World History and Civilization I and II Review

A collection of vocabulary flashcards covering major historical figures, events, periods, and civilizations from world history and civilization lectures.

History

The discipline involving the systematic study of past human experiences, focusing on causes, effects, and their impact on society.

Anno Domini (AD)

A Latin phrase meaning "in the year of our Lord," used to label years in the Julian and Gregorian calendars calculated from the estimated birth of Jesus Christ.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

A prolific Classical-era composer born in Salzburg in $1756$ who produced more than $600$ works across major genres.

Ludwig van Beethoven

A German composer and pianist born in Bonn in $1770$ whose works bridged the Classical and Romantic eras, including nine symphonies.

Ramapithecus

A primate form included in outdated linear human-evolution sequences as a human ancestor, though modern science associates it with the orangutan lineage.

Stone Age

The earliest period of human history, defined by the widespread manufacture and use of stone implements for survival.

Paleolithic Era

The Old Stone Age characterized by mobile hunter-gatherer communities and the use of chipped-stone tools.

Prehistoric

The term referring to the period of the human past before the development or local use of written records.

Mesopotamia

A Middle Eastern region between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers often called the "Cradle of Civilization" for its early cities, writing, and legal systems.

Ancient Egypt

An ancient civilization along the Nile River renowned for pyramids, hieroglyphic writing, and advanced engineering.

Lex Talionis

The legal principle of proportional retaliation, such as "an eye for an eye," commonly associated with the Code of Hammurabi.

Immortality

The belief in the continued existence of the soul after death, which motivated the Ancient Egyptian practice of mummification.

King Menes

The traditional Egyptian ruler credited with unifying Upper and Lower Egypt, though archaeology more directly connects this imagery with Narmer.

Huang He

A river in China nicknamed "China's Sorrow" because it periodically caused catastrophic destruction through flooding.

Phoenicians

Ancient maritime traders and shipbuilders known for their craftsmanship and the development and spread of the alphabet.

Hanging Gardens of Babylon

One of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, described as a feat of engineering featuring tiered, lush gardens.

Ma-yi

The name used in Song Dynasty sources to refer to a trading polity located in the islands now known as the Philippines.

Oracle Bones

Ox scapulae or turtle shells used by Shang Dynasty rulers for divination and seeking guidance from ancestors or spiritual powers.

Four Great Inventions

A recognized set of Chinese technologies consisting of paper, printing, gunpowder, and the compass.

Great Wall of China

A massive defensive structure built and expanded to protect Chinese states and empires from northern nomadic invasions.

Genghis Khan

The founder of the Mongol Empire who united the Mongol tribes in $1206$ and created the largest contiguous land empire in history.

Attila

The leader of the Huns during the $5^{th}$ century who was known as the "Scourge of God" for threatening the Roman Empire.

Alphabet

The greatest Phoenician contribution to the ancient world, which influenced Greek, Latin, and later writing systems.

Cyrus the Great

The founder of the Achaemenid Persian Empire around $550$ BCE who unified Persian power by defeating the Medes, Lydians, and Neo-Babylonians.

Lao Tzu

The traditional author of the Tao Te Ching and a foundational figure in the Daoist philosophical tradition.

The Prince

A $16^{th}$-century classic work of political philosophy written by Niccolo Machiavelli concerning leadership and statecraft.

Alexander the Great

A Macedonian military commander who conquered the Persian Empire and created a vast realm extending from Greece to parts of Asia.

Ottoman Empire

An influential empire lasting from approximately $1299$ to $1922$ that ruled territories across Europe, Asia, and Africa.

One Thousand and One Nights

A collection of Middle Eastern and South Asian folk tales compiled and expanded during the Islamic Golden Age.

Herodotus

The ancient figure known as the "Father of History" for pioneering the systematic inquiry and writing of historical events.

Charlemagne

The Frankish ruler crowned "Emperor of the Romans" in $800$ who united much of Western and Central Europe.

King Henry VIII

The English king who established the Church of England and broke with Roman Catholic authority through the Act of Supremacy in $1534$.

Queen Elizabeth I

The "Virgin Queen" of England who presided over a period of prosperity, maritime expansion, and significant cultural achievement.

Enlightenment

An intellectual movement of the late $17^{th}$ and $18^{th}$ centuries known as the "Age of Reason" that emphasized science, reason, and individual rights.

Parthenon

A major temple on the Athenian Acropolis dedicated to the goddess Athena and considered a landmark of Classical Greek architecture.

Crusades

A series of religious wars between Christians and Muslims fought between $1095$ and $1291$ for control of the Holy Land.

Feudalism

A medieval social and political system based on a hierarchy of land grants, loyalty, and military service between monarchs, nobles, and vassals.

Treaty of Versailles

The $1919$ treaty that ended World War I between Germany and the Allied Powers, imposing severe reparations and territorial losses on Germany.

Zoroastrianism

An ancient Iranian religion established by the prophet Zoroaster centering on a cosmic struggle between good and evil and the deity Ahura Mazda.

Mikhail Gorbachev

The last leader of the Soviet Union who introduced democratic reforms before the country dissolved in $1991$.

Perestroika

The reform program initiated by Mikhail Gorbachev aimed at restructuring the Soviet economic and political system.

Jacobins

The radical political group of the French Revolution closely associated with egalitarian republicanism and the Reign of Terror.

Pax Romana

A period of approximately $200$ years of relative peace and stability throughout the Roman Empire started under Augustus.

Ho Chi Minh

The Vietnamese nationalist who founded the Viet Minh to lead the struggle for independence from French colonial rule.

Agent Orange

A chemical defoliant and herbicide used extensively by the United States military during the Vietnam War.

Thailand

The Southeast Asian country that avoided formal European colonization by serving as a buffer state between British and French territories.

Treaty of Tordesillas

The $1494$ agreement that established a line of demarcation to divide newly claimed lands outside Europe between Spain and Portugal.

Battle of Gettysburg

An $1863$ battle in Pennsylvania that served as a major turning point in the American Civil War.

Printing Press

The invention by Johannes Gutenberg that revolutionized the spread of knowledge and literacy in Europe.

Juan Sebastian Elcano

The explorer who commanded the vessel Victoria back to Spain in $1522$, completing the first circumnavigation of the globe.

Timor-Leste

The newest and $11^{th}$ member state of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), officially joining on October $26$, $2025$.

Primitive Communism

A theoretical Marxist category describing the earliest human societies as egalitarian, with shared resources and no private property.

Industrial Revolution

The period of economic transformation beginning in the late $18^{th}$ century that moved production from handcrafts to machine-based manufacturing.

First Opium War

The $1839$ conflict between Britain and China over the opium trade that resulted in the Treaty of Nanking and the cession of Hong Kong.

Taj Mahal

A masterpiece of Mughal architecture built by Emperor Shah Jahan as a mausoleum for his wife Mumtaz Mahal.

Imperialism

The domination by one country of the political, economic, or cultural life of another country or region.

Ironmaking

A technology traditionally credited to the Hittites for its spread into Mesopotamia and the wider Near East after the Late Bronze Age.