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

AP World History Vocabulary Flashcards

Terms : Hide Images
13933115063PaleolithicOld Stone Age, a long period of human development before the development of agriculture.0
13933115064Pastoral Societysocial system in which the breeding and herding of domestic animals is a major form of production for good and other purposes1
13933115065Neolithiclate phase of Stone Age, advanced stone tools used2
13933115066Bantu Migrationsseries of migrations of the Bantu people from the Congo area to present day Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania,3
13933115067Mesopotamiaregion in West Asia situated within the Tigris-Euphrates river system4
13933115068Hammurabi's CodeSophisticated law code associated with the Babylonian king Hammurabi5
13933115069Iron Metallurgytechnique or science of working or heating metals into tools6
13933115070PatriarchyA system of society or government in which the father or eldest male is head of the family and descent is traced through the male line7
13933115071PhoeniciansAncient Semitic people living in the Eastern Mediterranean, responsible for creating an alphabet that has influenced many modern day alphabets8
13933115072Indus River Valley CivilizationCivilization along one of the longest rivers in South Asia9
13933115073Caste SystemA Hindu social class system that controlled every aspect of daily life10
13933115074Yellow River ValleyCradle of Chinese civilization, along one of the longest rivers in East Asia11
13933115075Mandate of HeavenChinese belief that the emperors ruled through the mandate, or approval, of heaven contingent on their ability to look after the welfare of the population12
13933115076Warring States Periodthe period from 475 BC until the unification of China under the Qin dynasty, characterized by lack of centralized government in China. It followed the Zhou dynasty.13
13933115077OlmecsOne of the earliest known major civilization in Mexico14
13933115078Persian WarsSeries on wars between Greece and Persia15
13933115079ZoroastrianismMonotheistic religion; influenced future religions like Judaism, Islam, and Christianity16
13933115080ConfucianismA system of thought based on the teachings that turned into the ruling ideology of the Chinese state, involves ancestor reverence and a profound human-centered religiousness17
13933115081DaoismPhilosophy that teaches that everything should be left to the natural order; rejects many of the Confucian ideas but coexisted with Confucianism in China18
13933115082LegalismA Chinese philosophy that argued that people were by nature evil and would follow the correct path if coerced by laws19
13933115083Jainisman Indian religion that stresses extreme simplicity and non violence towards all living creatures20
13933115084BuddhismReligion, based on Four Noble Truths, associated with Siddhartha Gautama; its adherents desired to eliminate all distracting passion and reach nirvana.21
13933115085HinduismMain religion in India,emphasizes reincarnation and the desire to end the cycle and death and reincarnation22
13933115086Polisancient Greek city state23
13933115087SpartaGreek city state, known for its emphasis on military service and strength24
13933115088AthensGreek city state, birthplace of democracy25
13933115089Hellenisticrelating to Greek history, language, and culture from the death of Alexander the Great to the defeat of Cleopatra and Mark Antony26
13933115090SocratesGreek philosopher, father of western philosophy27
13933115091AristotleGreek philosopher and scientists, student of socrates28
13933115092Julius CaesarRoman military general and politician, assassinated by a group of nobles29
13933115093ChristianityReligion based on the teachings of Jesus of Nazareth30
13933115094Silk RoadNetwork of trading routes connecting East and West31
13933115095Justinian CodeLaws developed under Justinian, the Byzantine Emperor32
13933115096Lateen Saila triangular sail, made sailing in the wind easier33
13933115097Dhowship of small to moderate size used in W Indian Ocean; triangular sail and sewn timber hull34
13933115098Magnetic CompassNavigational Tool, indicates direction of travel35
13933115099IslamMonotheistic religion announced by the prophet Muhammad; influenced by Judaism and Christianity36
13933115100Indian Ocean Trade NetworkTrade network throughout the Indian Ocean, connected places like India, China, East Africa and the Middle East37
13933115101Neo-ConfucianismPhilosophy that attempted to merge certain basic elements of Confucian and Buddhist thought38
13933115102FeudalismA political system in which nobles are granted the use of lands that legally belong to a king in return for loyalty and military service39
13933115103Holy Roman EmpireMulti ethnic group of territories in central Europe during the Middle Ages, first emperor was Charlemagne40
13933115104FeudalismA political system in which nobles are granted the use of lands that legally belong to a king in return for loyalty and military service41
13933115105MongolsCentral Asian group, created a largest land based empire through brutal conquest and military warfare.42
13933115106Ibn BattutaMoroccan traveler, made the pilgrimage to Mecca and helped spread Islam throughout Africa43
13933115107Marco PoloItalian merchant whose accounts of his travels to China and other lands became legendary44
