Globalization
The increasing interconnectedness of people and nations through expanded communication, trade, and the exchange of ideas.
Imperialism
A policy in which a country extends its power and authority over foreign countries and colonies.
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Globalization
The increasing interconnectedness of people and nations through expanded communication, trade, and the exchange of ideas.
Imperialism
A policy in which a country extends its power and authority over foreign countries and colonies.
Industrialization
A society's economic shift away from an agricultural economy to one based on manufacturing using advanced technology.
Adam Smith
(1723 - 1790) A Scottish philosopher whose book The Wealth of Nations helped create the discipline of economics. He argued in favor of free trade, open markets, and capitalism.
Age of Exploration
The period between 1400 and 1700 during which Europeans explored many of the world's oceans and continents.
Agricultural Revolution
(1500s - 1800s) A period of time that saw the rapid development of new agricultural techniques and technology that allowed farmers to increase harvests. One result of the Agricultural Revolution was that workers began to switch from farming to industrial production.
Allied powers
The countries at war with the Central powers during World War I. Included the Triple Entente (France, Great Britain, and Russia) as well as secondary members Japan, Belgium, Serbia, Greece, Montenegro, Romania, and the Czechoslovak legions. Also known as the Entente powers.
Anti-Semitism
The systematic mistreatment of people of Jewish heritage.
Archduke Franz Ferdinand
Archduke of Austria Hungary assassinated by a Serbian in 1914. His murder was one of the causes of WW I.
Armistice
An agreement made by opposing sides in a war; a truce.
Arms race
A rivalry between countries that each try to obtain more and better weapons more quickly than the other.
Ashoka the Great
(304 - 232 BCE) An Indian emperor of the Maurya dynasty who ruled almost all of the Indian subcontinent during his reign.
Atlantic slave trade
(16th - 19th centuries) The transportation of African peoples across the Atlantic Ocean to be sold in the Americas as slaves.
Atomic bomb
A type of bomb that uses nuclear energy to achieve immense destructive power. The United States dropped atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945.
Austria-Hungary
(1867 - 1918) An empire in Central Europe that was ruled by two royal families; it was part of the Triple Alliance with Italy and Germany. World War I was ignited when Serbian nationals assassinated an Austro-Hungarian archduke in Sarajevo in 1914.
Authoritarian government
A government controlled by an individual or small group with absolute political power.
Bataan Death March
A few months after Japan bombed Pearl Harbor, the Japanese forced 60,000 to 80,000 Filipino and American prisoners of war to march across the Philippines to Japanese prison camps.
Battle of Midway
One of the most important naval battles of World War II. Six months after Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor, the United States Navy defeated an attack by the Japanese Navy, which caused major damage to the Japanese fleet.
Bay of Pigs
A 1961 attempt by Cuban exiles who were sponsored by the United States Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) to invade Cuba. The aim of the invasion was to start a revolution to remove Fidel Castro from power. The attempt was not successful.
Benito Mussolini
(1883 - 1945) The dictator who led Italy during World War II and allied the nation with Nazi Germany. He was a key figure in creating fascism, a highly nationalistic and aggressive political philosophy.
Berlin blockade
(1948 - 1949) An effort by the Soviet Union to force the Allied powers out of West Berlin by refusing to allow supplies through. In response, the Allied powers organized an airlift to supply West Berlin.
Berlin Conference
(1884 - 1885) Meetings held by the most powerful nations in Europe to divide up control of Africa. The conference established areas of influence within Africa for each of the major European powers.
Bill of Rights
The first 10 amendments to the United States Constitution. It lists the rights of American citizens, which include freedom of religion, freedom of speech, the right to bear arms, and the right to a jury trial.
Blitzkrieg
A German word that translates as "lightning war." It refers to the practice of using strong, fast armed forces to defeat enemies. Germany quickly conquered much of Europe during World War II using this strategy.
Capitalism
An economic system in which economic decisions are made through the free behavior of businesses and individuals rather than governments. Also referred to as the free enterprise system.
Central powers
A military alliance composed of Germany, the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Ottoman Empire, and the Kingdom of Bulgaria. Originated as the Triple Alliance. Fought the Allied powers in World War I.
