Ap world vocab unit 5

AP EXAM REVIEW!

Social Contract

The idea that governments exist to protect the natural rights of the people, and citizens agree to obey laws in exchange for protection and order.

• The Enlightenment idea that people implicitly agree to give up some individual freedoms to a government in exchange for the protection of their rights and the maintenance of social order,

Philosophes

Writers during the Enlightenment who popularized the new ideas of the time.

• The public intellectuals and writers of the 18th-century Enlightenment, primarily French, who championed reason, individualism, and critical thinking to challenge traditional authority and advocate for social, political, and scientific reforms.

Enlightenment

An intellectual movement of the 17th-18th centuries that emphasized reason, science, individual rights, and progress over tradition and superstition.

• Intellectual movement in the 17th-18th centuries that emphasized reason and individualism over tradition and community values; challenged authority and influenced the creation of many revolutions across the globe

Deism

God is a watchmaker; The religion of the Enlightenment (1700s). Followers believed that God existed and had created the world, but that afterwards He left it to run by its own natural laws.

Liberalism

A political philosophy that supports indiviudal freedoms, equality before the law, constitutional government, and protection of civil rights.

• a political ideology that emphasized limited government interference in private life, people's natural rights, people's representation in government, and importance of constitutional & parliamentary rule; flourished in 19th century Europe and built upon its classical form

Conservatism

A political ideology emphasizing tradition, established institutions (church, monarchy, aristocracy), gradual change, and social order.

• A belief in traditional institutions, favoring reliance on practical experience over ideological theories.

Empiricism

The belief that knowledge comes from observation, experiece, and scientific experimentation rather than tradition or authority.

Nationalism

A sense of shared identity and loyalty among people with common language, culture, or history, often leading to the desire for self-rule.

Classical liberalism

A belief in natural rights, constitutional government, laissez-faire economics, and reduced spending on armies and established churches.

• An 18th-century philosophy emphasizing individual rights (life, liberty, property), limited government, the rule of law, and free-market (laissez-faire) economics.

Feminism

The movement and ideology advocating for social, political, and economic equality for women

Abolitionism

The 18th-19th century international social and political movement to end slavery and the slave trade was driven by Enlightenment ideals, religious beliefs, and humanitarian concerns.

Zionism

The desire of Jews to re-establish an independent homeland where their ancestors had lived in the Middle East.

• The late 19th-century nationalist movement advocating for the creation of a Jewish homeland in Palestine (the ancient Land of Israel) due to rising European antisemitism and European nationalism

Anti-Semitism

hostility to or prejudice against Jews.

Wealth of Nations (Adam Smith)

A book written by Adam Smith in 1776 that argued for free markets, competition, and limited government involvement in the economy (laissez-faire). Laid the foundation for capitalism

Laissez-faire

Policy that the government should interfere as little as possible in the nation's economy.

• An economic philosophy advocating minimal government interference in the market, letting individuals pursue self-interest for economic prosperity

Capitalism

An economic system where private individuals or companies own the means of production (factories, resources) and operate them for profit in a competitive market, driven by supply, demand, and innovation.

Socialism

A political and economic system where there is public or state ownership over means of production, challenged the capitalist system and focused on societal rather than individual need

• An economic system in which the government or community controls major industries to promote economic equality.

Utopian Socialists

Early 19th-century thinkers like Robert Owen, Charles Fourier, and Saint-Simon, who proposed ideal, cooperative communities to counter industrial capitalism's problems, advocating for shared ownership, equality, and communal living to create a more humane society through peaceful, visionary models rather than revolution or class struggle.

• Socialists in the 19th century who believed society can advance by envisioning ideal communities where people cooperative with shared resources to create a harmonious community, challenged the existing capitalist system

  
  

Fabian Society

A British socialist group that promoted gradual social reform through laws and education rather than violent revolution.

• British socialist organization (est. 1884) advocating gradual, democratic socialism (Fabianism) through reform, education, and influencing politics, rather than revolution.

• Reform through parliamentary means

American Revolution (1775-1783)

The war (1775-1783) in which the American colonies gained independence from Britain and formed the United States.

• A colonial revolt where the Thirteen Colonies fought for independence from British rule, driven by Enlightenment ideals (liberty, natural rights) and grievances over taxation without representation, leading to the formation of the U.S

Declaration of Independence (1776)

The 1776 document written mainly by Thomas Jefferson that announced the colonies’ seperation from Britain and states that people are born with natural rights.

