World History Vocab

1. Treaty of Tordesillas (1494)

Definition: Agreement dividing newly discovered lands between Spain and Portugal along a meridian in the Atlantic

2. Columbian Exchange

Definition: Transfer of crops, animals, diseases, and people between the Americas and Afro‑Eurasia after 1492.

3. Encomienda System

Definition: Spanish colonial labor system granting settlers control over Indigenous labor in exchange for Christianization.

4. Devshirme System

Definition: Ottoman practice of recruiting Christian boys from the Balkans for military and administrative service.

5. Janissaries

Definition: Elite Ottoman infantry originally recruited through devshirme and trained as professional soldiers.

6. Tokugawa Shogunate

Definition: Military government ruling Japan from 1603–1868 that centralized power under a shogun.

7. Sakoku Policy

Definition: Tokugawa policy restricting foreign contact and trade to limit European influence.

8. Daimyo System

Definition: Regional lords who controlled domains in Japan under the Tokugawa shogunate.

9. Mughal Mansabdari System

Definition: Administrative ranking system tying military service and land revenue to loyalty to the emperor.

10. Suleiman’s Legal Reforms

Definition: Legal standardization under Ottoman ruler Suleiman the Magnificent that strengthened imperial governance.

11. Congress of Vienna (1815)

Definition: Meeting of European powers restoring monarchies and balancing power after Napoleon.

12. Meiji Restoration (1868)

Definition: Political revolution restoring imperial rule and beginning rapid modernization in Japan.

13. Self‑Strengthening Movement

Definition: Qing attempt to modernize military and industry using Western technology.

14. Opium Wars

Definition: Conflicts between Britain and Qing China over the opium trade and trade restrictions.

15. Treaty of Nanjing (1842)

Definition: Unequal treaty ending the First Opium War that opened Chinese ports and ceded Hong Kong.

16. Taiping Rebellion

Definition: Large Chinese civil war led by Hong Xiuquan that weakened the Qing dynasty.

17. Sepoy Rebellion (1857)

Definition: Indian uprising against the British East India Company leading to direct British rule.

18. Porfiriato

Definition: Era of authoritarian modernization under Porfirio Díaz in Mexico.

19. Tanzimat Reforms

Definition: Ottoman modernization policies aimed at centralizing administration and granting legal equality.

20. Suez Canal (1869)

Definition: Canal connecting the Mediterranean and Red Seas that transformed global trade routes.

21. Zimmermann Telegram

Definition: Secret German message proposing an alliance with Mexico during World War I.

22. Balfour Declaration

Definition: British statement supporting a Jewish homeland in Palestine during World War I.

23. League of Nations

Definition: International organization formed after WWI to maintain collective security.

24. Five‑Year Plans

Definition: Soviet economic programs designed to rapidly industrialize the economy.

25. Collectivization

Definition: Soviet policy forcing peasants onto collective farms to increase state control.

26. Nuremberg Laws

Definition: Nazi laws stripping Jews of citizenship and institutionalizing racial discrimination.

27. Blitzkrieg

Definition: German military tactic of rapid, coordinated attacks using tanks and aircraft.

28. Operation Barbarossa

Definition: German invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941.

29. Battle of Stalingrad

Definition: Turning point battle where Soviet forces defeated German troops in 1943.

30. Manhattan Project

Definition: Secret U.S. program that developed the atomic bomb during WWII.

31. Containment Policy

Definition: U.S. strategy to prevent the spread of communism during the Cold War.

32. Marshall Plan

Definition: U.S. economic aid program rebuilding Western Europe after WWII.

33. Berlin Airlift

Definition: Allied air supply operation during the Soviet blockade of West Berlin.

34. Non‑Aligned Movement

Definition: Coalition of states seeking neutrality between Cold War superpowers.

35. Partition of India (1947)

Definition: Division of British India into India and Pakistan causing mass migration and violence.

36. Green Revolution

Definition: Agricultural innovations increasing crop yields in developing regions.

37. Structural Adjustment Programs

Definition: Economic reforms imposed by international financial institutions on developing countries.

38. European Union (EU)

Definition: Political and economic union promoting cooperation among European nations.

39. NAFTA

Definition: Trade agreement creating a free‑trade zone between the U.S., Canada, and Mexico.

40. Arab Spring

Definition: Wave of protests beginning in 2010 demanding political reform in the Middle East.

Example: The Arab Spring led to the overthrow of governments in countries like Tunisia.