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AP World History Vocabulary Flashcards

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13971284937PaleolithicOld Stone Age, a long period of human development before the development of agriculture.0
13971284938Pastoral Societysocial system in which the breeding and herding of domestic animals is a major form of production for good and other purposes1
13971284939Neolithiclate phase of Stone Age, advanced stone tools used2
13971284940Bantu Migrationsseries of migrations of the Bantu people from the Congo area to present day Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania,3
13971284941Mesopotamiaregion in West Asia situated within the Tigris-Euphrates river system4
13971284942Hammurabi's CodeSophisticated law code associated with the Babylonian king Hammurabi5
13971284943Iron Metallurgytechnique or science of working or heating metals into tools6
13971284944PatriarchyA 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
13971284945PhoeniciansAncient Semitic people living in the Eastern Mediterranean, responsible for creating an alphabet that has influenced many modern day alphabets8
13971284946Indus River Valley CivilizationCivilization along one of the longest rivers in South Asia9
13971284947Caste SystemA Hindu social class system that controlled every aspect of daily life10
13971284948Yellow River ValleyCradle of Chinese civilization, along one of the longest rivers in East Asia11
13971284949Mandate 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
13971284950Warring 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
13971284951OlmecsOne of the earliest known major civilization in Mexico14
13971284952Persian WarsSeries on wars between Greece and Persia15
13971284953ZoroastrianismMonotheistic religion; influenced future religions like Judaism, Islam, and Christianity16
13971284954ConfucianismA 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
13971284955DaoismPhilosophy that teaches that everything should be left to the natural order; rejects many of the Confucian ideas but coexisted with Confucianism in China18
13971284956LegalismA Chinese philosophy that argued that people were by nature evil and would follow the correct path if coerced by laws19
13971284957Jainisman Indian religion that stresses extreme simplicity and non violence towards all living creatures20
13971284958BuddhismReligion, based on Four Noble Truths, associated with Siddhartha Gautama; its adherents desired to eliminate all distracting passion and reach nirvana.21
13971284959HinduismMain religion in India,emphasizes reincarnation and the desire to end the cycle and death and reincarnation22
13971284960Polisancient Greek city state23
13971284961SpartaGreek city state, known for its emphasis on military service and strength24
13971284962AthensGreek city state, birthplace of democracy25
13971284963Hellenisticrelating to Greek history, language, and culture from the death of Alexander the Great to the defeat of Cleopatra and Mark Antony26
13971284964SocratesGreek philosopher, father of western philosophy27
13971284965AristotleGreek philosopher and scientists, student of socrates28
13971284966Julius CaesarRoman military general and politician, assassinated by a group of nobles29
13971284967ChristianityReligion based on the teachings of Jesus of Nazareth30
13971284968Silk RoadNetwork of trading routes connecting East and West31
13971284969Justinian CodeLaws developed under Justinian, the Byzantine Emperor32
13971284970Lateen Saila triangular sail, made sailing in the wind easier33
13971284971Dhowship of small to moderate size used in W Indian Ocean; triangular sail and sewn timber hull34
13971284972Magnetic CompassNavigational Tool, indicates direction of travel35
13971284973IslamMonotheistic religion announced by the prophet Muhammad; influenced by Judaism and Christianity36
13971284974Indian Ocean Trade NetworkTrade network throughout the Indian Ocean, connected places like India, China, East Africa and the Middle East37
13971284975Neo-ConfucianismPhilosophy that attempted to merge certain basic elements of Confucian and Buddhist thought38
13971284976FeudalismA political system in which nobles are granted the use of lands that legally belong to a king in return for loyalty and military service39
13971284977Holy Roman EmpireMulti ethnic group of territories in central Europe during the Middle Ages, first emperor was Charlemagne40
13971284978FeudalismA political system in which nobles are granted the use of lands that legally belong to a king in return for loyalty and military service41
13971284979MongolsCentral Asian group, created a largest land based empire through brutal conquest and military warfare.42
