AP Notes, Outlines, Study Guides, Vocabulary, Practice Exams and more!

AP World History: Unit 4 Flashcards

Terms : Hide Images
11853869815Trans-Oceanic Tradeglobal trading system in the Caribbean and the Americans trade networks extended to all corners of Atlantic Ocean0
11853869816Columbian ExchangeAn exchange of goods, ideas and skills from the Old World (Europe, Asia and Africa) to the New World (North and South America) and vice versa.1
11853869817MercantilismAn economic policy under which nations sought to increase their wealth and power by obtaining large amounts of gold and silver and by selling more goods than they bought2
11853869818Triangular TradeTrading System between Europe, Africa, and the colonies; European purchased slaves in Africa and sold them to colonies, new materials from colonies went to Europe while European finished products were sold in the colonies.3
11853869819Middle PassageA voyage that brought enslaved Africans across the Atlantic Ocean to North America and the West Indies4
11853869820CaravelA small, highly maneuverable three-masted ship used by the Portuguese and Spanish in the exploration of the Atlantic.5
11853932077Spanish Galleona large multi-deck ship with at least three or four masts, usually with a lateen sail; these ships were capable of carrying an enormous volume of cargo and carried most of the slaves across the Atlantic via the Middle Passage6
11853869821Cartographythe science or the art of making maps7
11853869822Joint-stock companiesbusinesses formed by groups of people who jointly make an investment and share in the profits and losses8
11853869823East India CompaniesBritish, French, and Dutch trading companies that obtained government monopolies of trade to India and Asia; acted independently in their regions.9
11853869824Royal African Companya mercantile company set up by the Stuart family and London merchants to trade along the west coast of Africa10
11853869825AmerindiansAmerican Indians11
11853869826Italian Renaissancerebirth of Classical (Greece/Rome) art/architecture - humanistic focus - patrons - families like Medici and the Catholic Church - blended natural world w/ religion - transition away from religion12
11853869827Northern RenaissanceAn extension of the Italian Renaissance to the nations of northern Europe; the Northern Renaissance took on a more religious nature than the Italian Renaissance13
11853869828The MediciThe Medici family was a family of bankers that started out as middle class & then loaned money to a guy that became the pope & then they became the wealthiest family in Florence. They sponsored many artists/architects like Brunesllshci & made lots of money off them.14
11853869829HumanismA Renaissance intellectual movement in which thinkers studied classical texts and focused on human potential and achievements15
11853869830Protestant ReformationA religious movement of the 16th century that began as an attempt to reform the Roman Catholic Church and resulted in the creation of Protestant churches.16
11853869831Martin LutherA German monk who became one of the most famous critics of the Roman Catholic Chruch. In 1517, he wrote 95 theses, or statements of belief attacking the church practices. He led the Protestant Reformation.17
1185386983295 ThesesMartin Luther's ideas that he posted on the church door at Wittenburg which questioned the Roman Catholic Church. This act began the Reformation18
11853869833AnglicanismA Protestant denomination of the Christian faith founded by Henry VIII in England19
11853869834Catholic ReformationReligious reform movement within the Latin Christian Church, begun in response to the Protestant Reformation. It clarified Catholic theology and reformed clerical training and discipline.20
11853869835JesuitsMembers of the Society of Jesus, a Roman Catholic order founded by Ignatius Loyola in 1534. They played an important part in the Catholic Reformation and helped create conduits of trade and knowledge between Asia and Europe.21
11853869836Scientific RevolutionA major change in European thought, starting in the mid-1500s, in which the study of the natural world began to be characterized by careful observation and the questioning of accepted beliefs; led to the Age of Reason also known as the Enlightenment22
11853869837CopernicusDevised a model of the universe with the Sun at the center, and not earth.23
11853869838DescartesFrench philosopher, discovered analytical geometry. Saw Algebra and Geometry have a direct relationship. Reduced everything to spiritual or physical.24
11853869839NewtonThis physicist developed the law of universal gravitation and further caused the decline of the old system of science25
11853869840GalileoHe was the first person to use a telescope to observe objects in space. He discovered that planets and moons are physical bodies because of his studies of the night skies.26
11853869841DeismA popular Enlightenment era belief that there is a God, but that God isn't involved in people's lives or in revealing truths to prophets.27
11853869842John Locke17th century English philosopher who opposed the Divine Right of Kings and who asserted that people have a natural right to life, liberty, and property.28
11853869843ColumbusItalian navigator who discovered the New World in the service of Spain while looking for a route to China (1451-1506)29
11853869844MagellanPortuguese explorer who sailed around the Southern end of South America and eventually reached the Philippines, but was killed in a local war there30
11853869846Zheng HeAn imperial eunuch and Muslim, entrusted by the Ming emperor Yongle with a series of state voyages that took his gigantic ships through the Indian Ocean, from Southeast Asia to Africa.31
11853869847Plantation EconomyThis referred to the inefficient, slave-centered economy of the South where all land was used to grow large amounts of cash crops for export.32
