Confucianism
A belief system in China during the Tang and Song Dynasties emphasizing hierarchical relationships and filial piety.
Civil Service Examination
An exam in China testing Confucian laws and ideologies, required to work in the government.
Daoism
A belief system in China advocating withdrawal from society and harmony with nature, contrasting Confucian values.
Brahman
Chief concept in Hinduism representing the soul, world, and ultimate reality.
Caste System
Social hierarchy in Hindu society based on karma and reincarnation, limiting social mobility.
Nirvana
Enlightenment in Buddhism achieved through self-discovery and rejection of desires.
Silk Road
Ancient trade route connecting Asia and Europe, known for luxury goods like silk.
Caravanserais
Roadside settlements providing lodging for merchants and travelers along the Silk Road.
Indian Ocean Trade Network
Vital trade system connecting regions through maritime trade, cheaper than the Silk Road.
Swahili City-States
Emerged in East Africa due to Indian Ocean trade, characterized by commercial growth and competition.
Great Zimbabwe
Wealthy society in Southern Africa involved in trade, known for impressive stone structures and trade networks.
Camel Caravans
Organized trade caravans in Saharan Africa utilizing camels for efficient long-distance travel.
Timbuktu
Regional trade center in Mali known for trading gold and ivory, a hub for commerce in West Africa.
Tribute System
Political dominance strategy used by the Aztecs in Mesoamerica, collecting tribute from subject territories.
Quipus
Incan numerical recording system used for data keeping in the absence of a written language.
Black Death
A significant environmental cause of the trade routes, spread by Mongols and Indian Ocean boats, devastating Europe's population.
Labor Shift
Due to the Black Death, labor scarcity in Europe led to changes in relationships between lords and workers, favoring workers in wage negotiations.
Mongol Rule
The Mongols, under Genghis Khan, established the largest land-based empire, organizing their military and being surprisingly tolerant of diverse cultures.
Pax-Mongolica
The period of stability and security under Mongol rule, enabling flourishing trade across Afro-Eurasia.
Song Dynasty Advancements
The Song Dynasty in China saw remarkable agricultural advancements like champa rice, terrace farming, and technological innovations such as printing and paper money.
Foot Binding
A patriarchal practice in the Song Dynasty symbolizing female beauty and submission, showcasing continuity in societal norms.
Tribute System
Used during the Ming Dynasty to prevent attacks from nomadic people, exchanging goods for peace, and trade, maintaining social continuity.
Spread of Buddhism
China adopted Buddhism from India, becoming a launchpad for its spread to neighboring regions, blending with Daoism.
Neo-Confucianism
An ideology in Song China combining Confucianism, Daoism, and Buddhism, reflecting a cultural change.
Abbasid Caliphate
Established in the 8th century, united through Arabic language and Sharia Law, showcasing a form of government through the circle of justice.
Spread of Islam
Islam spread through trade and interaction in West Africa, leading to peaceful conversions and economic innovations.
Sufis
A group of Muslims embracing emotional devotion to Islam, influencing conversions in India and blending with Hinduism.
House of Wisdom
An intellectual center in Baghdad under Islamic rule, promoting learning and research, showcasing continuity in cultural advancement.
Feudalism
A system of mutual obligations politically and socially between different classes where a king grants land to a lord in exchange for service, who in turn appoints knights to protect the land, with peasants (serfs) at the bottom.
Chivalry
A code followed by knights, including treating women with delicacy and respect, as part of the social norms during the Middle Ages.
Manorial System
A system within serfdom where peasants were tied to the land of their lords, not allowed to leave or marry without permission, and owed portions of their earnings to their lords.
High Middle Ages
A period marked by the rise of kings and monarchs consolidating power through large bureaucracies and militaries, shifting power away from noble feudal lords.
Magna Carta
A signed deal in 1215 guaranteeing rights to nobles and citizens, such as the right to a jury trial and owning land, marking a shift of power back to the nobles.
Caesaropapism
A system where the emperor holds supreme authority in both political and spiritual affairs, as seen in the Byzantine Empire, contrasting with the Catholic Church's ideal of Christendom.
Crusades
Military campaigns initiated by the Pope to reconquer Jerusalem from Muslims, shifting people's allegiance to the church and away from monarchs.
Renaissance
A period after the Little Ice Age marked by the rebirth of Roman and Greek culture and literature, leading to significant advancements in art and knowledge.
