Unit 0 AP World Vocab

abdicate

to give up a high office formally or officially, especially the throne

agrarian

of or relating to cultivated land or the cultivation of land

animism

a religion based on the belief that things in the natural world have souls

antiquity

the quality of being ancient or possessing great age

appeasement

foreign policy of pacifying an aggrieved county through negotiation in order to prevent war

aristocracy

government in which power is in the hands of a hereditary ruling class or nobility

asceticism

the practice of the denial of physical or psychological desires in order to attain a spiritual ideal or goal

assimilate

the process whereby individuals or groups of differing ethnic heritage are absorbed into the dominant culture of a society

authoritarian

a government type with a strong federal government and very limited local power

autocracy

a form of government in which one ruler has absolute control and decision making power

bourgeois

the social order that is dominated by the so-called middle class. construct of Karl Marx

bureaucracy

a system of government in which most of the important decisions are made by state officials rather than by elected representatives.

civic

of or relating to a city or town or the people who live there

centralized government

a government in which most decisions for the entire state are made by one executive power

coerced labor

labor or work that is gained through use of force or threats

colony

a territory completely controlled by another

commerce

an interchange of goods or commodities, especially on a large scale between different countries or between different parts of the same country

communal

of, belonging to, or shared by the people of community

concubine

a woman who cohabits with an important man, a mistress

conscription

the compulsory enlistment of citizens for their country’s military service

cosmopolitan

including or containing people from many different countries

coup

a sudden overthrow of the government by a small group

decentralized government

system of government characterized by shared power over multiple regional political hubs

demographic

a particular sector of a population

despot

a ruler with absolute power or authority, typically one who exercises it in a cruel or oppressive way

diaspora

the movement, migration, or scattering of a people away from an established or ancestral homeland

dissent

to publicly disagree with an official opinion, decision, or set of beliefs

domestic

of relation to one’s own home country

dynasty

a powerful family or group of rulers that maintains its position or power for some time

edict

an official order or proclamation issued by a person in authority

egalitarian

characterized by belief in the equality of all people, especially in political, economic, or social life

emigration

leaving one country to move to another

gentry

people of good social position, specifically the class of people next below nobility in position and birth

hierarchy

the organization of a society in hierarchical arrangement of individuals based on power and wealth

homogenous

of the same kind

imperialism

the policy of extending a country’s power and influence by exploiting another country through diplomacy or military force for economic gain

indigenous

originating or occurring naturally in a particular place

infrasturcutre

the basic physical and organizational structures and facilities needed for the operation of a society

lineage

the descendants of a common ancetstor

linguistic

relating to language or linguistics

maritime

connected with the sea, especially in relation to seafaring commercial or military activity

matrilineal

group adhering to kinship system in which ancestral descent is traced through maternal instead of paternal lines

mercenary

a professional soldier hired to serve in a foreign army

monarchy

a government in which the supreme power is in the hands of a monarch who reigns over a state or territory, usually for life and by heredity right

monopoly

a market structure where one company or seller has complete control over the market and has very limited to no competition

monotheism

religious belief in one god

nationalism

identification with one’s nation and support for its interests, especially to the exclusion or determinant of other nations

nomadic

living the life of a nomad, wandering, moving from place to place

oligarchy

a form of government in which a small group of people hold most or all political power

papacy

the central administration of the Roman Catholic Church, of which the pope is the head

parliament

an assembly that has power to debate and make lawas

pastoral

used for or related to the keeping or grazing of sheep or cattle

patriarchy

a society in which men hold power within the family, in governance, and /or in economics

patronage

the act of giving or financial encouragement to a person or organization

peasant

a poor farmer of low social status who owns or rents a small piece of land for cultivation

piety

reverence for God or devout fulfillment of religious obligations

polygamy

the practice of having more than one wife at home

polytheism

the belief in more than one God

proletariat

the lowest or one of the lowest economic and social classes in a society

region

an area of land that has common features

republic

a form of government where citizens hold the power and can vote for their leaders

secular

not pertaining to or connected with religion

sedentary

staying in one place for a long time, not migratory

stratification

the hierarchical arrangement of individuals into divisions of power and wealth within a society

succession

the order in which or the conditions under which one person after another succeeds to a property, dignity, title, or throne

suffrage

the right to vote in political elections

syncretism

the blending of elements from more than one religion into a distinct system of worship

theocracy

government by divine guidance or by officials who are regarded as divinely guided

theology

the study of the nature of God and religious belief

totalitarian

one-party dictatorships that regulate every aspect of citizens’ lives; everything is subordinated totally to the state

tributary state

a state subordinate to a more powerful neighboring state

tyranny

arbitrary or unrestricted exercise of power

urbanization

the mass movement of people from rural areas to more densely populated/urban areas

usurp

take a position of power or importance illegally or by force

vernacular

the native language commonly spoken by ordinary people in a region