13933115108Crusades(1095-1204) Armed pilgrimages to the Holy Land by Christians determined to recover Jerusalem from Muslim rule. The Crusades brought an end to western Europe's centuries of intellectual and cultural isolation.45
13933115109ToltecsCentral American society, predates the Aztecs46
13933115110AztecsCentral American empire constructed by the Mexica and expanded greatly during the 15th century47
13933115111MercantilismEconomic policy common to many absolute monarchies. Government control of foreign trade is of paramount importance for ensuring the military security of the country. In particular, it demands a positive balance of trade and desires new sources of gold and silver bullion, thus fueling more colonialism.48
13933115112Trading Post EmpireFirst used by the Portuguese to control trade routes by forcing merchants to pay taxes in trading ports49
13933115113Joint Stock CompanyA business, often backed by a government charter, that sold shares to individuals to raise money for its trading enterprises and to spread the risks (and profits) among many investors.50
13933115114DiffusionThe spread of ideas, objects, or traits from one culture to another51
13933115115Zheng HeChinese explorer who traveled throughout the Indian Ocean52
13933115116RenaissanceA period in European history where ancient Greek and Roman art and culture was revived53
13933115117Bubonic PlagueDeadly disease that spread through Europe, believed to be brought to Europe by traders from Asia54
13933115118Trans-Saharan Tradetrade route that traveled across the Sahara desert55
13933115119JunksChinese sailing ship56
13933115120SikhismIndian syncretic religion that combines elements of Hinduism and Buddhism57
13933115121CaravelsEuropean fast sailing ship58
13933115122Columbian 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.59
13933115123Encomienda SystemA labor system set up by the Spanish government where Spanish colonists could work the native Americans on their land while compensating them and agreeing to educate some of them and teach them about Christianity60
13933115124Haciendasa large estate or plantation with a dwelling house found in Spanish America61
13933115125Indentured LaborLabor source for plantations; wealthy planters would pay the laboring poor to sell a portion of their working lives in exchange for passage62
13933115126Martin LutherAuthor of the 95 thesis, began the protestant reformation by protesting against the Catholic church63
13933115127Protestant Reformation16th century, European movement where religious figures broke away from the Catholic church64
13933115128Printing PressMachine used to mass produce text, responsible for increasing literacy rates and spreading information at a faster rate65
13933115129Scientific RevolutionStarted in the 1500's, that brought about major advancements in math, physics, astronomy, and biology66
13933115130Industrial Revolutionthe process of change from an agrarian society to one dominated by industry and machine manufacturing67
13933115131Factory SystemMethod of manufacturing using machines and division of labor68
13933115132The EnlightenmentIntellectual and philosophical movement in Europe that emphasized natural rights, reason, and changes in government to meet the needs of the people69
13933115133Haitian Revolutionsuccessful anti-slavery and anti-colonial revolt led by self-liberated slaves against French colonial rule70
13933115134Simon BolivarLeader of the revolutions that took place in Latin America71
13933115135NationalismExtreme pride in ones country or advocacy of political independence72
13933115136LiberalismPolitical view that emphasizes liberty and equality, civil rights73
13933115137ConservatismPolitical view that holds that society changes slowly overtime against rapid change74
13933115138SocialismPolitical theory that advocates that the community should own he means of production75
13933115139CommunismPhilosophy that states means of production should be owned by the working class. Violent revolution is needed to destroy the bourgeois and create a new order led by the Proletariat76
13933115140Social DarwinismAttempt to apply Darwin's "survival of the fittest" to social and political realm. Used to justify the war and the conquering of "weaker" nations77
13933115141Scramble for AfricaPeriod between 1875 and 1900 where European powers sought to colonize as much of Africa as possible78
13933115142Indian Revolt, 1857unsuccessful rebellion of North and Central India by a large portion of the Bengal Army and civil population against British rule79
13933115143"White Man's Burden"A poem by Rudyard Kipling that states it is the white mans job or duty to civilize the colonies in Africa and Asia80
13933115144National AssemblyOrganization formed by the Third Estate during the French Revolution with the goal of creating a constitution81
13933115145French RevolutionPeriod of social and political change to took place in France from 1789 to about 1799, resulted in the overthrow of the monarchy82
13933115146Indian National CongressIndian political party founded in 1885, worked to gain independence from Great Britain83
13933115147King LeopoldKing of Belgium, known for colonizing the Congo and allowing brutal exploration84
13933115148Opium WarSeries of wars between 1839 and 1860 between Great Britain and China over the sale of Opium in China. Resulted in China being forced to sign a number of unequal treaties85