Absolutism
An ideology concentrating all power in the hands of the king, often legitimized by the divine right of kings, as seen in the rule of Louis XIII.
Protestant Reformation
A religious movement initiated by Martin Luther, aiming to reform the Catholic Church, leading to the split of Christianity and the Thirty Years War.
Jizya
A specific taxation technique employed by the Ottomans on non-Muslims, requiring them to pay a tax.
Harem politics
The indirect power wielded by women, particularly the wives of sultans, in the Ottoman Empire by promoting their sons to power.
Blue Mosque
An architectural monument in Istanbul constructed by the Ottomans for political purposes to legitimize their rule.
Safavid
An empire that used gunpowder to conquer Persia and Iraq, establishing Shi’a Islam as the official religion and leading to conflict with the Sunni Ottomans.
Mughal Empire
A centralized government in northern India under Akbar, who established a bureaucracy with zamindars managing territories and promoting religious syncretism.
Songhai Empire
Utilized Islam to legitimize rule and established power through cultural practices like court rituals, confronting the king face down.
Aztec
Controlled territories through a tributary system, including demands for tribute and human sacrifice, and utilized the Blood Tax for military elites.
Tokugawa Shogunate
Reorganized Japanese government under a shogun, centralizing power and restricting gunpowder access to normal citizens.
Mercantilism
European economic idea focusing on profit through trade advantages, uneven distribution of wealth, and the acquisition of gold.
Portuguese trading-post empire
A unique empire that claimed strategic locations for a monopoly on oceanic trade through taxation and trade profits.
Pueblo Revolt
Uprising by Pueblo and Apache Indians against Spanish colonizers in present-day Southwest US due to forced conversion to Christianity and language imposition.
Columbian Exchange
Exchange of goods, animals, and diseases between Europe and the Americas, leading to population growth and changes in lifestyles.
Atlantic Slave Trade
Forced transportation of African slaves to the Americas, mainly for sugarcane and tobacco plantations, impacting demographics and cultures.
Enlightenment
18th-century intellectual movement advocating human reason, natural laws, and challenging traditional beliefs, influencing revolutions and political changes.
Social Contract
Idea that individuals give up some power to the government in exchange for protection of natural rights, a concept driving revolutions.
Laissez-faire Economics
Economic theory advocating minimal government intervention, allowing individuals to make economic choices for societal benefit.
Deism
Religious belief acknowledging God as a creator but not intervening in history, emphasizing understanding natural laws.
Abolitionist Movement
Movement advocating for the abolition of slavery and serfdom, leading to emancipation of serfs and the ban of the slave trade.
American Revolution
Colonies' fight for independence from British rule due to lack of representation, taxation issues, and restrictions on free trade, influenced by Enlightenment ideas.
United States Constitution
Document establishing the framework of the US government, inspired by Enlightenment principles and aiming to distribute political power.
French Revolution
A period of radical social and political change in France, marked by the overthrow of the monarchy, the rise of the National Assembly, and the Reign of Terror.
Estates General
A legislative body in France representing the three estates of the French population - the clergy, nobility, and commoners.
Reign of Terror
A period during the French Revolution characterized by mass executions of perceived enemies of the revolution, led by the radical Jacobins.
Haitian Revolution
A successful slave revolt in the French colony of Saint-Domingue, leading to the establishment of Haiti as the first black-led independent nation in the Western Hemisphere.
Nationalism
The ideology that emphasizes the shared identity, culture, and language of a group of people, often leading to the desire for self-governance.
Italian Unification
The process of consolidating various states on the Italian peninsula into the Kingdom of Italy under the House of Savoy, led by Count Cavour.
German Unification
The unification of various German states into the German Empire under Prussian leadership, engineered by Otto von Bismarck through a series of wars.
Industrial Revolution
A period of significant economic, technological, and social change characterized by the shift from hand production to machine manufacturing.
Urbanization
The process of population concentration in urban areas due to factors like industrialization, leading to the growth of cities.
Steam Engine
A key technological innovation of the Industrial Revolution, powered by coal and used to drive machinery, revolutionize transportation, and enable the establishment of factories in various locations.
Bessemer Process
A method of refining steel by blasting iron with hot air to remove impurities, enabling mass production of steel.
Internal Combustion Engine
Invented during the second industrial revolution, it operated using gasoline to power a piston that pushed a crank, similar to the steam engine.
Telegraph
Utilized electricity to send pulses along wires over great distances, revolutionizing communication during the industrial revolution.