• Expressed the philosophy behind the colonists' fight against British rule. In the document, Thomas Jefferson picked up the phrase "unalienable rights" from John Locke (life, liberty, pursuit of happiness)

French Revolution

A major uprising in France (1789-1799) that overthrew the monarchy and promoted liberty, equality, and democracy.

• A pivotal event marking the end of absolute monarchy and feudalism in France, fueled by Enlightenment ideals, financial crises, and social inequality, leading to radical political and social change, the rise of republicanism, the Reign of Terror, and ultimately Napoleon's ascent

• The revolution that began in 1789, when France experienced social and economic hardships, the rise of Enlightenment ideas, and a weak monarchy that caused commoners to revolt and overthrow the French government

Declaration of the Rights of Man

A 1789 document from the French Revolution that states all men are equal under the law and have natural rights such as liberty and property; statement declaring basic human rights

• A French statement released by the National Assembly in 1789 that called for the basic human rights of the people

  
  

Reign of Terror

A violent period of the French Revolution (1793-1794) when thousands were executed as enemies of the revolution. Rule by the Committee of Public Safety (led by Robespierre) to enforce revolutionary ideals

• The period where the National Convention, France's de facto government, overpowered the monarchy, executed thousands of opponents of the revolution, including the king and queen, sprang from the Jacobins

Liberte, egalite, et fraternite

French for “liberty, equality, and brotherhood”; the main slogan and ideals of the French Revolution

• The foundational motto of the French Revolution (1789), representing core Enlightenment-inspired democratic ideals: individual freedom from oppression, equal rights for all citizens under the law, and national solidarity (brotherhood)

Haitian Revolution

A successful slave revolt in the French colony of Saint-Domingue, resulting in the world's first independent black republic, Haiti, and the first successful slave rebellion in history

Bolivar Revolutions

Uprisings in the South American Spanish colonies led by creole Simón Bolívar, who desired independence from Spain and formed a larged area called Gran Colombia (consisted of Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru); Gran Colombia became a republic that followed Bolívar's liberal ideas such as free trade and abolition of slavery

• Independent movements in South America led by Simon Bolivar that freed countries such as Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia from Spanish rule.

Simon Bolivar

The most important military leader in the struggle for independence in South America. Born in Venezuela, he led military forces there and in Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia.

• Some creoles, such as Simon Bolivar, continued to push for enlightenment ideals in Latin America. He became instrumental in the independence of areas that became Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru.

Propaganda Movement

A latee 19th century campaign led by Filipino intellectuals who focused on the reformation of Spanish colonial rule over the Phillipines, demanding greater autonomy. Member José Rizal was executed by Spanish authorities, and this spurred nationalist upheavels challenging the Spanish

• A late 19th-century campaign led by Filipino intellectuals aimed at reforming Spanish colonial rule in the Philippines through advocacy, literature, and education.

Italian unification

The 1800s process of joining many small Italian states into one nation, completed in 1870.

• 19th century movement where Count di Cavour, the prime minister of Piedmont-Sardinia, desired to unite the entire Italian Peninsula under the House of Savoy. Cavour united the north using manipulation tactics and realpolitik ideals while allying with Giuseppe Garibaldi's Red Shirts military force to unite the south

  
  

Realpolitik

A policy of making decisions based on practical goals and power rather than moral or ideological beliefs.

• A pragmatic, power-focused approach to politics and foreign policy, prioritizing national interests, practicality, and achievable goals over ideology, ethics, or moral principles.

Risorgimento

19th century Italian nationalist movement that called on unifying the entire Italian peninsula into a single nation

• "Renewal, to be born" movement in Italy to recreate a strong, unified Italian nation-state (Italian nationalist movement). Italian for "resurgence" refers to the 19th-century political and social movement for Italian unification, transforming fragmented states into a single nation, driven by nationalism, cultural identity, and figures like Mazzini, Cavour, and Garibaldi, culminating in the Kingdom of Italy by 1870

Ottomanism

Movement in the 1870s and 1880s that aimed to create a more modern, unified state by minimizing ethnic, linguistic, and religious differences across the empire.

• An idea in the Ottoman Empire that all people, regardless of religion or ethnicity, should be equal citizens to strengthen unity.

