AP World Unit 5 Vocab

Protestant Reformation

a 16th-century religious, political, and cultural upheaval that splintered Catholic Europe, initiating the modern era

Martin Luther

a man most famous for sparking the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century, primarily by challenging Catholic Church practices

Thirty Years’ War

religious conflict within the Holy Roman Empire, sparked by the 16th-century Reformation

Counter-Reformation

the Catholic Church's response to the Protestant Reformation (starting 1517), a period of internal reform, revitalization, and efforts to combat Protestantism

Peace of Westphalia

a series of treaties ending the Thirty Years' War (1618–1648) in the Holy Roman Empire and the Eighty Years' War (1568–1648) between Spain and the Dutch Republic

Society of Jesus (Jesuits)

a Roman Catholic order of priests and brothers founded half a millennium ago by the soldier-turned-mystic Ignatius Loyola

Scientific Revolution

a transformative period that began in Europe roughly around the mid-16th Century and lasted until the end of the 18th Century

European Enlightenment

a period in the history of Europe and Western civilization during which the Enlightenment, an intellectual and cultural movement, flourished

John Locke

best known as a founder of modern liberalism, famous for his theories on natural rights (life, liberty, and property), the social contract (government by consent), and empiricism

Social Contract

individuals consent to surrender some freedoms to a governing authority in exchange for protection of their remaining rights and social order

Popular sovereignty

government legitimacy stems from the consent of the governed, not divine right or monarchy

French & Indian War (7 Years War)

the North American theater of the global Seven Years' War, pitting Britain and its colonists against France and its Native American allies

Tea Tax

aimed to bail out the struggling East India Company by granting it a monopoly on tea sales in the American colonies. Although it lowered the price of tea, it maintained a three-cent import tax—the last remnant of the unpopular Townshend Acts—which spurred "taxation without representation

Quartering Act

a British law requiring American colonial governments to provide housing, food, and supplies for British troops stationed in the colonies, primarily following the French and Indian War

Stamp Act

first direct British tax on American colonists, requiring a Royal stamp on all paper goods (legal documents, newspapers, playing cards) to pay for Seven Years' War debts

Boston Massacre

a fatal confrontation where British soldiers killed five colonists in Boston, acting as a crucial turning point in the American Revolution

Boston Tea Party

Sons of Liberty dumped 342 chests of British tea into Boston Harbor to protest the Tea Act of 1773. This act of defiance by disguised colonists against "taxation without representation

First Continental Congress

comprised of delegates from the colonies, met in 1774 in reaction to the Intolerable Acts, a series of measures imposed by the British government after the colonies resisted new taxes

Second Continental Congress

convened after the Revolutionary War had already begun; appointed government roles

Declaration of Independence

announced the American colonies' separation from Britain, articulating Enlightenment ideals of natural rights (life, liberty, pursuit of happiness), popular sovereignty, and the right to revolution

Constitutional Convention

brought 55 delegates together to replace the weak Articles of Confederation, resulting in the U.S. Constitution

Lexington & Concord

opening military engagements of the American Revolutionary War, signaling the transition from political protest to armed conflict.

Saratoga

pivotal turning point of the American Revolution, where American forces defeated British General John Burgoyne in New York

Yorktown

the decisive, final major land battle of the American Revolutionary War in Virginia

George Washington

Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army (1775–1783) during the American Revolution, leading colonial forces to independence from Great Britain.

Thomas Jefferson

key intellectual leader of the American Revolution, best known for drafting the Declaration of Independence (1776). As a Virginia delegate to the Continental Congress, he championed republicanism, natural rights, and separation from Britain

Thomas Paine

pivotal English-born Enlightenment philosopher and pamphleteer whose writings, most notably Common Sense (1776), directly inspired the American Revolution by advocating for independence, republicanism, and the rejection of monarchy

Three Estates

legal, rigid social classes in pre-revolutionary France (Ancien Régime): the First Estate (clergy), Second Estate (nobility), and Third Estate (everyone else)

Estates General

a 1789 legislative assembly representing France's three social classes—clergy, nobility, and commoners—called by King Louis XVI to solve a severe fiscal crisis worsened by funding the American Revolution.

National Assembly

a revolutionary body formed by the Third Estate during the French Revolution, marking a shift toward popular sovereignty

Declaration of the Rights of Men

all men are born free and equal with natural rights to liberty, property, security, and resistance to oppression.

