Mediterranean world was ​Alexander the Great.​

5. The time period between ancient and modern times was the ​Middle Ages​.

6. The first emperor of Rome who took control in 27 B.C. was ​Augustus​.

7. In about 30 A.D., Jesus of Nazareth traveled and preached throughout the Roman Empire.
His followers began spreading his teachings after his death. This became known as
Christianity.​

8. A system in which land was owned by lords, but held by vassals in return for their loyalty was
​feudalism​.

9. During the ​Pax Romana​, or “Roman Peace”, Rome was the most powerful state in Europe
and the Mediterranean.

10. Peasants who worked the land in feudal society were known as ​serfs​.

11. Around 1450, the ​printing press​ ​was invented in Germany and helped encouraged the
spread of Renaissance ideas.

12. ​Michelangelo​ w
​ as an Italian artist whose lifelike statues were remarkably realistic.

13. The rebirth of interest in learning and art that began in the 1300s and lasted until the 1500s
was the ​Renaissance​.

14. ​Monarchs ​were rulers such as kings or queens.

15. A ruler of France who ruled from 1643 to 1715 was ​Louis XIV​.

16. A territory ruled by another nation is a ​colony​.

17. In 1776, the thirteen British colonies revolted against the king because they felt the laws
applied to them were not fair. This was the ​American Revolution​.

18. A far reaching change is a ​revolution.​

19. In 1789, in order to create democracy in France, extreme violence was used to overthrow
the existing government. This was the ​French Revolution​.

20. I​ saac Newton​ w

​ as a scientist who invented a branch of mathematics called calculus
because the mathematics that existed at the time could not be used to explain his theories.

21. The last of the Russian tsars was ​Nicholas II​.

22. The tsar who came to power in 1619 and began bringing western ideas and culture to
Russia was ​Peter the Great​.

23. The Russian term for ​emperor​ that was used by Ivan IV was ​tsar​.

24. The Russian ruler who had built Russia into a great empire by expanding her rule
southward to the Black Sea and westward into Poland was ​Catherine the Great​.

25. The Russian ruler who took control in the 1540s and was known for his cruelty to both his
own people and those he conquered was ​Ivan the Terrible​.

26. The current leader of the Russian Federation is ​Vladimir Putin​.

​ ommunism​ ​is a political system in which the central government owns farms, factories,
27. C
and businesses.

28. The Russian ruler was took control in 1924 and established himself as a dictator was
Joseph Stalin​.

29. The Russian leader who created the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics in 1922 was
Vladimir Lenin.​

30. The time of tension between the United States and the Soviet Union that lasted from 1945
until 1991 was known as the ​Cold War.​

31. A group that grew out of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) and grew into a
much larger group with more roles is the ​European Union​.

32. Europe’s common currency is called the ​euro​.

33. The government official who is in charge of a nation’s foreign affairs, or affairs with other
nations is a ​foreign minister​.

34. The European Union has a ​single market,​ or a system in which goods, services, and
capital move freely with no barriers.

35. In 1992, the member nations of the European Economic Community (EEC) signed the
​Maastricht Treaty,​ which established the European Union.