13933115149Berlin ConferenceMeeting organized by German chancellor Otto von Bismarck in 1884-1885 that provided the justification for European colonization of Africa86
13933115150Taiping RebellionLarge rebellion that took place in 1850 in China over the increasing poverty and discontent among the Chinese peasantry87
13933115151Self-strengthening MovementChinese attempt to blend Chinese cultural traditions with European industrial technology88
13933115152Sphere of InfluenceAn area in which another country has economic power, an example is the European control of Chinese ports89
13933115153Boxer RebellionViolent anti-foreign, anti-colonial uprising that took place in China between 1899 and 190190
13933115154Seneca Falls ConventionFirst women's rights convention, took place in New York in 184891
13933115155Meiji Restorationrestoration of imperial rule in 1868 in Japan, focused on western reforms to strengthen Japan92
13933115156Mexican RevolutionArmed struggle from 1910 to 1920 in Mexico that resulted in the end of a dictator ship and the establishment of a constitutional republic.93
13933115157Paris Peace ConferenceMeeting of various nations after WWI to decide how to set peace terms for the Central Powers94
13933115158Armenian GenocideCampaign of extermination undertaken by the Ottomans against two million Armenians living in Ottoman territory during World War I.95
13933115159Treaty of Versailles1919 treaty between Entente Powers and Germany after WWI, blamed the war on Germany and applied harsh reparations96
13933115160League of NationsForerunner of the United Nations, the dream of American president Woodrow Wilson, although its potential was severely limited by the refusal of the United States to join.97
13933115161Great Depressionsevere worldwide economic depression that took place mostly during the 1930s, beginning in the United States98
13933115162Russian RevolutionTime period in Russia between 1917 and 1918 which saw the abdication of Czar Nicholas and the establishment of the Communist party led by Lenin99
13933115163Mandate SystemSystem that developed in the wake of World War I when the former colonies ended up mandates under European control100
13933115164New DealSeries of programs put into place by FDR in the U.S. to establish public works projects, financial reforms and government regulation after the Great Depression101
13933115165FascismPolitical ideology used in Italy under Mussolini, a form of totalitarian government102
13933115166Benito MussoliniLeader of the fascist party in Italy and and Prime Minister of Italy during WWII103
13933115167Adolf HitlerLeader of the Nazi party in Germany and Fuehrer during WWII104
13933115168Stalin's Five Year PlanEconomic goals implemented between 1928 and 1932 in Russia with the goal of industrial and economic advancement105
13933115169Mao ZedongChinese communist revolutionary leader and leader of China106
13933115170Mohandas GandhiLeader of the non-violence movement in India which sought to gain independence for India from British rule107
13933115171Nazi-Soviet PactNeutrality pact between Stalin and Hitler108
13933115172Mukden IncidentStaged event in which Japanese military members destroyed their own railroad track in Manchuria in order to provide justification for an invasion of China109
13933115173Rape of NanjingJapanese conquest and destruction of the Chinese city of Nanjing in the 1930's110
13933115174HolocaustGenocide during WWII that targeting Jews in Germany111
13933115175United NationsSuccessor to the League of Nations, an organization of nations with the goal of finding solution to global issues112
13933115176Cold WarConflict or rivalry between U.S. and Soviet Union that included their allies113
13933115177Iron CurtainName given to the boundary dividing Europe into Soviet/communist block and Western capitalist nations114
13933115178Truman Doctrine1947 U.S. Policy that states the country would intervene in foreign nations to stop the spread of communism115
13933115179Marshall PlanU.S. Plan that offered financial aid to all European states that suffered from WWII116
13933115180NATONorth Atlantic Treaty Organization, established by the U.S. in 1949, military alliance against Soviet expansion117
13933115181Warsaw Pactmilitary alliance formed by Soviet bloc nations in 1955 in response to rearmament of West Germany and its inclusion in NATO118
13933115182Green RevolutionMovement to increase agricultural production in countries like India119
13933115183U.S. Civil Rights Act of 1965Laws passed by President Johnson in order to overcome barriers that prevented African Americans from voting120
13933115184ApartheidSouth African system of "separateness" that was implemented in 1948 and that maintained the black majority in a position of political, social, and economic subordination.121
13933115185Decolonizationprocess by which former colonies achieved their independence from European powers122
13933115186Zionismnational movement of the Jewish people that supports the re-establishment of a Jewish homeland in the territory defined as the historic Land of Israel123
13933115187Geneva ConferenceMeetings between nations to solve major problems between France and the Vietnamese nationalists. Resulted in the Geneva Accords124
13933115188Pan-AfricanismMovement that seeks to unite the indigenous people of Africa and create solidarity in Africa125
13933115189Pan-Arabismidea of the unification of the Muslim countries of North Africa and West Asia, Arab nationalism126
