Social and Economic History - European History

The United Kingdom has continued to use the British Pound as its currency, despite being a member of the European Union. The other nations do use the Euro, and are therefore incorrect.

Karl Marx most assuredly did not believe in the Invisible Hand, nor did he invent the concept, so he would not be a good choice. Voltaire was not particularly interested in the study of economics, so he would not be a good answer here. John Locke was a philosopher but he did not invent the concept of the Invisible Hand, so he would not be the correct answer. Jonathan Swift was a satirist, but he did not study economics as a discipline, so he would not be the best answer. Lastly, Adam Smith did both of the things in question, so he would be the best answer.

Mercantilism was the dominant economic system in Europe's colonial powers from the 16th to the 18th century. The government would regulate the nation's economy, particularly its trade relations, to advance the state's interest and weaken its rival nations.

The Bubonic Plague ravaged the population of Europe between 1347-1352. Although precise statistics are not available, many estimates allege that the disease may have killed up to 1/3 of the population of Europe.

Artemisia Gentileschi is regarded as one of the leading artists of the baroque period and is generally considered to be one of the most progressive artists of her time period. She made a notable impact regarding gender equality in her native Italy when she became the first woman to be admitted into the Academy of Fine Arts in Florence in the first half of the seventeenth century.

Of these nations, only Italy has yet to democratically elect a female political leader. Margaret Thatcher served as Prime Minister in the United Kingdom during the 1980s; Tansu Ciller was Prime Minister of Turkey during the 1990s; Angela Merkel was elected the Prime Minister of Germany in 2005; Maria de Lourdes Pintasilgo served as Prime Minister of Portugal in 1979. Italy has never elected a female political leader. The same is true of Spain, Sweden, and Greece.

Joan of Arc is famous for having fought in the Hundred Years War, a long-lasting battle between England and France for the French kingdom. Initially joining the conflict by posing as a man, Joan of Arc rose to become an inspirational figure for the French armies. The other answers are incorrect because they occurred either before or after Joan's time.

Unfortunately, women’s status did not change dramatically during the Renaissance. For the most part their lived were the same as during the Middle Ages- they had no legal rights, were the legal subjects of their husbands and their duty in life was to be a care for the children and be a good housewife. For poor peasants, this meant working in the fields, for middle class people that often meant working in their husband’s shop, for the upper class this was often sewing, cooking and entertaining. Women were not allowed to live alone, and if they did not marry, they had to live with a male relative or join a convent.

It was actually Vladimir Lenin, the leader of the Bolsheviks and later the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, who mandated that schooling be carried out in whichever native language was familiar to the students in that part of the wide-ranging Soviet empire. During Putin’s reign the gap between the wealthy and the poor has widened dramatically. Putin has, infamously, enriched the oligarchs of Russia at the expense of the rest of society. Universal healthcare has been in place in the Russian Federation since 1996, three years before Putin took office.

In the medieval feudalist system, the king allowed barons to preside over parts of his land, with knights underneath them for protection. At the bottom of the hierarchy, peasants farmed the land, giving a percentage of their crops to the higher ranks in return for protection.

The Patricians was the name of the ruling class in the Roman Republic, so that would be the correct answer. The Plebeians was the name of the citizen-commoners in the Republic, so that would not be the correct answer. Aristocracy was not a term that denoted a social class in the Republic, so that would not be the best answer here. The Fourth Estate is a moniker given to the free press, so that would also not be a good answer. Lastly, the Third Estate referred to the French working class before the French Revolution, so that too would not be the best answer here.

Under feudalism, the nobility owned the land, and the common people (serfs) were required to work their lords' land. The end of feudalism allowed the common people to own their own land and pursue trades, which led to the growth of a middle class.

Although more efficient printing techniques were developed during the Industrial Revolution, the first printing press was invented by Johannes Gutenberg in the mid-15th century. All of the other answers are advancements that did come from the period.

The Industrial Revolution was the rapid growth of industrial technology and manufacturing. Immediate results included improved transportation due to inventions such as the steam engine, growth of urban centers as many people moved to cities for factory jobs, and tremendous growth of manufacturing, largely in the textile industry. It did NOT immediately increase life expectancy, as factories were often hazardous to workers and cities were plagued with pollution and other unsanitary conditions that allowed diseases such as cholera to spread.

Johannes Gutenberg, a German blacksmith, invented the printing press around 1440. He was the first European to create a method for mass printing. The method he used was based on agricultural screw presses that were common in farming. Before Gutenberg, all book making had to be done by hand. Monks or other literate people would copy books page by page, this was expensive and time consuming, which meant that books were rare and only for the wealthy. The invention of the printing press helped to spread enlightenment ideas throughout Europe much faster than would have otherwise been possible.

By the eighteenth century, most of Britain's wood was gone. Factories required a lot of energy, so the British began mining coal. The steam engines that became prominent during this period were fueled by coal.

The flushing toilet was invented in 1596 by John Harington and was called the Ajax. John was a grandson of Queen Elizabeth I and spent a lot of time at court. He became known for his risqué writings and sense of humor. After inventing the flushing toilet, he wrote a book entitled, “A new Discourse on a Stale Subject, the Metamorphosis of Ajax. It was supposed to be a book describing how his invention worked, but his work was actually a satire that talked negatively about the Earl of Leicester, one of the queen’s friends, which angered the queen and got Harington banned from court.

Social Darwinism applies Darwin's theory of natural selection to human affairs. The principle of "survival of the fittest" did not contribute to improvements in public health. Social Darwinism was, in fact, a doctrine supported by right-wing politicians who fought aggressively against the funding and establishment of social services.