ap world vocab

Crusades

Religious wars between Christians and Muslims for control of the Holy Land

Feudalism

Decentralized political system with land exchanged for loyalty and service

Manorial System

Economic system based on self-sufficient estates in medieval Europe

Mongol Empire

Largest contiguous empire in history, founded by Genghis Khan

Genghis Khan

Mongol leader who united tribes and began global conquests

Kublai Khan

Grandson of Genghis; founded Yuan Dynasty in China

Silk Roads

Trade routes connecting East Asia to Europe through Central Asia

Indian Ocean Trade

Maritime trade network connecting East Africa, Middle East, India, and SE Asia

Trans-Saharan Trade

Trade routes crossing the Sahara desert; key for gold-salt exchange

Marco Polo

Venetian traveler whose writings introduced Europe to Asia

Ibn Battuta

Muslim traveler who documented journeys through Africa and Asia

Mansa Musa

Mali emperor known for his Hajj and spreading wealth and Islam

Delhi Sultanate

Muslim rule in India from 1206–1526

Bhakti Movement

Hindu devotional movement emphasizing love for a personal god

Sufism

Mystical Islamic belief system seeking closeness to God

Zheng He

Ming dynasty admiral who led large maritime expeditions

Tokugawa Shogunate

Military government that unified Japan and enforced isolation

Columbian Exchange

Global transfer of plants, animals, and diseases after 1492

Mercantilism

Economic policy focused on exports and accumulating wealth

Joint-Stock Company

Company owned by investors; used for overseas colonization

British East India Company

Powerful trading company; key role in British imperialism in India

Encomienda System

Spanish labor system forcing Indigenous people to work for colonists

Mit’a System

Labor tax from Inca society; later adapted by the Spanish

Atlantic Slave Trade

Forced transport of Africans to the Americas for labor

Triangular Trade

Trade system between Europe, Africa, and the Americas

Middle Passage

Horrific journey of enslaved Africans across the Atlantic

Absolutism

System where monarch holds total power, e.g., Louis XIV

Divine Right

Belief that monarchs receive authority from God

Louis XIV

“Sun King” of France; example of absolute monarchy

Peter the Great

Russian czar who modernized and westernized Russia

Ottoman Empire

Muslim empire centered in Turkey; lasted until 1922

Janissaries

Elite Ottoman infantry composed of enslaved Christian boys

Devshirme

System of forced recruitment of Christian boys for Ottoman service

Safavid Empire

Shi’a Muslim empire in Persia (modern Iran)

Mughal Empire

Muslim empire in India known for cultural blending and tolerance

Akbar the Great

Mughal emperor known for religious tolerance and reforms

Taj Mahal

Mausoleum built by Shah Jahan; symbol of Mughal architecture

Protestant Reformation

Religious reform movement started by Martin Luther in 1517

Martin Luther

German monk who challenged the Catholic Church with his 95 Theses

Catholic Reformation

Response to Protestantism; reformed Catholic doctrine

Jesuits

Catholic missionary order founded during the Counter-Reformation

Scientific Revolution

Period of major scientific discoveries in Europe (1500s–1600s)

Copernicus

Astronomer who proposed heliocentric model of the universe

Galileo

Italian scientist who supported heliocentrism and improved the telescope

Isaac Newton

Scientist who formulated laws of motion and gravity

Enlightenment

Intellectual movement advocating reason, liberty, and progress

John Locke

Enlightenment thinker who argued for natural rights and government by consent

Voltaire

French Enlightenment thinker; advocated freedom of speech and religion

Rousseau

Believed in popular sovereignty and social contract theory

French Revolution

Revolution against monarchy in France (1789); inspired by Enlightenment

Napoleon Bonaparte

Military leader who became emperor and spread revolutionary ideals

Haitian Revolution

Slave revolt that led to the first Black republic, led by Toussaint L’Ouverture

Latin American Revolutions

Series of uprisings against Spanish rule in the 1800s

Simón Bolívar

Leader of South American independence movements

Industrial Revolution

Shift from agrarian to industrial economies starting in Britain

Factory System

Production method using machines and wage labor in factories

Steam Engine

Key invention of the Industrial Revolution by James Watt

Urbanization

Growth of cities due to industrialization

Capitalism

Economic system based on private ownership and profit

Socialism

Economic system advocating collective or government ownership

Karl Marx

German philosopher who founded communism

Communism

Political and economic ideology calling for classless, stateless society

Labor Unions

Worker organizations formed to demand better conditions

Imperialism

Policy of extending a nation’s power through colonization or force

Scramble for Africa

European colonization of Africa in late 19th century

Berlin Conference

1884 meeting where European powers divided Africa

British Raj

British direct rule in India after the Sepoy Mutiny (1857)

Opium Wars

Conflicts between Britain and China over drug trade

Treaty of Nanjing

Unequal treaty that ended the First Opium War

Taiping Rebellion

Massive Chinese civil war against Qing dynasty (1850–1864)

Self-Strengthening Movement

China’s attempt to modernize in response to Western threats

Meiji Restoration

Modernization and industrialization of Japan (1868)

Russo-Japanese War

Japan’s victory over Russia; proved its new global power

Nationalism

Belief in loyalty to a shared nation, language, or culture

Zionism

Jewish nationalist movement to establish a homeland in Palestine

Social Darwinism

Belief that some races or nations were superior due to “natural selection”

“White Man’s Burden”

Justification for imperialism claiming Europeans had to civilize others

Boxer Rebellion

Anti-foreign uprising in China (1899–1901)

Suez Canal

Waterway connecting Mediterranean to Red Sea; strategic trade route

Panama Canal

Canal built by the U.S. in Central America for trade and naval power

Monroe Doctrine

U.S. policy opposing European interference in the Americas

Roosevelt Corollary

U.S. claim to intervene in Latin America to preserve order

Trans-Siberian Railroad

Railroad linking European Russia to the Pacific

Russian Serf Emancipation

1861 reform ending serfdom in Russia

Revolutions of 1848

Wave of liberal and nationalist revolts across Europe

Tanzimat Reforms

Ottoman modernization reforms in the 19th century

Muhammad Ali (Egypt)

Modernizing leader of Egypt; challenged Ottoman rule

Westernization

Adoption of Western culture and technology

Colonialism

Control and exploitation of foreign lands and peoples

Missionary Movements

Religious efforts to spread Christianity, often tied to imperialism

Cecil Rhodes

British imperialist who promoted colonization in Africa

Economic Imperialism

Control of a country’s economy by a foreign business or nation

Globalization

Increasing global connections through trade, communication, and culture

Indigenous Resistance

Movements by native peoples against colonial control

Guerrilla Warfare

Small-scale, irregular military tactics often used in resistance