Maroons

Enslaved Africans who escaped from plantations and established independent communities in the Americas, particularly in regions like the Caribbean and Brazil.

• They joined the Haitian Revolution

Mestizos

People of mixed European (primarily Spanish/Portuguese) and Indigenous ancestry who emerged as a distinct social group in colonial Latin America.

Peninsulares

People born in Spain who lived in the Americas and held the highest social and political positions.

Mulattoes

People of mixed European and African ancestry

Bastille

A fortress and prison in Paris that symbolized the power and oppression of the French monarchy. Its storming on July 14, 1789 marked the beginning of the French Revolution and it is celebrated as Bastille Day in France.

Communist Manifesto

A political pamphlet written by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels in 1848 that outlines the principles of communism and critiques capitalism. It calls for the working class to unite against the bourgeoisie, advocating for a classless society where the means of production are collectively owned. 

Communism

A political and economic ideology aiming for a classless society where the means of production (factories, farms, mines) are owned collectively by the community or state, not privately, to eliminate inequality and distribute wealth based on need

Utilitarianism

The theory, proposed by Jeremy Bentham in the late 1700s, that government actions are useful only if they promote the greatest good for the greatest number of people.

• Moral philosophy that advocates for actions to maximize happiness and well-being for the greater good of the people rather than timeless moral rules of religious thought; founded by British philosopher Jeremy Bentham and expanded by John Stuart Mill

Labor unions

Organization of workers who gathered together to advocate for better wages, limited hours, and improved working conditions in response to the low pay and harsh working environments of the Industrial era

Proletariat

The industrial working class, who own no means of production (like factories or land) and must sell their labor for wages to survive

• Working class: a division of Marx's idea of capitalist's divided society as those who work in factories and mines with little compensation

Bourgeoise

Middle class and investors; a division of Marx's idea of capitalist's divided society as those who owned machinery and factories where workers produced goods, often taking in most of the capital earned

Bushido

The code of honor and morals developed by the Japanese samurai; in 1871, Japan legally dissolved the position of samurai. Their code of conduct was now a personal matter, no longer officially condoned by the government.

Genros

Elder statesman who served the Japanese government; after the dissolution of the position of samurai, some samurai took on this position

• Group of elder statesmen in Japan who served in government and played a crucial political role during the Meiji era; typically consisted of former samurai

Millets

Ottoman administrative framework that included separate legal courts within different religious communities, giving a certain degree of autonomy to manage their own affairs in these communities to allow for coexistence in the empire

Hundred Days of Reform

A set of sweeping reforms initiated by Chinese civil servant Kang Youwei in 1898 in an attempt to modernize the Qing Dynasty in response to Western pressures and their defeat in the Sino-Japanese War (1894-1895); reforms included abolition of the civil service exam, elimination of corruption, and establishment of Western-style industrial, commercial, and medical systems

Tenement

Multi-family residential apartments, typically owned by factory owners in urban areas built during the Industrial Era to account for the rapid growth from urbanization

Slums

Densely populated areas of cities where low-income families are forced to live, characterized by substandard housing (tenements), poor infrastructure, and limited access to basic services

White-collar

Middle-class workers employed in office environments to perform tasks related to management, administration, or professional services

• Characterizing lower-level professional and management workers, not requiring physical labor. Literate and considered middle class.

Working class

A social group on the lower rungs of the societal ladder, characterized by those who engage in manual labor within factories and coal mines, often with low wages and limited job security.

Boxer Rebbelion

A violent, anti-foreign, and anti-Christian uprising in Northern China led by the Society of Righteous and Harmonious Fists ("Boxers"). Driven by nationalism and resentment against Western/Japanese imperialism, the rebels attacked foreign property and Christian converts. The movement was supported by the Qing Dynasty's Empress Dowager Cixi, but ultimately crushed by an Eight-Nation Alliance

Self-strengthening movement

(1861–1895) was a late 19th-century Qing Dynasty reform program aimed at modernizing China’s military, industry, and diplomacy to resist foreign encroachment. Led by provincial officials, it promoted a "Confucian ethics, Western science" approach, adopting Western technology while maintaining traditional Chinese culture 