Storming of the Bastille

a defining, violent flashpoint of the French Revolution where Parisian revolutionaries seized the medieval fortress-prison, symbolizing the collapse of absolute monarchy and the birth of the republic

Great Fear

a wave of rural panic and peasant riots in France (July–August 1789) sparked by rumors of an aristocratic plot to starve or attack the population following the storming of the Bastille

Women’s March

pivotal French Revolution event where Parisian women, protesting bread shortages and high prices, marched to the royal palace

Execution of Royal Family

King Louis XVI and Queen Marie Antoinette were executed by guillotine in 1793 at Paris's Place de la Révolution, marking the shift to radical republicanism

Guillotine

a mechanical device designed for swift, egalitarian decapitation

Reign of Terror

the most radical, violent phase of the French Revolution, characterized by mass executions to purge perceived internal enemies

End of Revolution

Napoleon

Napoleonic Code

foundational, unified legal system that modernized French law by cementing Revolutionary principles like equality before the law, property rights, and secularism

Concordat of 1801

an agreement between the First French Republic and the Holy See, signed by First Consul Napoleon Bonaparte and Pope Pius VII on 15 July 1801 in Paris.

Louis XVI

last king of France before the fall of the monarchy during the French Revolution

Marie Antoinette

queen of France from 1774 until the fall of the monarchy in 1792 and her subsequent execution during the French Revolution

Olympe de Gouges

French playwright and political activist. She is best known for her Declaration of the Rights of Woman

Maximilien Robespierre

French lawyer and statesman, widely recognised as one of the most influential figures of the French Revolution. Blank fervently campaigned for the voting rights of all men

Napoléon Bonaparte

a French military and political leader who rose during the French Revolution, crowning himself Emperor in 1804. He transformed Europe through the Napoleonic Code, spreading revolutionary ideals like meritocracy and equality before the law, while fostering nationalism that led to the collapse of old regimes

grand blancs

wealthy white plantation and slave owners in 18th-century Saint-Domingue (Haiti)

petit blans

the poor, white lower class of Saint-Domingue (now Haiti) during the 18th-century French colonial era, comprising artisans, laborers, and overseers

gens-de-colour

individuals of African, mixed-race, or sometimes indigenous descent who were free rather than enslaved

Estates General

a 1789 French representative assembly comprising the Clergy (First), Nobility (Second), and Commoners (Third) called by Louis XVI to address a severe financial crisis

Influence of Napoleon

, and fostering nationalism. His conquests dismantled feudal structures, established legal equality, and ignited national movements in Germany and Italy, while his invasion of Spain triggered Latin American independence movements.

Effect on U.S.

The French Revolution (1789–1799) profoundly impacted the U.S. by deeply dividing its young political landscape, accelerating the formation of the first party system (Federalists vs. Democratic-Republicans), forcing a policy of strict neutrality in European wars, and intensifying ideological debates over the scope of democrac

Toussaint L’ouverature

leader of the Haitian Revolution, pursued strategic trade agreements with the U.S. to stabilize Saint-Domingue's economy

Jean-Jacques Dessalines

key leader in the Haitian Revolution, serving as the top commander after Toussaint L'Ouverture’s capture and becoming the first ruler of independent Haiti

Influence of Napoleon

primary catalyst for Latin American revolutions, creating a power vacuum that forced colonies to govern themselves.

Junta Central

a political body driven by Creole resentment of Spanish peninsular power, triggered by Napoleon’s 1808 invasion of Spain

Gran Columbia

short-lived, independent South American republic uniting present-day Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, and Panama, created by Simón Bolívar to bolster regional stability

Paraguayan War

the deadliest inter-state war in Latin American history, fought between Paraguay and the Allied powers of Brazil, Argentina, and Uruguay

Simon Bolivar

"El Libertador") was a Venezuelan creole leader who played a pivotal role in liberating South America from Spanish rule (1807–1830). Inspired by Enlightenment ideals and the American/Haitian revolutions

Jose de San Martin

pivotal Argentine general and a primary leader of South America's independence from Spanish rule

Tupac Amaru II

led a massive 1780–1783 indigenous rebellion in Peru against Spanish colonial abuses, specifically targeting forced labor (mita) and high taxes

Miguel Hidalgo de Castilla

Mexican Catholic priest and revolutionary leader known as the "Father of Mexican Independence

Jose Morales

Mexican Catholic priest and revolutionary leader who played a crucial role in the Mexican War of Independence (1810–1821). He assumed leadership of the independence movement after the death of Miguel Hidalgo

Vincente Guerrero

pivotal Afro-Indigenous leader in Mexico’s War of Independence and the nation's second president (1829), known for abolishing slavery and advancing social equality

Agustin de Iturbide

Mexican army officer who shifted from fighting rebels to leading the independence movement, establishing the First Mexican Empire in 1821-1823

Ferdinand VII

a Spanish king whose reign saw the collapse of the Spanish Empire in the Americas and a turn toward absolutism

Treaty of Cordoba

formally recognized Mexico's independence from Spain, ending the 11-year Mexican War of Independence

