AP World Vocab

All units!

Feudalism

A political system where land was exchanged for loyalty and military service

Manorialism

An economic system where peasants worked the land for a lord in return for protection

Serfdom

The status of peasants bound to a lord’s land and unable to leave without permission

Caliphate

An Islamic state led by a religious and political leader known as a caliph

Dar al-Islam

Areas where Muslims are in power and Islamic law is practiced

Crusades

A series of religious wars by European Christians to reclaim the Holy Land from Muslims

Mongol Empire

A vast Eurasian empire founded by Genghis Khan in the 13th century

Tributary System

A system where weaker states paid tribute to stronger empires for protection or trade rights

Neo-Confucianism

A revival of Confucian thought blended with Buddhist and Daoist ideas

Bhakti Movement

A devotional movement in India emphasizing love for and personal devotion to a deity

Gunpowder Empires

Large Muslim empires (Ottoman, Safavid, Mughal) that used gunpowder to expand

Devshirme

Ottoman practice of taking Christian boys, converting them, and training them for military or government roles

Janassaries

Elite Ottoman soldiers, often former Christian boys recruited through devshirme

Enlightenment

Intellectual movement emphasizing reason, individual rights, and secularism

Nationalism

Belief that people with shared culture/language should have their own nation-state

Industrialization

Shift from hand-made to machine-made goods, starting in Britain

Capitalism

Economic system based on private ownership and profit

Socialism

Economic system advocating for shared or state control of production to reduce inequality

Imperialism

Domination of one country by another, politically and economically

Colonialism

Practice of acquiring full or partial control over another country and exploiting it

White Man’s Burden

Justification for imperialism claiming Euopeans had to “civilize” others

Social Darwinism

Belief that some races/nations were naturally superior and destined to rule others

Sepoy Rebellion

1857 uprising in India against British rule, sparked by cultural/religious tensions

Total War

War that involves the mobilization of resources and affects civilians as well as soldiers

Great Depression

A global economic crisis in the 1930s marked by mass unemployment and poverty

Fascism

An authoritarian political system with extreme nationalism and dictatorial power

Communism

Political ideology advocating classless society and collective ownership

Decolonization

Process by which colonies gained independence from imperial powers after WWII

Cold War

Political and ideological rivalry (1947-1991) between the US and Soviet Union without direct war

Non-Aligned Movement

Group of countries that stayed neutral during the Cold War

Neocolonialism

Economic and political influence over former colonies by powerful countries, without direct control

Globalization

Increasing interconnectedness of the world through trade, communication, and culture

Green Revolution

20th-century agricultural innovation that increased food production, especially in developing countries