13971284980Ibn BattutaMoroccan traveler, made the pilgrimage to Mecca and helped spread Islam throughout Africa43
13971284981Marco PoloItalian merchant whose accounts of his travels to China and other lands became legendary44
13971284982Crusades(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
13971284983ToltecsCentral American society, predates the Aztecs46
13971284984AztecsCentral American empire constructed by the Mexica and expanded greatly during the 15th century47
13971284985MercantilismEconomic 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
13971284986Trading Post EmpireFirst used by the Portuguese to control trade routes by forcing merchants to pay taxes in trading ports49
13971284987Joint 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
13971284988DiffusionThe spread of ideas, objects, or traits from one culture to another51
13971284989Zheng HeChinese explorer who traveled throughout the Indian Ocean52
13971284990RenaissanceA period in European history where ancient Greek and Roman art and culture was revived53
13971284991Bubonic PlagueDeadly disease that spread through Europe, believed to be brought to Europe by traders from Asia54
13971284992Trans-Saharan Tradetrade route that traveled across the Sahara desert55
13971284993JunksChinese sailing ship56
13971284994SikhismIndian syncretic religion that combines elements of Hinduism and Buddhism57
13971284995CaravelsEuropean fast sailing ship58
13971284996Columbian 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
13971284997Encomienda 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
13971284998Haciendasa large estate or plantation with a dwelling house found in Spanish America61
13971284999Indentured LaborLabor source for plantations; wealthy planters would pay the laboring poor to sell a portion of their working lives in exchange for passage62
13971285000Martin LutherAuthor of the 95 thesis, began the protestant reformation by protesting against the Catholic church63
13971285001Protestant Reformation16th century, European movement where religious figures broke away from the Catholic church64
13971285002Printing PressMachine used to mass produce text, responsible for increasing literacy rates and spreading information at a faster rate65
13971285003Scientific RevolutionStarted in the 1500's, that brought about major advancements in math, physics, astronomy, and biology66
13971285004Industrial Revolutionthe process of change from an agrarian society to one dominated by industry and machine manufacturing67
13971285005Factory SystemMethod of manufacturing using machines and division of labor68
13971285006The EnlightenmentIntellectual and philosophical movement in Europe that emphasized natural rights, reason, and changes in government to meet the needs of the people69
13971285007Haitian Revolutionsuccessful anti-slavery and anti-colonial revolt led by self-liberated slaves against French colonial rule70
13971285008Simon BolivarLeader of the revolutions that took place in Latin America71
13971285009NationalismExtreme pride in ones country or advocacy of political independence72
13971285010LiberalismPolitical view that emphasizes liberty and equality, civil rights73
13971285011ConservatismPolitical view that holds that society changes slowly overtime against rapid change74
13971285012SocialismPolitical theory that advocates that the community should own he means of production75
13971285013CommunismPhilosophy 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
13971285014Social 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
13971285015Scramble for AfricaPeriod between 1875 and 1900 where European powers sought to colonize as much of Africa as possible78
13971285016Indian Revolt, 1857unsuccessful rebellion of North and Central India by a large portion of the Bengal Army and civil population against British rule79
13971285017"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
13971285018National AssemblyOrganization formed by the Third Estate during the French Revolution with the goal of creating a constitution81
13971285019French RevolutionPeriod of social and political change to took place in France from 1789 to about 1799, resulted in the overthrow of the monarchy82
13971285020Indian National CongressIndian political party founded in 1885, worked to gain independence from Great Britain83
13971285021King LeopoldKing of Belgium, known for colonizing the Congo and allowing brutal exploration84
13971285022Opium 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
13971285023Berlin ConferenceMeeting organized by German chancellor Otto von Bismarck in 1884-1885 that provided the justification for European colonization of Africa86
