AP World History: Modern Review Flashcards (Unit 1 to 9)

This set of vocabulary flashcards covers key terms, systems, and ideologies from the AP World History: Modern curriculum, ranging from the Global Tapestry ($$1200$$-$$1450$$) to the Contemporary Period of Globalization ($$1900$$-Present).

Neo-Confucianism

In China, the combination of rational thought with more abstract ideas of Daoism & Buddhism, focusing on ethics rather than the mysteries of God and nature.

Champa Rice

A fast-ripening and drought-resistant strain of rice from the Champa kingdom in Vietnam that expanded agricultural production in China.

Pax Mongolica

The period of Mongolian peace and its impact on Eurasian history between the $13th$ and $14th$ centuries.

Sinification

The assimilation of Chinese traditions and practices in Japan, Korea, and Vietnam.

Sufism

Mystics of the Islamic faith who believe each person can develop a personal connection with Allah.

Bhakti Movement

A movement that emphasized the importance of an emotional and personal relationship with God and rejected the formal, ritualistic aspects of traditional Hinduism.

Chinampas

Small, stationary, artificial islands built on a freshwater lake for agricultural purposes by the Aztec Empire.

Quipu

Recording devices using talking knots used by the Inka Empire to keep records.

Mit’a

A mandatory public service system in the Inca Empire requiring people to serve for two months out of the year; later coerced by Spanish arrivals for cash crops at a rate of $\frac{1}{7}$ of labor.

Feudalism

A system where the king or monarch owned all land and granted parcels known as fiefs to nobles in exchange for loyalty and military service.

Black Death

A plague that struck Europe during the Middle Ages, killing between $\frac{1}{4}$ and $\frac{1}{2}$ of the population.

Banking Houses

Establishments where a person could present a bill of exchange—a document promising payment of a set amount on a set date—and receive that money in exchange.

Lateen Sail

Triangular sails attached to the masts of dhows by long booms, allowing ships to sail against the wind.

Astrolabe

An instrument used to determine latitude by measuring the position of the stars and planets.

Devshirme

The Ottoman Empire policy of taking boys from conquered Christian peoples to be trained as Muslim soldiers and bureaucrats.

Janissaries

Christian boys who were taken by the Ottomans, converted to Islam, and trained to serve as the elite of the Ottoman military.

Zamindars

Local officials in Mughal India who received a plot of farmland for temporary use in return for collecting taxes for the central government.

Sikhism

A monotheistic religion founded in northern India in the $16th$ century by Guru Nanak, combining elements of Hinduism and Islam.

Mercantilism

An economic practice by which governments used their economies to augment state power at the expense of other countries.

Encomienda

A grant by the Spanish crown giving settlers the right to force Native Americans to work in mines or fields in exchange for protection and Christianization.

Castas

An American social system based on racial origins following Spanish colonization: Europeans at the top, mixed races in the middle, and slaves or Native Americans at the bottom.

Enlightenment

An $18th$ century movement that applied logic and reason to government and society, leading to reform and revolution.

Natural Rights

The idea that all humans are born with rights, which include the right to life, liberty, and property.

Social Contract

An agreement between the ruled and their rulers defining the rights and duties of each.

Industrialization

The process of a society's transition away from agrarianism and towards industry and manufacturing.

Laissez-faire

Economic policy of limited government interference with the free market, allowing industrialists to operate without regulation.

Social Darwinism

An ideology that used pseudoscientific theories of evolution to justify imperialism and the dominance of the West over other cultures.

Berlin Conference

A meeting where Africa was divvied up among European powers to begin the Scramble for Africa.

Economic Imperialism

A situation where a mother country dominates a smaller economy to exploit raw materials and markets without formally taking over the government.

Banana Republic

Small nations, especially in Central America, whose economies are dominated by foreign businesses seeking resources like fruit.

Bolsheviks

The revolutionary group led by Vladimir Lenin that overthrew the Russian Tsar to establish a communist state.

Militarism

The belief or desire of a government or people that a country should maintain a strong military capability and be prepared to use it aggressively to defend or promote national interests.

Keynesian Economics

Economic approach where the government pumps money into the economy to stimulate growth, used by F.D. Roosevelt during the New Deal.

Totalitarianism

A system of government that is centralized and dictatorial and requires complete subservience to the state.

Appeasement

The policy of making concessions to the dictatorial powers of Germany and Japan to avoid conflict, which eventually led to World War II.

Proxy Wars

Conflicts during the Cold War in which the USA and USSR supported opposing sides without fighting each other directly, such as the Korean and Vietnam Conflicts.

Non-Aligned Movement

A group of nations that remained neutral and did not tie themselves to either the US or the USSR during the Cold War.

Glasnost

A Soviet policy of openness in the discussion of political and social issues, introduced by Mikhail Gorbachev.

Perestroika

The restructuring of the Soviet political and economic system in an attempt to make communism more viable.

Green Revolution

A large increase in crop production in developing countries achieved by using fertilizers, pesticides, and high-yield crop varieties developed by Norman Borlaug.

Knowledge Economy

An economic system in which the production of goods and services is based principally on knowledge-intensive activities that contribute to technical and scientific innovation.

Globalization

The process of interaction and integration among people, companies, and governments worldwide.