11853869848Indentured servitudeA worker bound by a voluntary agreement to work for a specified period of years often in return for free passage to an overseas destination. Before 1800 most were Europeans; after 1800 most indentured laborers were Asians.33
11853869849Encomienda SystemSpaniards received grants of a number of Indians, from whom they could exact "tribute" in the form of gold or labor; laborers granted to work the land34
11853869850Hacienda Systemlanded estates granted to conquistadors; these large estates engaged in farming, raising livestock, and craft production. The Hacienda would produce enough food for its own use and to sell in local markets in nearby mining towns and cities. Haciendas originated in Spanish land grants, made to many conquistadors and crown officials, but many ordinary Spaniards could also petition for land grants from the crown.35
11853869851Mita SystemThe system recruiting workers for particularly difficult and dangerous chores that free laborers would not accept; the Incan Mita system required that the population do public works service; when the Spaniards arrived they converted this system to a system of forced labor, forcing natives to work for them mining silver36
11853869852Peninsularesa Spanish-born Spaniard residing in the New World or the Spanish East Indies37
11853869893Creoles/CriollosDescendents of Spanish-born but born in Latin America; were considered to have inferior social, political, economic status, which they resented38
11853869854MestizosA person of mixed Native American and European ancestry39
11853869855MulattosPersons of mixed European and African ancestry40
11853869856Commercial RevolutionA dramatic change in the economy of Europe at the end of the Middle Ages. It is characterized by an increase in towns and trade, the use of banks and credit, and the establishment of guilds to regulate quality and price.41
11853869857Boyarsa member of the old aristocracy in Russia, next in rank to a prince42
11853869858Absolutismthe acceptance of or belief in absolute principles in political, philosophical, ethical, or theological matters43
11853869859*Louis XIV(1638-1715) Known as the Sun King, he was an absolute monarch that completely controlled France. One of his greatest accomplishments was the building of the palace at Versailles.44
11853869860*Phillip IIKing of Spain, 1556 - 1598; married to Queen Mary I of England;he was the most powerful monarch in Europe until 1588; controlled Spain, the Netherlands, the Spanish colonies in the New World, Portugal, Brazil, parts of Africa, parts of India, and the East Indies. He was also father to Alexander the Great.45
11853869861*Ivan III"Ivan the Great"; ruled as great prince and first ruler of the independent state called Russia. Prince of Moscow who ended Mongol rule in 1480 and adopted the title of tsar.46
11853869862*Ivan IVthe Terrible, beat the Mongols, Tartars, and the Poles, forced nobles into service, first ruler to take the title tsar47
11853869863*Peter the Great(1672-1725) Russian Tsar. He enthusiastically introduced Western languages and technologies to the Russian elite, moving the capital from Moscow to the new city of St. Petersburg.48
11853869864*Parliamentary monarchyA government with a king or queen whose power is limited by the power of a parliament49
11853869865Divine RightsA belief of kings and monarchs that they have a God-given right to rule and that rebellion against them is a sin.50
11853869866VersaillesA palace built for Louis XIV near the town of Versailles, southwest of Paris. It was built around a chateau belonging to Louis XIII, which was transformed by additions in the grand French classical style51
11853869867European Empires in the AmericansGreat Britain, France, Spain, Netherlands, Denmark52
11853869868Aztecsa nomadic tribe in northern Mexico, arrived in Mesoamerica around the beginning of the 13th century. From their magnificent capital city, Tenochtitlan, the Aztecs emerged as the dominant force in central Mexico, developing an intricate social, political, religious and commercial organization that brought many of the region's city-states under their control by the 15th century53
11853869869IncasA Native American people who built a notable civilization in western South America in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. The center of their empire was in present-day Peru. Francisco Pizarro of Spain conquered the empire.54
11853869870Ming-Dynasty - ChinaThe Ming dynasty was the ruling dynasty of China—then known as the Empire of the Great Ming—for 276 years following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan dynasty.55
11853869871ConquistadorsEarly-sixteenth-century Spanish adventurers who conquered Mexico, Central America, and Peru. (Examples Cortez, Pizarro, Francisco.)56
11853869872Thirty Year Wara series of wars in Central Europe between 1618 and 1648. It was one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history, as well as the deadliest European religious war, resulting in eight million casualties.57
11853869873Treaty of WestphaliaEnded Thirty Years War in 1648; granted right to individual rulers within the Holy Roman Empire to choose their own religion-either Protestant or Catholic.58
11853869874Edict of Nantesdocument that granted religious freedom to the Huguenots59
11853869875English Civil Wara series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists over, principally, the manner of England's government60
11853869876Glorious RevolutionA reference to the political events of 1688-1689, when James II abdicated his throne and was replaced by his daughter Mary and her husband, Prince William of Orange.61
11853869877Enlightenmenta European intellectual movement of the late 17th and 18th centuries emphasizing reason and individualism rather than tradition62
11853869878*John Locke17th century English philosopher who opposed the Divine Right of Kings and who asserted that people have a natural right to life, liberty, and property.63
