Key concepts at turn of 20 thc

Ideas that helped Ideas that helped change the world at the change the world at the beginning of the beginning of the twentieth century twentieth century

Key ConceptsKey Concepts EmpireEmpire – the peoples and – the peoples and

territories ruled by one territories ruled by one more powerful countrymore powerful country

Constitutional monarchyConstitutional monarchy – in Britain the parliament is – in Britain the parliament is the governing body. The the governing body. The monarch as head of state in monarch as head of state in an important figurehead, an important figurehead, whose powers are limited by whose powers are limited by a constitution. The prime a constitution. The prime minister is the head of minister is the head of governmentgovernment

Parliamentary Parliamentary democracydemocracy – government – government of the people through the of the people through the decision making of those decision making of those whom they elected to whom they elected to parliament.parliament.

Liberalism Liberalism – a view of – a view of society emphasising society emphasising individuals (not classes) and individuals (not classes) and their rights to freedom of their rights to freedom of political, religious, political, religious, intellectual and artistic intellectual and artistic expression. Support for expression. Support for parliamentary democracy parliamentary democracy and free enterprise and free enterprise economyeconomy

Key Concepts Key Concepts

AutocracyAutocracy - ruler is unwilling - ruler is unwilling to share political power or to share political power or have any limits placed on ithave any limits placed on it

Dynastic rulersDynastic rulers – rulers who – rulers who have inherited their powers have inherited their powers from other family membersfrom other family members

DemocracyDemocracy – government by – government by elected representatives of the elected representatives of the peoplepeople

RevolutionRevolution – overthrow of – overthrow of ruling order by a mass ruling order by a mass movement of disaffected movement of disaffected citizens usually by violent citizens usually by violent meansmeans

ImperialismImperialism –the –the practice of increasing a practice of increasing a nation’s power by taking nation’s power by taking control of other nations control of other nations and their resourcesand their resources

New ImperialismNew Imperialism – of the – of the late 19late 19thth and early 20 and early 20thth characterised by nations’ characterised by nations’ aggressive pursuit of colonies, aggressive pursuit of colonies, accompanied by intense accompanied by intense rivalry with one another and rivalry with one another and motivated by notions of their motivated by notions of their own racial and intellectual own racial and intellectual superiority to policies whom superiority to policies whom they sought to control.they sought to control.

Key ConceptsKey Concepts

Secular societySecular society – the – the decline and influence of decline and influence of religion on societyreligion on society

SocialismSocialism – a doctrine – a doctrine promoting the people’s promoting the people’s ownership (through the ownership (through the State) of a nation’s State) of a nation’s resources and resources and redistribution of its redistribution of its wealthwealth

Self DeterminationSelf Determination –a –a people’s right to exercise people’s right to exercise independent control over independent control over their nation’s destinytheir nation’s destiny

NationalismNationalism –a sense of –a sense of national identity develop national identity develop from belonging to a from belonging to a cultural group and a cultural group and a desire to achieve desire to achieve common goals common goals regardless how this regardless how this might affect other might affect other countriescountries

Pan-NationalismPan-Nationalism the the desire to unite all people desire to unite all people of the same cultural and of the same cultural and linguistic group even if linguistic group even if they are located within they are located within the national boundaries the national boundaries of another nationof another nation


SuffrageSuffrage – a term used to – a term used to describe the right to votedescribe the right to vote

Trade UnionismTrade Unionism – the – the development of workers’ development of workers’ power through their power through their combination into groups combination into groups that represent and fight that represent and fight for their interestsfor their interests

UrbanisationUrbanisation – movement – movement of people to the cities and of people to the cities and their subsequent growth their subsequent growth in geography and in geography and economic importanceeconomic importance

AnarchismAnarchism – a political – a political movement aiming to movement aiming to overthrow overthrow governmental authority governmental authority and replace it with the and replace it with the voluntary cooperation voluntary cooperation of group and individual of group and individual working for the working for the common good.common good.

Industrialisation Industrialisation – the – the production of goods production of goods using machinery rather using machinery rather that manual labour and that manual labour and becomes the basis of a becomes the basis of a society’s economysociety’s economy


SectarianismSectarianism – the – the view that one view that one religious belief has religious belief has superiority over superiority over othersothers

FeminismFeminism – action to – action to support the support the attainment of attainment of political, economic political, economic an social equality an social equality for womenfor women

AlliancesAlliances – agreements – agreements between nations to work between nations to work together for a specific together for a specific goal which could be goal which could be economic or defenceeconomic or defence

GlobalisationGlobalisation – the – the process of increasing process of increasing interaction and interaction and interdependence among interdependence among world’s peoples and the world’s peoples and the export of ideas, capital, export of ideas, capital, products and cultureproducts and culture

Match the Concept to Match the Concept to the imagethe image

Match the concept to Match the concept to the imagethe image










News & Politics

Key concepts at turn of 20 thc