Chinese Civil War
(1927 - 1950) A military conflict between the Chinese Nationalist Party (the Guomindang) and the Communist Party of China. After the war, the Communists controlled mainland China, and the Chinese Nationalist Party was pushed back to the island of Taiwan.
Christopher Columbus
(1451 - 1506 CE) An Italian explorer who sailed from Spain to the American continents in 1492. His four trips made Europe aware of the Americas and resulted in further exploration and the establishment of colonies.
Cold War
(1945 - 1991) The ideological, political, and economic conflict between the United States and the Soviet Union following World War II.
Columbian Exchange
The exchange of plants, animals, people, disease, and culture between Afro-Eurasia and the Americas after Columbus sailed to the Americas in 1492.
Communism
A political and economic system in which the government owns all of the means of production, such as factories, mines, and farms.
Concentration camps
A camp in which people are detained or confined, usually under harsh conditions and without regard to legal norms of arrest and imprisonment.
Conquistadores
The explorers and soldiers of the Spanish Empire and Portuguese Empire who colonized large areas of the world during the 1400s, 1500s, and 1600s.
Containment
An American policy to prevent the spread of communism during the Cold War. The containment policy is most strongly associated with President Harry Truman.
Cuban Missile Crisis
(October, 1962) A 14-day confrontation between the Soviet Union and Cuba on one side and the United States on the other. The crisis is widely considered the moment when the Cold War came closest to turning into a nuclear conflict.
Cultural Revolution
(1966 - 1976) A social-political movement started by Mao Zedong in the People's Republic of China. The revolution's goal was to enforce communism and remove any foreign, capitalist, or traditional cultural elements from Chinese society. In the end, the revolution had a negative impact on China's economic, political, and social growth.
English Bill of Rights
(1689) A document listing the rights of the English people. It eliminated the English monarch's right to levy taxes and administer justice without Parliament's consent.
Enlightenment
The word used in English to translate several Buddhist terms and concepts. Siddhartha Gautama, known as the Buddha, is said to have achieved full enlightenment. A period during the 1700s marked by an emphasis on rationality and reason in philosophy, government, and science. Many Enlightenment ideas inspired later revolutionary movements, especially in the United States and France.
Ferdinand Magellan
(1480 - 1521) The Portuguese explorer who was the first to sail from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and was also the first to circumnavigate Earth. The Straits of Magellan, which he discovered, are named after him.
Fidel Castro
(b. 1926) A Cuban revolutionary who led the uprising from 1956 to 1959 against U.S.-backed dictator Fulgencio Batista. He was head of the Communist Party in Cuba and head of the Cuban government until 2008, when he handed over power to his younger brother.
Fourteen Points
(1918) A speech given by President Woodrow Wilson in January 1918 that stated the reasons for fighting World War I and explained what the Allies hoped to gain in the peace with the Central powers.
Francis Bacon
(1561 - 1626) INVENTED SCIENTIFIC METHOD. An English philosopher and politician. He was an important scientific thinker and the creator of the theory of empiricism.
Francisco Pizarro
(ca. 1471 or 1476 - 1541) A Spanish explorer who conquered the Inca Empire in South America.
Franklin D. Roosevelt
(1882 - 1945) The 32nd president of the United States. He is the only president elected to four terms. He instituted a number of progressive social programs called the New Deal and led the United States through most of World War II.
Free enterprise system
An economic system in which economic decisions are made through the free behaviors of businesses and individuals rather than through governments. Also referred to as capitalism.
Free trade
A system of buying and selling between countries that is carried out with no government involvement.
Genocide
The systematic extermination of a group of people because of their ethnic, national, racial, political, or cultural makeup.
Great Depression
(1930s - 1940s) A worldwide economic crisis sparked by the collapse of the United States stock market.
Haitian Revolution
(1791 - 1804) A slave revolt against French rule in Saint-Domingue (now known as Haiti). It was the only slave revolt in the Americas that led to the creation of a fully independent state.
Hernán Cortés
(1485 - 1547) A Spanish explorer who conquered the Aztec Empire and created New Spain.
Hiroshima and Nagasaki
Two Japanese cities on which the U.S. dropped the atomic bombs to end World War II.
Holocaust
The systematic murder of 6 million Jews by the Nazi government of Germany during World War II. The Germans also murdered millions of other people considered undesirable or inferior to Aryan Germans, including communists, homosexuals, and the mentally ill.