13933115190Iranian RevolutionEvents leading to the overthrow of Iranian leader Pahlavi127
13933115191Globalizationthe breaking down of traditional boundaries in the face of increasingly global financial and cultural trends128
13933115192Climate Changea change in global or regional climate patterns129
13933115193Rwandan GenocideMass slaughter of Tutsi's in Rwanda. Led by the Hutu people130
13933115194Satellite NationsCold War, nations that were under the influence of the Soviet Union and Communism131
13933115195AbsolutismPolitical philosophy that stressed the divine right theory of kingship: the French king Louis XIV was the classic example.132
13933115196capitalismAn economic system with origins in early modern Europe in which private parties make their goods and services available on a free market.133
13933115197Agricultural Revolutionchangeover from food gathering to food production that occurred between ca. 8000 and 2000 B.C.E.134
13933115198SyncretismCombination of different religions, cultures, or schools of thought, the merging of different inflectional varieties of a word during the development of a language135
13933115199Fertile CrescentThe Tigris and Euphrates Rivers gave life to the first known agricultural villages in this area about 10,000 years ago and the first known cities about 5,000 years ago. Includes Mesopotamia, Palestine, and the Nile.136
13933115200MitaWhen colonists were allowed to use Indians for forced labor in colonial South America as a form of taxation. The Inca had previously used a similar practice.137
13933115201Mansa MusaRuler of Mali who made a pilgrimage from Egypt to Mecca138
13933115202Filial PietyIn Confucian thought, one of the virtues to be cultivated, a love and respect for one's parents and ancestors139
13933115203Irrigation systema means of supplying land with water140
13933115204SecularNon-religious141
13933115205Specialization of LaborTo train or specialize people in certain areas of work so that people can accomplish tasks quicker142
13933115206AnimismBelief that objects, such as plants and stones, or natural events, like thunderstorms and earthquakes, have a discrete spirit and conscious life.143
13933115207codificationa set of rules or principles or laws (especially written ones)144
13933115208MonasticismLiving in a religious community apart from secular society and adhering to a rule stipulating chastity, obedience, and poverty.145
13933115209CaliphateOffice established in succession to the Prophet Muhammad, to rule the Islamic empire; also the name of that empire.146
13933115210Tribute systemA system in which defeated peoples were forced to pay a tax in the form of goods and labor. This forced transfer of food, cloth, and other goods subsidized the development of large cities147
13933115211appeasementBritish and French policy in the 1930's that tried to maintain peace in Europe in the face of German aggression by making concessions148
13933115212BrahmanHindu caste of priests149
13933115213CaliphIslamic leader after the death of Muhammad150
13933115214Catholic Reformation16th century Catholic attempts to cure internal ills and confront Protestantism.151
13933115215Chinampasgardens used by Aztecs in which fertile ground from lake bottoms was dredged and built up into small plots for farming152
13933115216Civil Service Examtests given at the district, provincial, and metropolitan levels that determined entry into the Chinese civil service during the Ming and Qing dynasties153
13933115217ConquistadorsSpanish adventurers such as Cortez and Pizarro who conquered Central and South America in the 16th Century154
13933115218ContainmentGoal of the Truman Doctrine, stop or contain the spread of Communism155
13933115219CreolesPeople born in the Americas of Spanish or Portuguese ancestry156
13933115220Daimyopowerful territorial lords in early modern Japan157
13933115221DetenteA reduction in cold war tension between the U.S. and Soviet Union from 1969-1975158
13933115222Direct Rulea system of government used by Europeans towards their colonies. Officials were sent from the European nation to rule over the colony159
13933115223Indirect Rulea system of government used by Europeans towards their colonies. It allowed local leaders to remain in place under British rule160
13933115224Foot bindingChinese custom of applying tight binding to the feet of young girls to modify the shape of their feet. It was practiced in China from the Song dynasty until the early 20th century, bound feet were considered a status symbol as well as a mark of beauty161
13933115225GlasnostRussian term meaning openness, introduced by Mikhail Gorbachev in 1985 to describe the process of opening of Soviet society162
13933115226Good Neighbor PolicyU.S. foreign policy under FDR, emphasized cooperation and trade rather than military force in Latin America163
13933115227Great Leap ForwardEconomic and social program in China under Mao. Attempt to address the problems with China's industrial and agricultural sectors.164
13933115228IndulgenceA forgiveness of sins, sold by the Catholic church, one of the causes of Martin Luthers unhappiness with the church165
13933115229Laissez FaireBelief that the government should not be involved in a free market166
13933115230PlatoGreek philosopher, student of Socrates, author of the allegory of the cave167

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!