欧美名词解释

1 Trojan War
Around 1200B.C., a war was fought between Greece and Troy. We call this
war Trojan War. It ended in the destruction of Troy. It was recorded in Greek
mythology and in Iliad or Odyssey by Homer. It was said to fight over the
beautiful Helen. And it lasted 10 years. Trojan horse.
2 Oedipus Complex
It is a Freudian term originating from a Greek tragedy in which King Oedipus
unknowingly killed his father and married his mother. According to Freud,
children are born with sexual urges. From 3 to 5, a child becomes a rival for the
affection of the parent of the opposite sex.
3 Ten Commandments
1 Do not worship any other gods 2Do not make any idols 3 Do not misuse the
name of God 4 Keep the Sabbath holy 5 Honour your father and mother 6 Do
not murder 7 Do not commit adultery 8 Do not steal 9 Do not lie 10 Do not
covet(垂涎)
4 Dark age Age of Faith
It refers to the Middle Age. Between the fifth and eleventh centuries, Western
Europe was the scene of frequent wars. There was no central government.
The only organization that seemed to unite Europe was the Christian Church.
In the late Middle Age, almost everyone in Western Europe was a Christian.
Christianity took the lead in politics, laws, art and learning for hundreds of
years. It shaped people’s life.
5 Feudalism( in Europe)
Feudalism in Europe was many--- a system of land holding land in exchange
for military service. It was also a system of government---a form of local and
decentralized government.
6 Code of Chivalry
As a knight, he was pledged to protect the weak, to fight for the church, to be
loyal to his lord and to respect woman of noble birth. And from this, the western
idea of good manners developed.
Crusades
In 1071, Palestine fell to the armies of the Turkish Moslems. The Turkish
Moslem attacked the Christian pilgrims, killed them and sold them as slaves.
This resulted in a series of holy wars called crusades which went on about 200
years(1096—1291). All the soldiers wore a red cross as a symbol of obedience
to god. By 1291,the moslems won the crusades.
8. Renaissance
“Renaissance” means revival, revival of interest in ancient Greak and Roman
culture. It was a historical period between 14
th
—17
th
c in which the European
humanist thinkers and scholars made attempts to get rid of conservatism in
feudalist Europe and introdue new idears that expressed the interests of the
rising bourgeoisie, to lift the restrictions in all areas placed by RRC. It started in
Florence and Venice, then went to the other part of Europe.
9. Humanism

Petrarch: father of humanism
It is a belief system based on the principle that people’s spiritual and emotional
needs can be fufilled without following a religion. The philosophy of humanism
is reflected in the art and literature to pass down as the beginning of the history
of modern man who lives and works for the present and future progress of
mankind.
10. Reformation
The reformation was a 16
th
c religious movement as well as a socio—political
movement. It began as Martin Luther posted on the door of the castle church
his 95 thesis in 1517. This movement which swept over the whole of europe
was aimed at opposing the absolute authority of the RCC and replacing it with
the absolute authority of Bible. With the development , it became one of the
mainstream for the liberation of national politics from Roman interference and
for the liberation of economic domination by the RCC.
11. Calvinism 加尔文主义
It stressed the absolute authority of the God’s will, holding that those specially
elected by God are saved. Its belief was that any form of sinfulness was a sign
of damnation whereas ceaseless work could be a sign of salvation. The belief
serves so well to help the rising bourgeoisie. It was one of the main courses of
the capitalist spirit.
12. Couter-Reformation 反革命
By late 1520 the Roman Catholic Church had lost its control over the church in
Germany. Meanwhile the movement against the RCC had swept over the
whole of Europe, shaking the foundation of the RCC. The RCC didn’t stay idle.
They mustered their forces to examine the church instructions and introduce
reforms and improvements, to bring back its vitality. This recovery of power is
called the Counter-Reformation.
13. Cartesian Doubt 笛卡尔的怀疑论
Descartes believed that the overthrow of the present opinion and the break-up
with the past philosophy are necessary condition of establishing something
first and lasting in the science.
Four rules: (1) accept nothing as true which I didn’t recognize (2) divide
difficulties into many parts (3) carry on my reflections in due order: simple to
complex (4) make lists to insure I omitted nothing
14. Baroque Art 巴洛克艺术
A style in art and architecture flourished in Italy, and then spread to South
Europe. It developed from the early 17c to mid-18c, emphasizing dramatic
intensity, light and color, of strained effect and typified by bold, curving forms,
elaborate ornamentation, and overall balance of separate parts
15. Enlightenment 启蒙运动
The Enlightenment was an intellectual movement originating in France in the
second half of the 18c, and then spread to Europe and NA. It characterizes
critical reason to free minds from prejudice, unexamined authority and
oppression by church or state. The most two forerunners were two 17
th
c

Englishmen Locke and Newton. The major force was the French philosophers.
The Enlightenment developed many ramifications.

16. Separation of powers
It was established in the book named
He believed that the legislative, executive and judicial powers must be
confined to different individuals or bodies, acting independently. This theory
was accepted by the philosophers and had a great influence in western world.
Particularly, his theory of the separation of powers become one of the most
important principles of the U.S. Constitution.
17. Rococo Art
During the reign of Louis XIV and Louis XV in France, an artistic style named
Rococo became popular. It is associated with architecture and intertor
decoration. It is characterized by elaborate ornamentation imitating shellwork.
It was luxurious, delicate and characterizing the taste of royal family. As a style
in art, Rococo became for a time the vogue all over Europe.
18. Romanticism
Romanticism was a movement in literature, philosophy, music and art which
developed in Europe in the late 18
th
and early 19
th
century. It started from the
idea of Rollsseau in France and from the Storm and Stress movement in
Germany. Romanticism emphasized individual values and aspirations. It gave
impetus to the national liberation movement in the 19
th
century Europe.
19. Marxism
Marxism was born in the 19
th
century from European culture. It had three
sources: German classical Philosophy, English classical Political Economy and
Utopian Socialism. The three component parts of Marxism are Marxist
Philosophy, Marxist Political Economy and