676GlossaryGerm Theory. The theory of disease transmission holding
that invisible microorganisms such as bacteria and viruses spread
disease.
Inoculation. A medical procedure which intentionally
introduces a mild dose of a disease, such as smallpox, into a
patient to build antibodies against that disease and acquire
future immunity.
Patriarchal Family. The typical structure of families during the
Old Regime, in which authority—domestic, legal, and
economic authority—was vested in the husband/father and
obedience was expected from the wife/children.
Puerperal Fever. The greatest cause of death among pregnant
women during the Old Regime (also known as “child-bed fever”)
in which the absence of aseptic methods during delivery led to
acute infections.
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Cabinet System. A form of government that began to emerge
in the 18th century, in which a “cabinet” of advisers to the
monarch assumes responsibility for a branch of the bureaucracy,
with each adviser serving as “minister” in charge of one specialty
(e.g., finance). The cabinet stands collectively as “the
government.”
Civil Code. A codified body of civil law, addressing
private issues such as property law or marriage, as distinct
from criminal law or constitutional law; especially found in
regions who inherited their legal traditions from the Roman
Empire.
Enlightened Despotism. An interpretation of the rule of some
Old Regime monarchies,suggesting that a monarch retained the
absolute power of a despot yet chose to adopt some advanced
reforms deemed “enlightened.”
Josephinism. An Austrian religious policy, similar to Gallicanism
in France, in which the monarch contested the authority of the
papacy over the Catholic Church in their lands, hoping to shape
a national Catholicism more obedient to the throne.
Parlements. The high courts in Old Regime France,
dominated by aristocrats who owned their offices and used the
courts to check the powers and policies of the king.
Republic. A form of government without a monarch, in
which sovereignty rests with the people (or some portion of
them) and public business is conducted by representatives of
the people, usually elected to an assembly such as a parliament
or diet.
State Service. A doctrine especially strong in Eastern Europe,
by which the aristocracy accepted a duty to serve the monarch
in a variety of posts, such as the officer corps and the
bureaucracy, but in return received an aristocratic monopoly
over such positions.
Ukase. The Russian term for a royal decree that has the force
of law without being approved by any legislative body.
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Baroque. The predominant style in European arts during 17th
century and early 18th century, which appealed to the emotions
and spirituality through the ornately decorated and the
extravagantly expressed.
The Enlightenment. Term to describe European thought in
the “Age of Reason” extending from the late 17th century to
the late 18th, when philosophes stressed the need to be
skeptical about all received knowledge and apply rationalism
to test its validity.
Gallicanism. Doctrine supporting French kings in creating a
virtually autonomous Catholic Church in France, in which the
monarch named cardinals and bishops and decided if papal
decrees would apply.
Natural Laws. Universal, immutable laws believed to exist in
the natural world (such as the law of gravity), in contrast to laws
promulgated by rulers. Leaders of the Enlightenment believed
that natural laws of human behavior existed and awaited
discovery or articulation.
Philosophes. A French term, much broader than the English
equivalent (philosophers), used to identify the influential
thinkers, writers, scientists, and reformers of the Enlightenment.
Rationalism. The belief, widely held during the
Enlightenment, that all knowledge should be based upon human
reason and rational proof, rather than accepted on other
standards, such as faith.
Salon. A social gathering held in a private home where
notable literary, artistic, and political figures discussed the issues
of the day with other well-born or well-educated guests;
typically organized and hosted by women who thereby played a
central role in the shaping and transmission of ideas.Chapter 21
Cahiers. The political pamphlets produced in France in 1788–
1789 to express the grievances which the Estate General should
address.
Continental System. Napoleon’s economic plan to close
European markets to the British and weaken the British
economy, begun in the Berlin Decree of 1806.
Coup d’état. The overthrow of a government by force, such
as Napoleon’s seizure of power in Brumaire (which became a
synonym for a coup) 1799.
Émigrés. French term for people who emigrate from their
homeland, especially those (such as aristocrats) who fled the
French Revolution.
Great Fear. Rural disturbances in France during the summer of
1789 in which peasants, frightened by rumors of violence
against them, turned on local aristocrats and forced them to
renounce their feudal rights.