APWH Vocabulary: SPICE-T Themes & Key Terms

1. abricate (political)

to give up a position like power (ex: a king stepping down)

2. agrarian (social or economic)

related to farming & use of land

3. animism (culture)

belief that natural objects & animals have spirits

4. appeasement (political)

giving into demands to keep peace (ex: countries avoid conflict w/ nazi germany before ww2)

5. aristocracy (social or political)

class of rich & powerful people who have a lot of control in society

6. artisan

a skilled worker who makes things by hand

7. asceticism (culture or social)

living a simple life w/o luxuries for religious reasons

8. assimilate

to become part of another culture by adopting its customs & traditions

9. authorian (political)

one leader/group has TOTAL control & individual freedom is limited

10. autocracy (political)

system of gov. by one person w/ absolute power

11. bourgeois (social or economic)

middle class, often associated w/ materialist values

12. bureaucracy (political)

decisions made by state officials rather than elected representatives

13. cartography (culture)

the science/practice of drawing maps

14. censorship

controlling/suppressing what people can read, see, or say

15. centralized government (political)

type of gov. where all decisions are made by central authority

16. coerced labor (economic or social)

forced labor, individuals are made to do work against their will under the threat of punishment

17. clergy (culture)

people who perform religious services (minister/priest)

18. colony (political)

territory controlled by another country

19. commerce (economic)

buying/selling goods & serviced

20. concubine (social)

a woman who lives w/ a man but, has lower status than his wife or wives

21. conscription (political)

mandatory enlistment in a country's armed forces, BASICALLY a draft

22. coup (political)

a sudden, violent, & illegal seizure of power from a government

23. divine right (cultural or political)

belief that god chose a ruler to rule

24. decentralized government (political)

form of gov. where power is spread out amongst many local authorities

25. demographic

stats relating to the population & particular groups within it

26. despot (political)

a ruler who holds absolute power, one who exercises in a cruel/oppressive way

27. diaspora

the dispersion of people from their original homeland

28. dissent

disagreeing w/ the common/official view

29. domestic

relating to home or within a particular country

30. dynasty (political)

a line of heredity rules of a country

31. edict (political)

an official order issued by someone in power

32. egalitarian (social or political)

believing in equal rights & opportunities for everyone

33. emigrate (interaction)

to leave one's country and enter or live in another

34. ethnic group (social or culture)

a community of people who share a common culture, language, or ancestry

35. gentry

wealthy landowners just below the nobility

36. hierarchy (social or political)

system where people are ranked one above the other based on status/authority

37. homogenous

made up of the same kind of people or thing

38. imperialism

policy of extending a country's power by acquiring territories

39. indigenous

native to a particular area or region

40. infrastructure (economic or political)

basic facilities & systems needed for a society (ex: roads, bridges, schools)

41. lineage

direct descent from an ancestor; family history

42. linguistic

relating to language or linguistics

43. maritime

connected w/ the sea, in relation to seafaring commercial/military activity

44. matrilineal

based on kindship w/ the mother/female line

45. mercenary

a professional soldier hired to serve in a foreign army

46. monarchy (political)

form of gov. w/ a monarch at the hand (ex: king or queen)

47. monopoly

the exclusive possession/control of the supply or trade in a commodity or service

48. monotheism (culture)

belief in ONE god

49. nationalism (political or culture)

strong pride & loyalty in one's nation

50. nomadic (interaction or social)

moving from place to place w/o a permanent home

51. oligarchy (political)

a small group of people having control of country, organization, or institution

52. papacy (social or political)

the office/authority of the pope

53. parliament (political)

the highest legislative body in a county

54. pastoral (social)

relating to the country side/farming especially livestock

55. patriarchy (social)

a social system where men hold primary power

56. patronage

support/given by a patron financially

57. peasant (social, economic)

a small farmer of low social rank

58. piety

being very religious/reverent

59. polygamy (social)

practice/custom of having more than one wife or husband at the same time

60. polytheism (culture)

belief in more than one god

61. proletariat (social or economic)

workers or working class people

62. republic (political)

gov. where people elect their leaders

63. secular (cultural)

not connected with religion

64. sedentary

settled in ONE place, not moving around

65. stratification

the division of society into different levels of power and wealth

66. suffrage (political)

the right to vote in elections

67. syncretism

combining different beliefs and practices

68. theocracy (political or culture

a gov. ran by religious leaders

69. theology (culture)

study of the nature of god and religious beliefs

70. totalitarian (political)

gov. where state has total control over all aspects of life

71. tributary state (political)

a state the pays tribute to a more powerful state

72. tyranny (political)

cruel and oppressive government rule

73. urbanization (technology)

process of making an area more urban w/ more cities and towns

74. usurp

to take power illegally by force

75. vernacular (culture)

the everyday language spoken by ordinary people