AP World History Final Exam Vocabulary Review

Flashcards covering key civilizations, figures, conflicts, and historical movements from the AP World History final exam review transcript.

Neolithic Revolution

Also known as the first Agricultural Revolution, which brought about significant societal changes.

First Civilization

The historical civilization that is considered to have begun around $5,000\,\text{BCE}$.

Mesopotamian ruler ($2350\,\text{BCE}$)

The leader who built the first empire by conquering several city-states in the Fertile Crescent.

Hammurabi’s Code

The text that constitutes the first written code of laws in world history.

Analects

The work in which Confucius explains his philosophy for achieving an ordered society.

Zhou monarchs (e.g., Wu)

Early Chinese rulers who provided specific explanations for their right to rule.

Hittites

A civilization that was utilizing specific advanced technology by $1700\,\text{BCE}$.

Egyptian pharaoh (religious reform)

The ruler who instituted religious reform and attempted to impose monotheism on Egypt.

Darius I

The Persian leader who established a system to administer imperial provinces.

Greek philosophers

Thinkers who challenged traditions and created schools that expanded education.

Peloponnesian War

A conflict that revealed an inherent flaw in Greek culture and society.

Ruler ($323\,\text{BCE}$)

The leader who built and controlled a vast empire until his death in $323\,\text{BCE}$.

Punic Wars

A series of conflicts between Rome and Carthage with a significant long-term outcome.

Augustus (Empire Reorganization)

The leader who reorganised the Roman government by naming Rome an empire in $31\,\text{BCE}$.

Qin dynasty founder

The first ruler to unite all of China and take a title reflecting that unification.

Han dynasty

The dynasty founded in $206\,\text{BCE}$ which adopted a belief system to organize the governmental bureaucracy.

Four Noble Truths

The central precepts of Buddhism articulated by Siddhartha Gautama.

Ashoka

The Mauryan Emperor who converted to Buddhism and pursued a policy of non-violence.

Silk Road

The trade network that connected two specific major geographical areas.

Indian Ocean Maritime Network

A trade system referred to by historians as a bicultural society.

Foundation of Islam

The movement characterized by two most important dates, including the schism that followed Muhammad’s death in $632$.

European feudalism

The socio-economic and political system used in medieval Europe.

Magna Carta

The English document signed by John I that had a large impact on future western government activity.

Battle of Tours ($732$)

A conflict that served as a precursor to the Crusades ($1095$-$1204$).

Kamakura Shogunate

The period in Japan during which a new social class appeared.

Temujin

The leader whose greatest accomplishment is debated by historians regarding Mongol history.

Ibn Battuta

A historical figure who made significant contributions to world history through his travels and accounts.

Renaissance

A period described by historians as involving urban growth and cultural rebirth in Europe.

Vinland

The colony in present-day Canada founded around $1000$ by a Norwegian navigator.

Portuguese navigator (circumnavigation)

The explorer sailing for Spain who was the first to circumnavigate the globe.

Vasco da Gama

The navigator who sailed around the southern tip of Africa to open a sea-route to the Indian Ocean.

Cortes and Pizarro

Conquerors of the Aztec and Inca empires respectively, giving Spain a foothold in the Americas.

Protestant Reformation

A religious movement started by a specific event in $1519$.

Scientific Revolution

A period of new scientific discoveries during the $1600$s and $1700$s.

Enlightenment

A movement of the $1700$s characterized by specific intellectual and philosophical shifts.

Capitalism

An economic system defined by specific principles of market operation.

American Revolution

A conflict from $1775$-$1783$ with a major outcome and significant global impact.

Haitian Republic ($1804$)

The republic created following an independence movement led by a former slave.

Laissez faire

The economic idea that government should refrain from interference in business.

First modern war

The conflict considered by most historians to be the first of its kind.

Sepoy Rebellion ($1857$-$58$)

An uprising in India with a lasting impact on the region's history.

Taiping Rebellion ($1850$-$64$)

A major nineteenth-century conflict in China.

Modernization in East Asia

The first nation in the region to modernize its economy and westernize its military.

New Imperialism

The nineteenth-century movement involving Western nations establishing overseas colonies.

Treaty of Versailles ($1919$)

A peace agreement that most historians consider to be a failure.

Indian independence movement

A nationalist movement after WWI led by an advocate of nonviolent resistance.

Chinese Communist Party

The political party led by a specific founder who eventually took control of China.

United Nations

An international organization formed by world leaders after the Second World War.

Cold War superpowers

The two nations that emerged after WWII and engaged in global competition during the late twentieth century.

War on Terror

A worldwide conflict launched in response to a specific event, which included a strike-back in $2011$.

Digital Age

The era initiated by the development of the personal computer by a specific company.

Space Race

A Cold War competition won when Neil Armstrong set foot on the moon in $1969$.

Alexander Fleming

The scientist who revolutionized health care by discovering a life-saving substance in $1928$.

Earth Day

An event founded by American environmentalists to raise awareness of global environmental issues.

World's largest democracy

The Asian nation currently home to over $1.4\,\text{billion}$ people.

International refugee crisis ($2011$)

A massive crisis created by an ongoing conflict that began in $2011$.