HIS 110 Final Review: Key Terms and Themes

Marxism

Marxism is the belief that capitalism creates inequality through class struggle, and that history will ultimately lead to a revolution by workers, creating a society without classes or private ownership.

Fascism

a far-right, authoritarian political ideology that emphasizes ultranationalism, dictatorship, and the suppression of dissent. It developed in early 20th-century Europe as a reaction against liberal democracy, communism, and modernity.

Atlantic Slave Trade

The transatlantic trading system that transported enslaved Africans to the Americas from the 16th to the 19th centuries.

Imperialism

The policy of extending a country's power and influence through colonization or military force.

Colonization

The act of establishing control over a foreign territory and its people.

The Enlightenment

An intellectual movement in the 17th and 18th centuries emphasizing reason, individualism, and skepticism of traditional authority.

Liberalism

A political philosophy advocating for civil liberties, democracy, and free market economics.

Modernity

A historical period characterized by the rise of industrial society and the decline of feudalism.

The Renaissance

A cultural movement in Europe from the 14th to the 17th century, marked by a revival of art, literature, and learning.

Industrialization

The process of transforming economies from agriculture-based to industry-based, typically involving technological innovation.

Scramble for Africa

The rapid invasion, colonization, and annexation of African territory by European powers in the late 19th century.

Meiji Restoration

The period of rapid modernization and industrialization in Japan from 1868 to 1912.

Self-Strengthening Movement

A Chinese reform movement in the late 19th century aimed at modernizing the military and economy.

War of Production

A term referring to the economic and military mobilization during wartime, focusing on the production of war materials.

Great Depression

A severe worldwide economic downturn that lasted from 1929 until the late 1930s.

Jazz Age

The period in the 1920s characterized by the popularity of jazz music and a cultural shift in the United States.

Black Tuesday

The day, October 29, 1929, when the stock market crashed, marking the beginning of the Great Depression.

The Dust Bowl

A severe drought in the 1930s that devastated agriculture in the American Midwest.

Cold War

The geopolitical tension between the Soviet Union and the United States from the end of World War II until the early 1990s.

Protestant Reformation

A religious movement in the 16th century that led to the establishment of Protestant churches and reform of the Catholic Church.

French Revolution

A period of radical social and political change in France from 1789 to 1799.

American War of Independence

The conflict between the thirteen American colonies and Great Britain from 1775 to 1783, resulting in independence.

The Great War

Another name for World War I, fought from 1914 to 1918.

NATO

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization, a military alliance established in 1949 for mutual defense.

First Sino-Japanese War

A conflict between China and Japan from 1894 to 1895, primarily over influence in Korea.

Flying Shuttle

An invention by John Kay in 1733 that revolutionized weaving by allowing a single weaver to operate a loom.

Luddites

A group of English workers in the early 19th century who protested against industrialization by destroying machinery.

Chinese Civil War

A conflict between the Nationalists and Communists in China from 1927 to 1949.

Opium Wars

Two wars in the mid-19th century between China and Western powers over trade imbalances and opium trade.

"Opening" of China

The process in the 19th century of Western powers forcing China to open its ports to foreign trade.

Truman Doctrine

A U.S. policy established in 1947 to counter Soviet geopolitical expansion during the Cold War.

Space Race

The competition between the United States and the Soviet Union for supremacy in space exploration during the Cold War.

United Nations

An international organization founded in 1945 to promote peace, security, and cooperation among countries.