13971285024Taiping RebellionLarge rebellion that took place in 1850 in China over the increasing poverty and discontent among the Chinese peasantry87
13971285025Self-strengthening MovementChinese attempt to blend Chinese cultural traditions with European industrial technology88
13971285026Sphere of InfluenceAn area in which another country has economic power, an example is the European control of Chinese ports89
13971285027Boxer RebellionViolent anti-foreign, anti-colonial uprising that took place in China between 1899 and 190190
13971285028Seneca Falls ConventionFirst women's rights convention, took place in New York in 184891
13971285029Meiji Restorationrestoration of imperial rule in 1868 in Japan, focused on western reforms to strengthen Japan92
13971285030Mexican 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
13971285031Paris Peace ConferenceMeeting of various nations after WWI to decide how to set peace terms for the Central Powers94
13971285032Armenian GenocideCampaign of extermination undertaken by the Ottomans against two million Armenians living in Ottoman territory during World War I.95
13971285033Treaty of Versailles1919 treaty between Entente Powers and Germany after WWI, blamed the war on Germany and applied harsh reparations96
13971285034League 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
13971285035Great Depressionsevere worldwide economic depression that took place mostly during the 1930s, beginning in the United States98
13971285036Russian 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
13971285037Mandate SystemSystem that developed in the wake of World War I when the former colonies ended up mandates under European control100
13971285038New 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
13971285039FascismPolitical ideology used in Italy under Mussolini, a form of totalitarian government102
13971285040Benito MussoliniLeader of the fascist party in Italy and and Prime Minister of Italy during WWII103
13971285041Adolf HitlerLeader of the Nazi party in Germany and Fuehrer during WWII104
13971285042Stalin's Five Year PlanEconomic goals implemented between 1928 and 1932 in Russia with the goal of industrial and economic advancement105
13971285043Mao ZedongChinese communist revolutionary leader and leader of China106
13971285044Mohandas GandhiLeader of the non-violence movement in India which sought to gain independence for India from British rule107
13971285045Nazi-Soviet PactNeutrality pact between Stalin and Hitler108
13971285046Mukden IncidentStaged event in which Japanese military members destroyed their own railroad track in Manchuria in order to provide justification for an invasion of China109
13971285047Rape of NanjingJapanese conquest and destruction of the Chinese city of Nanjing in the 1930's110
13971285048HolocaustGenocide during WWII that targeting Jews in Germany111
13971285049United NationsSuccessor to the League of Nations, an organization of nations with the goal of finding solution to global issues112
13971285050Cold WarConflict or rivalry between U.S. and Soviet Union that included their allies113
13971285051Iron CurtainName given to the boundary dividing Europe into Soviet/communist block and Western capitalist nations114
13971285052Truman Doctrine1947 U.S. Policy that states the country would intervene in foreign nations to stop the spread of communism115
13971285053Marshall PlanU.S. Plan that offered financial aid to all European states that suffered from WWII116
13971285054NATONorth Atlantic Treaty Organization, established by the U.S. in 1949, military alliance against Soviet expansion117
13971285055Warsaw Pactmilitary alliance formed by Soviet bloc nations in 1955 in response to rearmament of West Germany and its inclusion in NATO118
13971285056Green RevolutionMovement to increase agricultural production in countries like India119
13971285057U.S. Civil Rights Act of 1965Laws passed by President Johnson in order to overcome barriers that prevented African Americans from voting120
13971285058ApartheidSouth 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
13971285059Decolonizationprocess by which former colonies achieved their independence from European powers122
13971285060Zionismnational movement of the Jewish people that supports the re-establishment of a Jewish homeland in the territory defined as the historic Land of Israel123
13971285061Geneva ConferenceMeetings between nations to solve major problems between France and the Vietnamese nationalists. Resulted in the Geneva Accords124
13971285062Pan-AfricanismMovement that seeks to unite the indigenous people of Africa and create solidarity in Africa125
13971285063Pan-Arabismidea of the unification of the Muslim countries of North Africa and West Asia, Arab nationalism126
