Modern World Civilizations Unit 1 Terms & Concepts

Vocabulary flashcards corresponding to key terms, concepts, and reading topics across Chapters 11-14 in Unit 1 of Modern World Civilizations.

Bering Strait (p. 368)

The geographical body of water between Asia and North America where a land bridge once existed, allowing early hunters to cross into North America.

Mesoamerica (p. 372)

A historical region stretching from central Mexico through Central America, home to early civilizations such as the Olmec and Maya.

Caral (p. 382)

An ancient city in Peru recognized as the oldest major city in the Americas.

Maya (p. 374)

A Mesoamerican civilization located on the Yucatán Peninsula known for its monumental architecture and sophisticated calendar system used to measure time.

Aztec (p. 377)

A Mesoamerican empire centered in Tenochtitlán on Lake Texcoco whose religious and cultural beliefs were reflected in their architecture.

Inca (p. 384)

A South American empire based in Cuzco that utilized terrace farming technology to farm in the Andes mountains.

quipu (p. 385)

A system of knotted strings used by the Inca to keep records and track numerical data.

Niccolò Machiavelli (p. 401)

Renaissance political thinker and author of 'The Prince', whose central thesis addressed how political leaders acquire and maintain power.

humanism (p. 406)

An intellectual movement of the Renaissance based on the study of classical literature and humanities, designed to prepare students for active civic life.

Jan van Eyck (p. 411)

A Northern Renaissance artist from Flanders who was among the first to master and significantly use oil paint in visual art.

Desiderius Erasmus (p. 412)

A Dutch Christian humanist whose critiques of Church corruption and emphasis on inner piety paved the way for the Reformation.

Martin Luther (p. 412)

A German monk who sparked the Protestant Reformation by posting the Ninety-five Theses and arguing against Church indulgences.

Peace of Augsburg (p. 417)

A 1555 agreement that formally recognized the division of Christianity in Germany, allowing rulers to choose between Catholicism and Lutheranism.

predestination (p. 419)

The Calvinist theological doctrine stating that God has already determined in advance who will be saved and who will be damned.

triangular trade (p. 442)

A three-way system of trade during the Age of Exploration connecting Europe, Africa, and the Americas.

Middle Passage (p. 442)

The middle leg of the triangular trade route across the Atlantic Ocean along which enslaved Africans were forcibly transported to the Americas.

Benin (p. 443)

A West African society that experienced profound population decline, warfare, and cultural devastation due to the transatlantic slave trade.

encomienda (p. 435)

A labor system granted to Spanish settlers in the Americas that permitted them to force Native Americans to work on plantations and in mines.

Edict of Nantes (p. 457)

A 1598 decree that ended the French Wars of Religion by recognizing Catholicism as the official religion while granting Huguenots freedom of worship.

Louis XIV (p. 464)

The King of France who represented the pinnacle of absolute monarchy, maintaining absolute power over political policy and noble life at Versailles.

Peter the Great (p. 469)

The Russian czar who sought to westernize Russia and established St. Petersburg on the Baltic Sea to secure a warm-water seaport for trade with Europe.

El Greco (p. 472)

A Mannerist painter whose intense colors and elongated figures reflected the tense, religious mood of the Reformation period.

Thomas Hobbes (p. 476)

An English political philosopher who argued in 'Leviathan' that absolute sovereign power was necessary to prevent disorder and human conflict.

John Locke (p. 477)

An English philosopher who advocated for natural rights—including life, liberty, and property—and rejected absolute royal rule.