| A | B |
|---|
| Age of Enlightenment | Intellectual movement of the late 17th and 18th centuries that celebrated human reason |
| The Renaissance | Great revival of art, literature, and learning in Europe in the 14th, 15th, and 16th centuries, based on classical sources |
| The Refomation | Religious movement of the 16th century resulting in the establishment of Protestant churches |
| Feudalism | A political system in which land is given by nobles to their vassals in exchange for personal allegiance |
| Capitalism | An economic system in which the means and producing and distributing goods are privately owned and operated for profits in a competitive market |
| Nation-states | The modern nation as the represntative unit ov political organization |
| Middle Ages | A period from the 5th to 14th centuries, during which the political, economic, and military structure was characterized by feudalism |
| Judeo-Christian | Beliefs and practices which have their historical roots in Judaism and Christianity |
| Separation of powers | The division of powers among different branches of government |
| Representative government | System of government in which power is held by the people and exercised indirectly through elected representatives |
| Civic virtue | The dedication of citizens to the common good, even at the cost of their individual interests |
| Moral education | Teaching the people to be virtuous since they are not automatically dedicated to the common good |
| Classical republicanism | A theory that holds that the best kind of government is one that promotes the common welfare instead of the interests of one class of citizens |
| Baron de Montesquieu | Political philospher who introduced the doctrine of separation of powers in government |
| John Locke | Political philospher who refined the natural rights philosphy |
| James Madison | Regarded as the "Father of the Constitution" for his contributions at the Constitutional Convention and his authorship of the Bill of Rights |
| Common good | The welfare of the community as a whole |
| Factions | A group that seeks to promote its own special interests at the expense of the common good |