Iron Curtain
A phrase describing the ideological conflict and physical boundary dividing Europe between East and West following World War II. The term symbolized efforts by the Soviet Union to block itself and its allies from open contact with noncommunist countries.
Isaac Newton
(1642 - 1727) The British mathematician and physicist who developed the theory of gravity, which he published in the book Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy. He is considered one of the most influential scientists of all time.
Johannes Gutenberg
(1395 - 1468) The inventor of the movable-type printing press. His invention helped spark the development of many movements, such as the Renaissance and the Reformation.
John F. Kennedy
(1917-1963) The 35th president of the United States (1961 - 1963). Kennedy's administration was involved in some of the tensest moments of the Cold War, including the Bay of Pigs invasion and the Cuban Missile Crisis. He was assassinated in 1963.
John Locke
(1632 - 1704) An English philosopher who argued that people have natural rights and that if a leader fails to protect those rights, the people can remove that leader and choose another. These ideas directly affected political revolutions of the late 1700s.
Joint-stock company
A business that is owned by stockholders. Each stockholder owns a certain number of shares in the company, which allows for unequal ownership.
Joseph Stalin
(1878 - 1953) The communist leader of the Soviet Union from 1922 until 1953. He was a powerful dictator who killed or exiled millions of people whom he believed were dangerous to the country.
Korean War
(1950 - 1953) A military conflict between the Republic of Korea (supported by the United States) and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (supported by the Soviet Union and China). The war ended with no clear victor, and Korea was divided into two separate countries.
League of Nations
(1919 - 1946) An international organization formed after World War I to prevent future wars. It failed to stop World War II and disbanded after the war.
Magna Carta
(1(freedoms) that King John "Lackland" of England was forced to sign; it made the king obey the same laws as the citizens of his kingdom
Mandate system
The system set up by the League of Nations that gave control of certain territories to its members. In return for this control, the member nation was supposed to develop the territory so that it could one day become a free and independent nation.
Mao Zedong
(1893 - 1976) The leader of the Chinese Communist Party and the ruler of the People's Republic of China from 1949 until his death in 1976. His style of communism, Maoism, focused on rural farmers rather than industrial workers.
Marshall Plan
(1948 - 1952) A U.S. program to give economic aid to the democratic countries of Europe following World War II. It was intended to help these countries rebuild and resist the influence of the communist Soviet Union.
Marxism
Theory developed by Karl Marx that predicted communism would replace capitalism after a revolution by the proletariat, or working class.
Mary Wollstonecraft
(1759 - 1797) An 18th-century British writer, philosopher, and advocate of women's rights. She is best known for her book, A Vindication of the Rights of Woman, which she published in 1792.
Martin Luther
95 Thesis, posted in 1517, led to religious reform in Germany, denied papal power and absolutist rule. Claimed there were only 2 sacraments: baptism and communion.
Meiji Restoration
(1868) The reestablishment of imperial rule in Japan following the Tokugawa shogunate. Under the Meiji imperial family, Japan rapidly modernized and became a world power.
Middle Passage
The stage of the Atlantic slave trade in which millions of people from Africa were shipped to the New World across the Atlantic Ocean.
Mikhail Gorbachev
(1931 - present ) The leader of the Soviet Union from 1985 until its collapse in 1991. He instituted social reforms that sought to make Soviet society less oppressive and more transparent.
Militarism
The idea that a country should prioritize development of a powerful military that can be used to promote its interests aggressively.
Mohandas Gandhi
(1869 - 1948) A leader of the Indian nationalist movement who used nonviolent civil disobedience to help India win independence from the British Empire.
Mughal Empire
(1526 - 1857 CE) The large and powerful kingdom that stretched from the Indian subcontinent to modern-day Pakistan and Afghanistan. It was known for its unique architecture and its own Persian-based language called Urdu.
Napoleon Bonaparte
(1769 - 1821) A French general and political leader who conquered most of Europe. He introduced the legal reforms known as the Napoleonic Code, which continue to influence legal codes today.
Napoleonic Wars
(1803 - 1815) A series of wars fought between France and other European powers for control of Europe. The French leader Napoleon captured much of Europe during the wars, but was eventually defeated, ending the French Empire.
