AP World History: Modern - Units 1 and 2 Vocabulary Flashcards

Vocabulary practice flashcards covering AP World History: Modern Units 1 and 2, detailing empires, trade networks, religions, and key historical figures across Asia, Africa, Europe, and the Americas.

Neo-Confucianism

A revival of Confucian thought in Tang, Han, and Song China that incorporated Buddhist and Daoist elements while emphasizing social hierarchy and filial piety.

Filial Piety

The Confucian virtue of showing respect, obedience, and honor toward one's parents and ancestors.

Foot Binding

A patriarchal practice in Song China that physically restricted women, reflecting hierarchical social relationships such as husband over wife.

Four Noble Truths

The foundational Buddhist doctrine stating that life is suffering and explaining how to overcome it.

Eightfold Path

The set of practical steps and practices in Buddhism followed to reach the end of suffering.

Mahayana Buddhism

A branch of Buddhism focused on devotion, spiritual practice, and compassion toward all beings.

Civil Service Exam

An examination system used in Song China to recruit highly qualified men into the imperial bureaucracy.

Dar al-Islam

Literally meaning 'house of Islam,' referring to regions where Islam is the dominant religion and culture.

Abbasid Caliphate

An ethnically Arab Islamic state founded in the 700s that oversaw the Islamic Golden Age before its power declined around 1200.

Seljuk Empire

A Turkic Central Asian Islamic empire that rose to prominence in the 1000s after being invited as a military force by the Abbasids.

Mamluk Sultanate

An Islamic empire established in North Africa/Middle East by former enslaved Mamluk military forces.

Delhi Sultanate

An Islamic empire in South Asia established by Turkic groups, placing Muslim rulers as the religious and political elite over a majority Hindu population.

Sharia

Islamic legal system based on the Quran used to govern Islamic empires.

Caste System

A rigid social hierarchy in India linked to Hinduism (Brahmin > Kshatriya > Vaishya > Shudra > Dalit) that unified society.

Vijayanagara Empire

A Hindu empire in South Asia that established control and extended resistance against the Delhi Sultanate.

Srivijaya Empire

A maritime Buddhist kingdom in Southeast Asia that grew wealthy by controlling and taxing trade through the Strait of Malacca.

Majapahit Empire

A powerful tributary sea-based empire centered in Southeast Asia.

Khmer Empire

A prosperous empire in Southeast Asia that transitioned from Hinduism to Buddhism and constructed the temple complex of Angkor Wat.

Angkor Wat

A massive religious temple complex built by the Khmer Empire in Southeast Asia.

Sinhala Dynasties

Land-based Buddhist kingdoms established in South Asia.

Maya Civilization

A decentralized Mesoamerican civilization that constructed complex states and practiced religious human sacrifice.

Aztec Empire

A Mesoamerican empire formed by the Mexica starting in 1428, relying on a tributary system, decentralized control, and military expansion.

Tenochtitlan

The capital city of the Aztec Empire featuring complex palaces, pyramids, and temples.

Inca Empire

A highly centralized empire in the Andes mountains characterized by a strong bureaucracy, powerful military, and the Mita labor system.

Mita System

A mandatory public labor tax in the Inca Empire required of all citizens.

Mississippian Culture

An agricultural North American civilization known for hierarchical social structures and large urban centers like Cahokia.

Swahili Civilization

A network of urbanized East African coastal city-states led by Muslim merchants who gained immense wealth through maritime trade in gold, ivory, timber, and enslaved labor.

Great Zimbabwe

A wealthy kingdom in Southern/East Africa built on exporting gold.

Hausa Kingdoms

A network of independent, urbanized states in West Africa that built wealth through trade and converted to Islam.

Byzantine Empire

The Eastern Roman Empire based in Constantinople that practiced Eastern Orthodox Christianity and used religion to justify centralized power.

Feudalism

A decentralized European political system built on land grants, mutual military obligations, and alliances.

Manorialism

An economic system in medieval Europe where peasants and land-bound serfs worked on agricultural manors in exchange for protection.

Champa Rice

A fast-ripening, drought-resistant crop introduced from Vietnam to China that vastly increased agricultural production.

House of Wisdom

A renowned center of learning and translation established in Baghdad during the Abbasid Caliphate.

Silk Roads

Trans-Eurasian overland trade networks revived by the Abbasids and protected by the Mongols, facilitating major trade across Asia, the Middle East, and Europe.

Kashgar

A fertile oasis trading city in Western China located along the Silk Roads.

Samarkand

A central trading city in modern Uzbekistan that served as a major center of cultural and Islamic intellectual exchange along the Silk Roads.

Caravanserai

Large inns or resting stations located along trade routes where merchants and their animals could rest and trade safely.

Flying Cash

A Chinese credit system that allowed merchants to deposit paper money in one location and redeem it elsewhere.

Bill of Exchange

A written financial agreement used in banking houses to handle commercial transactions and credit.

Hanseatic League

A commercial network of member cities in Germany and Northern Europe formed to drive and control regional trade.

Genghis Khan

The title granted to Temujin in 1206 after unifying the Mongol clans and becoming the 'ruler for all.'

Kuriltai

A formal council meeting of Mongol chieftains held to elect a supreme Khan.

Golden Horde

The Mongol khanate established by Batu that conquered Russia and ruled over Eastern Europe with religious tolerance.

Hulegu

Mongol ruler who conquered the Islamic heartland of Southwest Asia and established a kingdom in Persia.

Kublai Khan

Mongol leader who conquered China, adopted Chinese customs, and established the Yuan Dynasty.

Yuan Dynasty

The Mongol-led imperial dynasty in China founded by Kublai Khan.

White Lotus Society

A secret Chinese society that organized a rebellion around 1350 to bring an end to the Mongol Yuan Dynasty.

Pax Mongolica

A period of Eurasian peace and stability under the Mongol Empire that boosted trans-regional trade and safety along trade routes.

Monsoon Winds

Seasonal wind patterns in the Indian Ocean that dictated maritime trade routes and travel timing.

Astrolabe

A navigational instrument adapted by sailors to determine latitude by measuring the position of stars relative to the equator.

Diasporic Communities

Settlements of foreign merchants (such as Arab and East African traders) living in key trade ports who introduced their culture to local communities.

Zheng He

A Muslim admiral who commanded seven massive Ming Dynasty maritime voyages across the Indian Ocean to project power and expand trade.

Trans-Saharan Trade

Trade routes crossing the Sahara Desert, primarily involving gold and salt, which facilitated the spread of Islam into West Africa.

Mali Empire

A wealthy West African Islamic empire founded by Sundiata that profited by taxing regional trade.

Timbuktu

A major city in the Mali Empire that evolved into a world-renowned center for Islamic learning and culture.

Mansa Musa

A famous Muslim ruler of Mali known for his lavish pilgrimage to Mecca in 1324 and for showcasing West Africa's wealth.

Songhai Kingdom

A powerful West African empire that succeeded the Mali Empire and grew even wealthier through trade.