Meiji Restoration
A period in Japan where feudalism was abolished, roads and railroads were built, and a constitutional monarchy was established to prevent Westernization while industrializing.
Laissez-faire Capitalism
An economic system during the industrial revolution where there is no limit on wealth, minimal government interference, and individuals make monetary decisions for societal benefit.
Labor Unions
Collective units formed by workers to protest and bargain for reforms, leading to the implementation of worker rights like the five-day work week, limits on hours, and minimum wage.
Scientific Socialism
An ideology proposed by Karl Marx advocating for workers to own the means of production and share wealth equally, aiming for a classless society through communism.
Opium Wars
Conflicts between China and Britain over the opium trade, resulting in China being forced to open more ports and agree to free trade, leading to the Spheres of Influence.
Self-Strengthening Movement
A reform period in China after the Opium Wars where they modernized to protect their culture, but ultimately failed and led to further reforms influenced by the West.
Boxer Rebellion
A Chinese uprising against foreign influence, particularly Western occupiers, driven by secret societies and leading to violence, destruction, and reparations.
Cult of Domesticity
The notion that emphasized women's role in the home as dignified and good, promoting the idea of women being submissive and pure to fit societal standards.
Seneca Falls Convention
A significant event in 1848 where the Declaration of Sentiments was formed, stating that all men and women are created equal, marking the beginning of feminist activism.
Imperialism
The practice of empire building driven by motives such as culture, nationalism, and economics, often involving the belief in the superiority of the imperial power's race and culture.
Social Darwinism
The application of Darwin's theory of natural selection to social and political structures, justifying the domination of powerful nations over weaker ones.
Economic Imperialism
When a country exerts significant economic power over another country, often leading to the exploitation of resources and labor for economic gain.
Scramble for Africa
The intense competition among European powers to colonize and divide African territories, leading to the Berlin Conference to establish rules for African colonization.
Manifest Destiny
The American belief that they were destined to expand across the continent, leading to the systematic removal of Native Americans from their lands.
Suez Canal
A crucial waterway built by the British in Egypt to connect the Mediterranean Sea with the Red Sea, facilitating trade and imperial control.
Assimilation
A tactic used by indigenous groups like the Cherokee Indians to adopt the culture and customs of the colonizers in an attempt to maintain their society.
Xhosa Cattle Killing Movement
A resistance movement by the Xhosa People in South Africa, where they believed that killing their cattle would drive out the Europeans, leading to famine and defeat.
Rubber Extraction in Amazon Rainforest
Colonial powers forced natives to work on rubber extraction, leading to the destruction of rubber trees and exploitation of indigenous populations.
Palm Oil in West Africa
Europeans utilized enslaved workers to cultivate palm oil, which was found to be a valuable lubricant for factory machines.
Diamond Rush in South Africa
The 1871 diamond rush in South Africa led to the formation of the DeBeers Mining Company, exporting 90% of the world's diamonds and contributing to the rise of Cecil Rhodes.
Commodity Dependence
Reliance on single cash crops for export led to economic vulnerabilities, as seen with cotton depleting soil nutrients and causing economic failures when crops failed.
Migration Patterns
Globalization and economic imperialism spurred migration, including indentured servitude systems and settler migrations to support industrialization and labor needs.
Diaspora Communities
Migrants formed diaspora communities, such as Indian indentured servants in Mauritius and Trinidad, influencing culture and language in their new environments.
Settler Colonies
Migration of skilled individuals to settler colonies like South Africa and Japan facilitated industrialization and technological advancements in these regions.
Gender Roles in Migration
Male-dominated migration patterns altered gender roles in both home and host countries, impacting family dynamics and societal structures.
Ethnic Enclaves
Migrants formed ethnic enclaves, preserving and sharing their culture and language, influencing the culture of recipient countries like Chinese enclaves in Southeast Asia.
Anti-Immigrant Sentiments
Many countries enacted exclusionary policies towards immigrants, such as the Chinese Exclusion Act in the United States and the White Australia Policy, restricting immigration based on ethnicity.
Isolationist Policies
The United States initially avoided involvement in European conflicts but was compelled to engage due to events like Germany's unrestricted submarine warfare and the Zimmerman Telegram.
Treaty of Versailles
The treaty that officially ended WWI, leading to the breakup of the Ottoman Empire and Austro-Hungarian nations, imposing heavy reparations on Germany, and establishing the War Guilt Clause.