Opium Wars

Two 19th-century conflicts between Qing Dynasty China and Western powers (primarily Britain, joined later by France) over the illegal, British-led opium trade and trade imbalances. China's attempts to stop the drug trade led to swift defeats, forced "unequal treaties," and foreign influence

Taiping Rebellion

(1850–1864) was a massive civil war in China led by Hong Xiuquan against the Qing Dynasty, seeking to establish a "Heavenly Kingdom of Great Peace" with Christian-influenced, radical social reforms

Open door policy

A diplomatic principle initiated by the United States in the late 19th century, aimed at ensuring equal trading rights for all nations in China and preventing any single power from monopolizing trade. This policy reflected the broader themes of economic imperialism, where major powers sought to extend their influence over weaker regions through economic means rather than outright territorial conquest.

Spheres of influence

A geographic region over which an external power exerts significant military, cultural, or economic influence, despite lacking direct, formal political control

Cult of domesticity

A 19th-century ideology, primarily in the US and Britain, that defined women’s roles as strictly confined to the private, domestic sphere—home and family.

Textiles

The first industry to be industrialized in the 18th century.

• Woven or knitted fabrics that are made from fibers, which can be natural (like cotton, wool, and silk) or synthetic

Spinning Jenny

Invented by James Hagreaves in the 1760s, allowed a weaver to spin more than one thread at a time, drastically increasing yarn production and efficiency

• A multi-spindle spinning frame

Water Frame

Invented by Richard Arkwright in 1769, it utilized waterpower to drive the spinning wheel for spinning yarn

• Richard Arkwright's water-powered spinning machine that produced strong, durable cotton thread for mass production

Factory System

A method of production that brought many workers and machines together into one building; Arkwright's invention, the water frame, made production more efficient than one person's labor, which influenced the transition of production from homes to factories

Agricultural Revolution

A period of change in agriculture where traditional farming methods were improved with new technology that increased food production, leading to increased population

• A period of major farming innovation, especially in Britain, that used new tools (seed drill, steel plow) and methods (crop rotation, selective breeding) to dramatically boost food production, leading to population growth, urbanization, and providing the labor and food surplus needed for the Industrial Revolution

Crop Rotation

The system of growing a different crop in a field each year to preserve the fertility of the land.

• Agricultural practice to rotating different crops in and out of a field each year to improve soil fertility, reducing the need to leave fields fallow (unplanted) to maintain nutrients

Seed drill

Created by Jethro Tull, an agricultural device that efficiently places seeds in a designated spot in the ground, planting process is speedier and more precise

Industrial Revolution

A period beginning in the late 18th century characterized by a transition from agrarian to industrialized economies, fueled by new technologies and production changes; resulted in changing social structures, increased population & life expectancy, and greater capital accumulation

Industrialization

The process of transforming economies from primarily agricultural to industrial, marked by the growth of factories, mass production, and advancements in technology.

Cottage industry/putting out system

Developed by the British, a system in which merchants provided raw cotton to women who spun it into finished cloth in their own homes.

• A pre-industrial method where merchants distributed raw materials (like wool or cotton) to rural families, who then processed them into finished goods (like textiles) in their homes, creating a decentralized production system before the rise of factories

Eli Whitney

An American inventor known for inventing the cotton gin and the interchangeable parts for firearms, his inventions would influence the development of industrial systems, such as division and specialization of labor

Interchangeable parts

Created by inventor Eli Whitney in 1798. If a particular component of a machine were to break, the broken component could easily be replaced with a new, identical part.

Division of labor

The assignment of different parts of a manufacturing process or task to different people in order to improve efficiency.

• A system defined by division of work into a number of separate tasks to be performed by different workers

Specialization of labor

To train or specialize people in certain areas of work so that people can accomplish tasks more quickly.

• Each worker could focus on one type of task.

Assembly line

Extension of division of labor where a series of workers or machines work on the production process of an item in succession, one stage to another, until its complete

• A manufacturing process where a product moves sequentially through workstations, with each worker or machine performing a specific, repetitive task to add parts until the item is finished

Enclosure movement

A series of British legislative acts that transformed common land to private land, that were bought by landowners, which forced many rural farmers out to urban areas

Capital

Material wealth (usually gold and silver) available to produce more wealth; investment.