11853869879*Adam Smitha Scottish moral philosopher, pioneer of political economy, and a key figure in the Scottish Enlightenment64
11853869880*Mary WollstonecraftEnglish writer and early feminist who denied male supremacy and advocated equal education for women65
118538698817 Years Wara war fought between 1754 and 1763, involving every European great power of the time except the Ottoman Empire, spanning five continents, and affected Europe, the Americas, West Africa, India, and the Philippines. The conflict split Europe into two coalitions, led by the Kingdom of Great Britain (Prussia, Portugal, Hanover, and other small German states) on one side and the Kingdom of France (Austria-led Holy Roman Empire, Russia, Spain, and Sweden) on the other.66
11853869882French & Indian WarAmerican version of the 7 Year's War, French and Indians fight colonists and are victorious in early stages, then British pour on the pressure and emerge victorious, end-result French are removed from North America and Britain is left in debt.67
11853869883Treaty of TordesillasA treaty signed by Portugal and Spain to divide the new world.68
11853869884Treaty of ZaragosaA treaty signed by Portugal and Spain to divided up Asia.69
11853869885Hernan Cortesa Spanish Conquistador who led an expedition that caused the fall of the Aztec Empire70
11853869886Francisco PizzaroSpanish conquistador who conquered the Inca's71
11853869887Viceroyaltiesthe office, position, or authority of a viceroy72
11853869889balance of powerDistribution of military and economic power that prevents any one nation from becoming too strong (especially in Europe).73
11853869890James CookEnglish navigator who claimed the east coast of Australia for Britain and discovered several Pacific islands (1728-1779).74
11853869891Council of TrentCalled by Pope Paul III to reform the church and secure reconciliation with the Protestants. Lutherans and Calvinists did not attend.75
11853869892Charles VThis was the Holy Roman Emperor that called for the Diet of Worms. He was a supporter of Catholicism and tried to crush the Reformation by use of the Counter-Reformation76
11853869894Francis DrakeEnglish explorer and admiral who was the first Englishman to circumnavigate the globe and who helped to defeat the Spanish Armada (1540-1596)77
11853869896joint-stock companiesbusinesses formed by groups of people who jointly make an investment and share in the profits and losses; investors had limited liability, meaning that they could not lose more than there investment; this encouraged investors; these companies were able to run more efficient and profitable voyages than those funded by monarchs.78
11853869898Henry VIII(1491-1547) King of England from 1509 to 1547; his desire to annul his marriage led to a conflict with the pope, England's break with the Roman Catholic Church, and its embrace of Protestantism. Established the Church of England in 1532.79
11853869899patronsa person who supports artists, especially financially80
11853869900middle passageA voyage that brought enslaved Africans across the Atlantic Ocean to North America and the West Indies81
11853869901Holy Roman EmpireLoose federation of mostly German states and principalities, headed by an emperor elected by the princes. It lasted from 962 to 1806.82
11853869902Peter the Great(1672-1725) Russian tsar (r. 1689-1725). He enthusiastically introduced Western languages and technologies to the Russian elite, moving the capital from Moscow to the new city of St. Petersburg.83
11853869903PrussiaA former kingdom in north-central Europe including present-day northern Germany and northern Poland84
11853869904Renaissance ManA person who is successful when it comes to working, and overall universal, knew how to dance, fight, sing, write poetry, and how to create art, and well educated with the classics.85
11853869905secularConcerned with worldly rather than spiritual matters86
11853869906vernacularEveryday language of ordinary people87
11853869907Triangular Slave TradeA practice, primarily during the eighteenth century, in which European ships transported slaves from Africa to Caribbean islands, molasses from the Caribbean to Europe, and trade goods from Europe to Africa.88
11853869908Vasco de GamaA Portugese sailor who was the first European to sail around southern Africa to the Indian Ocean89
11853869909westernizationadoption of western ideas, technology, and culture90
11853869910capitalismAn economic system based on private ownership of capital91
11853869911absolutismA form of government in which the ruler is an absolute dictator (not restricted by a constitution or laws or opposition etc.)92
11853869912Oliver CromwellEnglish general and statesman who led the parliamentary army in the English Civil War (1599-1658)93
11853869913St. Ignatius of Loyolafounder of the society of jesus (jesuits)94
11853869914Maria TheresaThis was the queen of Austria as a result of the Pragmatic Sanction. She limited the papacy's political influence in Austria, strengthened her central bureaucracy and cautiously reduced the power that nobles had over their serfs95
11853869915African DiasporaThe separation of Africans from their homeland through centuries of forced removal to serve as slaves in the Americas and elsewhere.96

Need Help?

We hope your visit has been a productive one. If you're having any problems, or would like to give some feedback, we'd love to hear from you.

For general help, questions, and suggestions, try our dedicated support forums.

If you need to contact the Course-Notes.Org web experience team, please use our contact form.

Need Notes?

While we strive to provide the most comprehensive notes for as many high school textbooks as possible, there are certainly going to be some that we miss. Drop us a note and let us know which textbooks you need. Be sure to include which edition of the textbook you are using! If we see enough demand, we'll do whatever we can to get those notes up on the site for you!