Influence of Napoleon

unique, largely bloodless transition from colony to empire, triggered by Napoleon’s 1807 invasion of Portugal. The Portuguese royal family fled to Rio de Janeiro

John VI

King of Portugal, Brazil, and the Algarves, crucial to AP World History for moving his court to Brazil (1808) during the Napoleonic Wars,

Cortes

(parliament) in Lisbon acted as a key catalyst for Brazilian independence in 1822. Following the 1820 Liberal Revolution in Portugal, the Cortes attempted to reverse Brazil's status from a kingdom to a colony and ordered Dom Pedro back to Europe, sparking indignation

Pedro I

founder and first emperor of the Empire of Brazil, playing a critical role in its peaceful independence from Portugal in 1822

Pedro II

second and last Emperor of Brazil, known for bringing stability, economic growth, and modernization to the nation for nearly 50 years

Treaty of Rio de Janeiro

a pivotal diplomatic agreement where Portugal officially recognized Brazil’s independence, ending the Brazilian War of Independence

Abolition of Slavery

abolished slavery on May 13, 1888, via the "Golden Law" (Lei Áurea) signed by Princess Isabel, making it the last nation in the Americas to end the institution.

Industrial Revolution

a series of improvements in industrial technology that transformed manufacturing processes from hand production to machine-driven, factory-based systems

Second Agricultural Revolution

a period of technological innovation and improved farming techniques in Western Europe and the U.S. that greatly increased agricultural productivity

Cottage Industry

a small-scale, decentralized manufacturing system where goods are produced by hand or with simple equipment, typically in workers' homes rather than factories

Specialization of Labor

the division of production into specific, repetitive tasks assigned to different workers, regions, or nations, enhancing efficiency, productivity, and skill

Capital

financial assets, wealth, or physical assets (machinery, factories, tools, infrastructure) used to produce goods, services, and generate further wealth

Adam Smith

18th-century Scottish economist and philosopher known as the "father of modern economics" and a central Enlightenment figure (founder of Capitalism)

Urbanization

the process where an increasing percentage of a population shifts from rural, agricultural areas to cities, driven by economic development, industrialization, and job opportunities

Enclosure Movement Labor

the process of privatizing and fencing off common agricultural lands, transforming them into large, private farms

Labor Unions

organized associations of industrial workers formed in the 19th century to collectively bargain for better wages, shorter hours, and safer working conditions

Socialism

______ in AP World History is an 18th-19th century economic and political ideology advocating for public or collective ownership of the means of production, rather than private ownership, to create an equitable society. It emerged as a critique of capitalism's industrial inequalities and gained popularity in the 19th-20th centuries

Karl Marx

a 19th-century German philosopher and economist who co-authored The Communist Manifesto (1848), founding modern socialism and communism. He argued that industrial capitalism was inherently exploitative

Communism

a 19th-20th century political and economic ideology advocating for a classless, stateless society based on common ownership of the means of production (factories, farms) and the elimination of private property

Proletariat

The _____ refers to the working-class people, specifically wage earners in a capitalist society who do not own the means of production (factories, land, tools) and must sell their labor to survive. Emerging prominently during the Industrial Revolution, this group is considered the lowest social or economic class

Bourgeoisie

the social class that owns the means of production (capital, factories, businesses) and controls most of society's wealth

Muhammad Ali

Ottoman Albanian commander who became the governor and de facto ruler of Egypt (1805–1848), often called the "founder of modern Egypt"

Tanzimat Reforms

a series of modernization, Westernization, and centralization initiatives in the Ottoman Empire designed to halt decline

Meiji Restoration

the political revolution in Japan that ended the Tokugawa Shogunate and returned nominal supreme power to Emperor Meiji

Zaibatsu

powerful, family-owned industrial and financial conglomerates in Imperial Japan (roughly 1868–1945) that controlled massive sectors of the economy, including mining, banking, and manufacturing

Self-Strengthening Movement

The _______ Movement (c. 1861–1895) was a late 19th-century Qing Dynasty initiative to modernize China’s military, economy, and infrastructure by adopting Western technology while preserving Confucian values. Led by officials like Li Hongzhang, it aimed to resist foreign imperialism after the Opium War

Boxer Rebellion

a violent anti-foreign, anti-colonial, and anti-Christian uprising in Northern China led by the Society of Righteous and Harmonious Fists (Boxers). Prompted by imperialist expansion and drought, the Boxers targeted foreigners and Chinese Christians, eventually supported by Empress Dowager Cixi.

Spheres of Influence

a region or territory where an external power exerts significant military, cultural, or economic control without formal, direct governance

100 Days of Reform

a failed, rapid modernization campaign in Qing Dynasty China led by the Guangxu Emperor and reformers like Kang Youwei