Raw materials

Fundamental, unprocessed natural resources (like cotton, coal, minerals, timber, or crops) extracted from the earth or harvested, serving as the essential inputs for manufacturing finished goods

Trans-Siberian Railroad

Stretched from Moscow to the Pacific Ocean, allowing Russia to trade easily with countries in East Asia, such as China and Japan.

Manufacturing

The process of converting raw materials into finished goods through the use of labor, machinery, tools, and chemical or biological processing

Company rule

Period of rule by the British East India Company (BEIC) over parts of the Indian subcontinent from 1757 to 1858; affected the Indian ironworks industry with British-imposed taxes and closure of mines

• Before direct governmental takeover, exemplified by the EIC's governance and subsequent shift to British Crown Rule after the Indian Rebellion of 1857. 

Coaling stations

stations where steam-powered locomotives or steamships can stop to refuel for operation

• Crucial refueling ports for steamships, established by imperial powers along global trade routes to supply coal, enabling longer voyages and extending naval/commercial reach

Transcontinental Railroad

Railroad connecting the west and east coasts of the continental US. Connected the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans when it was completed in 1869, facilitated U.S industrial growth.

Steam engine

A machine invented by James Watt in 1765 where burning fuel (like coal) creates thermal energy, steam, which is converted into mechanical energy to power machinery in textile factories and later, trains and boats

Steel

An alloy of iron and carbon known for its high tensile strength and durability; advances in production allowed for improvements in construction and manufacturing during Industrial Revolution

Oil

A liquid fossil fuel derived from plant and animal remains; products like kerosene and gasoline can be extracted to use for things like heating, engines, and vehicles; fueled industrialization

Second Industrial Revolution

Occurred primarily in the U.S., Great Britain, and Germany during the late 19th and early 20th century with focuses on steel production, chemicals, precision machinery, and electronics

Mamluks

Under the Islamic system of military slavery, Turkic military slaves who formed an important part of the armed forces of the Abbasid Caliphate of the ninth and tenth centuries. Mamluks eventually founded their own state, ruling Egypt and Syria (1250-1517). Turkish slaves who formed a military class, ruled in Egypt for 600 years.

• Former Turkish slaves who formed a military class, had some control over Egypt since the 13th century and in conflict with the Ottomans

Zaibatsu

Large conglomerate corporations through which key elite families exerted a great deal of political and economic power in Imperial Japan.

• Powerful, family-owned Japanese business conglomerates that dominated the economy from the Meiji Restoration (late 1800s) through World War II.

Automatic loom

Allowed clothes to be made at a faster rate and changed bobbins automatically without stopping; what was originally sold by the Toyota Loom Works (est. 1906), and then transformed into the company we know today: Toyota Motor Company

• A mechanized weaving machine that significantly speeds up textile production by automating tasks like shuttle changes

Meiji Restoration

Change in political structure of Japan beginning in 1868 where imperial power was restored to the emperor by overthrowing the shogun and ending feudal rule as an adoption to some Western ideas; beginning of modernization and industrialization of Japan

Charter Oath

Document consisting of 5 articles issued in 1868 by Emperor Meiji in Japan listing the principles of the new government after the end of the Tokugawa shogunate; reflected many Western ideas, such as support for industrialization and democratic ideas with a constitutional monarchy

Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation

A multinational banking and financial services organization founded in 1865. It was established to facilitate trade between Europe and Asia, particularly in the context of the growing economic interconnectedness brought about by industrialization and globalization.

• A British-owned bank and transnational company opened in its colony of Hong Kong in 1865, which focused on finance, corporate investments, and global banking

Bessemer Process

A way to manufacture steel quickly and cheaply by blasting hot air through melted iron to quickly remove impurities.

• A process that made steel production more efficient; used to create a monopoly in the German steel industry under Alfred Krupp of Essen

Stockholders

Individuals who buy partial ownership directly from the company through a stock market

• Individuals or entities that own shares (partial ownership) in a corporation

First Industrial Revolution

Started in Great Britain in the late 18th century; centered around three main focuses: textile machines (spinning jenny, water frame), steam power, and iron production.

Corporation

A business chartered by a government (given formal permission to operate by the government) as a legal entity owned by stockholders

Rationalism

Reason, rather than emotion or any external authority, is the most reliable source of true knowledge

Individualism

The phenomena that the most basic element of society is the individual human and not collective groups

Natural rights

Individuals are born with certain rights that cannot be infringed upon by the government or any other entity