13971285064Iranian RevolutionEvents leading to the overthrow of Iranian leader Pahlavi127
13971285065Globalizationthe breaking down of traditional boundaries in the face of increasingly global financial and cultural trends128
13971285066Climate Changea change in global or regional climate patterns129
13971285067Rwandan GenocideMass slaughter of Tutsi's in Rwanda. Led by the Hutu people130
13971285068Satellite NationsCold War, nations that were under the influence of the Soviet Union and Communism131
13971285069AbsolutismPolitical philosophy that stressed the divine right theory of kingship: the French king Louis XIV was the classic example.132
13971285070capitalismAn economic system with origins in early modern Europe in which private parties make their goods and services available on a free market.133
13971285071Agricultural Revolutionchangeover from food gathering to food production that occurred between ca. 8000 and 2000 B.C.E.134
13971285072SyncretismCombination of different religions, cultures, or schools of thought, the merging of different inflectional varieties of a word during the development of a language135
13971285073Fertile 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
13971285074MitaWhen 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
13971285075Mansa MusaRuler of Mali who made a pilgrimage from Egypt to Mecca138
13971285076Filial PietyIn Confucian thought, one of the virtues to be cultivated, a love and respect for one's parents and ancestors139
13971285077Irrigation systema means of supplying land with water140
13971285078SecularNon-religious141
13971285079Specialization of LaborTo train or specialize people in certain areas of work so that people can accomplish tasks quicker142
13971285080AnimismBelief that objects, such as plants and stones, or natural events, like thunderstorms and earthquakes, have a discrete spirit and conscious life.143
13971285081codificationa set of rules or principles or laws (especially written ones)144
13971285082MonasticismLiving in a religious community apart from secular society and adhering to a rule stipulating chastity, obedience, and poverty.145
13971285083CaliphateOffice established in succession to the Prophet Muhammad, to rule the Islamic empire; also the name of that empire.146
13971285084Tribute 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
13971285085appeasementBritish and French policy in the 1930's that tried to maintain peace in Europe in the face of German aggression by making concessions148
13971285086BrahmanHindu caste of priests149
13971285087CaliphIslamic leader after the death of Muhammad150
13971285088Catholic Reformation16th century Catholic attempts to cure internal ills and confront Protestantism.151
13971285089Chinampasgardens used by Aztecs in which fertile ground from lake bottoms was dredged and built up into small plots for farming152
13971285090Civil Service Examtests given at the district, provincial, and metropolitan levels that determined entry into the Chinese civil service during the Ming and Qing dynasties153
13971285091ConquistadorsSpanish adventurers such as Cortez and Pizarro who conquered Central and South America in the 16th Century154
13971285092ContainmentGoal of the Truman Doctrine, stop or contain the spread of Communism155
13971285093CreolesPeople born in the Americas of Spanish or Portuguese ancestry156
13971285094Daimyopowerful territorial lords in early modern Japan157
13971285095DetenteA reduction in cold war tension between the U.S. and Soviet Union from 1969-1975158
13971285096Direct Rulea system of government used by Europeans towards their colonies. Officials were sent from the European nation to rule over the colony159
13971285097Indirect Rulea system of government used by Europeans towards their colonies. It allowed local leaders to remain in place under British rule160
13971285098Foot 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
13971285099GlasnostRussian term meaning openness, introduced by Mikhail Gorbachev in 1985 to describe the process of opening of Soviet society162
13971285100Good Neighbor PolicyU.S. foreign policy under FDR, emphasized cooperation and trade rather than military force in Latin America163
13971285101Great Leap ForwardEconomic and social program in China under Mao. Attempt to address the problems with China's industrial and agricultural sectors.164
13971285102IndulgenceA forgiveness of sins, sold by the Catholic church, one of the causes of Martin Luthers unhappiness with the church165
13971285103Laissez FaireBelief that the government should not be involved in a free market166
13971285104PlatoGreek philosopher, student of Socrates, author of the allegory of the cave167

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