AP World Unit 9 Vocab

Green Revolution

A massive increase in food production starting in the 1950s/60s due to new high-yield seeds, chemical fertilizers, and irrigation.

Vaccine

A medical treatment that prevents viral diseases (like polio or COVID-19); they helped global populations surge in the 1900s.

Antibiotic

A medicine (like penicillin) that kills bacterial infections; it significantly reduced deaths from injury and illness.

Longevity

The increase in human life expectancy due to better medicine, nutrition, and sanitation.

Deforestation

The clearing of large forest areas for agriculture or industry, often linked to global warming.

Desertification

The process where fertile land becomes desert, usually because of drought, deforestation, or poor farming.

Greenhouse Gases

Gases (like CO2) that trap heat in the atmosphere, leading to global climate change.

Paris Agreement

A 2015 international treaty where countries pledged to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to fight climate change.

Economic Liberalization

When a government reduces its control over the economy to allow for more private competition (common in the 1980s).

Free Market

An economic system where prices are set by supply and demand with little government interference.

Knowledge Economy

An economy based on creating, distributing, and using information and technology (e.g., Silicon Valley).

Multinational corporation

A company that operates in multiple countries. Examples: Coca-Cola, Apple, Nestlé, McDonald's.

Refugees

People forced to leave their country to escape war, persecution, or natural disasters.

1965 Civil Rights Act

U.S. law that banned discrimination based on race, color, religion, or sex.

1965 Voting Act

U.S. law that removed legal barriers (like literacy tests) that prevented African Americans from voting.

Apartheid

The system of legal racial segregation and discrimination in South Africa that ended in the 1990s.

Tiananmen Square

A 1989 protest in China where students called for political reforms; it was crushed by the military.

Globalization

The growing interconnectedness of the world’s economies, cultures, and populations.

Consumer Culture

A culture where buying and owning products is a primary focus of daily life and identity.

Universal Declaration of Human Rights

A 1948 UN document stating that all humans have basic rights, regardless of nationality or race.

UN Peacekeepers

Soldiers from various countries sent by the UN to help maintain peace in conflict zones.

Non-Governmental Organizations

Non-profit groups that work independently of governments to solve social or environmental issues (e.g., Red Cross, Greenpeace).