NATO
(1949 - present) The North Atlantic Treaty Organization. A military alliance formed by noncommunist European countries and the United States following World War II to defend Europe against possible military action by the Soviet Union.
Nazi Party
(1919 - 1945) A German political party led by Adolf Hitler. It rose to power by rigging elections and intimidating rivals with physical violence. Once in power, it established tight control over all aspects of German life, including education, labor, and the media.
New Deal
(1933 - 1936) A series of progressive economic programs passed by Congress in Franklin Roosevelt's first term as president. These programs and policies were intended to help America get out of the Great Depression through public works and social welfare programs.
Storming of Normandy
The Western Allies of World War II launched the largest amphibious invasion in history when they assaulted Normandy, located on the northern coast of France, on 6 June 1944.
Nuremburg Laws
1935 laws defining the status of Jews and withdrawing citizenship from persons of non-German blood.
Nuremburg Trials
These trials were held for the purpose of bringing Nazi war criminals to justice for their war crimes. Many were hanged
Otto von Bismarck
(1815 - 1898) Prime minister of Prussia from 1862 - 1890 and founder and first chancellor of the German Empire from 1871 - 1890. He is best known for unifying Germany and creating a balance of power that preserved peace in Europe for over 40 years.
Panama Canal
A 48-mile waterway that connects the Atlantic and Pacific oceans through the narrow part of Panama. Using the canal saves ships an 8,000-mile journey around South America. Built by the United States, it opened to ships in 1914. Panama gained control of the canal on December 31, 1999.
Pan-Africanism
A movement that stressed unity among all Africans
Paris Peace Conference
(1919) A conference among the Allied powers of World War I to discuss the peace terms for the defeated Central powers. The participants imposed war reparations on Germany and created the League of Nations.
Pearl Harbor
The location of a surprise attack by Japanese war planes on the U.S. naval base in Hawaii in 1941. Eight battleships were sunk or damaged, other ships and aircraft were destroyed, and more than 3,600 people were killed or wounded. The Japanese intended to weaken the U.S. Navy so much that the United States would be unable to enter World War II; instead, the attack brought the United States into the war in both the Pacific and Europe.
Printing Press
15th century invention which revolutionized the ability to print information which in turn affected the speed of the spread of information itself. Johannes Gutenberg
Protestant Reformation
(ca. 1600 - ca. 1700) A movement in Europe that aimed to reform Roman Catholicism and resulted in the formation of the Protestant Church. It was started by a German monk named Martin Luther.
Protestantism
One of the major divisions of Christianity. A movement that began in northern Europe in the 16th century in response to the practices of the medieval Roman Catholic Church.
Safavid Empire
(1501 - 1736) A Persian empire that at its height controlled all of modern-day Iran, Azerbaijan, and Armenia, and parts of Iraq, Georgia, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Turkey. One of the three Islamic "Gunpowder Empires."
Scramble for Africa
(Late 1800s - early 1900s) The rapid and competitive colonization of African territory by European nations. By agreeing to divide the continent among them, European countries hoped to avoid war with one another.
Shogun
A hereditary military leader of medieval Japan. During Japan's feudal years (1192 - 1867) shoguns, who were typically appointed by the emperor, were the absolute rulers of Japan.
Shiite Islam
Branch of Islam believing that God vests leadership of the community in a descendant of Muhammad's son-in-law Ali. Shi'ism is the state religion of Iran. (See also Sunnis.) (pp. 225, 531)
Sunni Islam
Muslims belonging to branch of Islam believing that the community should select its own leadership. The majority religion in most Islamic countries.
Social Darwinism
The application of Darwin's idea of natural selection to human society, depicting it as a struggle in which the strongest and ablest survive while the weak are dominated or die out.
Social contract
A voluntary agreement among individuals to give up a few rights to secure their rights and welfare by creating a government and abiding by its rules.
Woman's Suffrage
The right to womans vote.
Thomas Hobbes
(1588 - 1679) An English philosopher whose theory of the social contract calls for an all-powerful government that restrains people's worst impulses.
Totalitarianism
An authoritarian government that seeks to completely control members of its society. It is often led by a single leader who is regarded as infallible and godlike.