AP European History Flashcards: Economic Development and Mercantilism
Written by AP Content Team, Verified for 2026 AP Exams, Last updated: May 2026
Review key ideas with interactive flashcards. This set includes 11 cards to help you master important concepts.
What was a major continuity in European commerce from 1648 to 1815?
A major continuity was the persistent use of mercantilist policies by European states to control their economies and colonial resources.
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What was a major continuity in European commerce from 1648 to 1815?
A major continuity was the persistent use of mercantilist policies by European states to control their economies and colonial resources.
How did the growing demand for New World products like sugar and tobacco impact the transatlantic slave-labor system?
The increased demand for these labor-intensive products led directly to the expansion of the transatlantic slave-labor system to supply the necessary workforce on plantations.
Explain how overseas products contributed to the development of a consumer culture.
The influx of new and desirable overseas products, such as sugar, rum, and tobacco, created new tastes and social rituals, which helped foster a culture of consumption in Europe.
What major economic revolutions in Europe were fueled by the European-dominated worldwide economic network?
The European-dominated worldwide economic network contributed significantly to the agricultural, industrial, and consumer revolutions in Europe.
What is meant by the "consumer culture" that developed in Europe?
It was a new culture in which the consumption of overseas products and other goods became a more widespread social phenomenon and part of European daily life.
What was the transatlantic slave-labor system?
It was a system, including the triangle trade and Middle Passage, that expanded in the 17th and 18th centuries to transport enslaved Africans to the New World for forced labor.
What was the Middle Passage?
The Middle Passage was the horrific, forced journey of enslaved Africans across the Atlantic Ocean to the New World within the transatlantic slave-labor system.
Define mercantilism as practiced by European states from 1648-1815.
Mercantilism was an economic policy where European states managed their economies by maximizing exports and minimizing imports, often by extracting resources from their colonies.
Identify key products from the New World that fueled the triangle trade.
The high demand for products like sugar, rum, and tobacco, which were produced in the New World, was a primary driver of the triangle trade system.
What was a significant change in European economic development from 1648 to 1815?
A significant change was the development of a European-dominated worldwide economic network that spurred a consumer culture and the beginnings of industrialization.
What was the primary role of colonies in the mercantilist system?
Colonies served as a source of raw materials and resources for the European mother country, which followed mercantilist policies.