AP World Per. 2 & 3 (TERMS)

30 Year War

A religious and political war in Europe (1618–1648) between Catholics and Protestants that ended with the Peace of Westphalia.

95 Theses

Document by Martin Luther in 1517 criticizing the Catholic Church, especially the sale of indulgences, sparking the Reformation.

Audiencias

Spanish colonial courts that helped the viceroy govern and ensured loyalty to the Spanish Crown.

Caravel

A small, fast, and maneuverable Portuguese ship used during the Age of Exploration.

Carrack

Large European ship with square and lateen sails used for long-distance sea travel in the 15th–17th centuries.

Cash crop

Crops like sugar, tobacco, and cotton grown for sale and export rather than local use.

Chattel slavery

A system where people are treated as personal property that can be bought, sold, and inherited.

Columbian Exchange

The exchange of plants, animals, diseases, and people between the Old World and the New World after 1492.

Commercial Revolution

A major change in Europe’s economy marked by increased trade, use of banks, and the growth of capitalism.

Conquistadores

Spanish conquerors who took over large parts of the Americas, notably the Aztecs and Incas.

Council of Trent

A meeting of Catholic leaders (1545–1563) that reformed Church practices and reaffirmed Catholic beliefs in response to Protestantism.

Counter Reformation

A Catholic response to the Protestant Reformation that included reforms and the formation of new religious orders like the Jesuits.

Creole

People of European descent born in the Americas; second in colonial Spanish social hierarchy.

Daimyo

Powerful Japanese feudal lords who controlled land and maintained samurai armies.

Devshirme

System used by the Ottomans to recruit Christian boys into military and bureaucratic service.

Divine Right

The belief that monarchs are chosen by God and are only answerable to Him.

Edict of Nantes

A 1598 law in France that granted religious freedom to Protestants (Huguenots).

Empiricism

A scientific method that emphasizes observation and experimentation over tradition or religion.

Encomienda

A Spanish colonial system where settlers were given control over Native labor in exchange for Christianizing them.

Fronde

A series of French civil wars during the 1640s against royal power, especially during Louis XIV's youth.

Galleons

Large, heavily armed Spanish ships used for transporting goods and silver between the Americas and Spain.

Glorious Revolution

A 1688 event in England when James II was replaced by William and Mary, establishing constitutional monarchy.

Gunpowder Empires

Muslim empires (Ottoman, Safavid, Mughal) that used firearms to expand and control territory.

Hacienda System

A colonial Spanish system where large landowners used forced labor to work plantations or ranches.

Indulgences

Certificates sold by the Catholic Church to reduce time in purgatory, heavily criticized by reformers.

Inquisition

A Church-run judicial system used to find and punish heresy, especially active in Spain and Italy.

Janissaries

Elite Ottoman soldiers made up of Christian boys taken through the devshirme system and trained for loyalty.

Jesuit

Members of the Catholic Society of Jesus, founded during the Counter-Reformation to promote education and missionary work.

Joint-stock company

Businesses owned by shareholders that funded overseas exploration and trade with shared risk.

Maroon Wars

Rebellions by escaped enslaved Africans (Maroons) against European colonial powers in the Americas.

Mercantilism

Economic theory that colonies exist to enrich the mother country through strict trade control.

Metacom War

A Native American uprising (1675–1678), also called King Philip’s War, against English colonists in New England.

Mestizos

People of mixed European and Native American ancestry in Spanish colonies.

Middle Passage

The horrific journey enslaved Africans took across the Atlantic to the Americas.

Mita system

A labor system adapted by the Spanish from the Inca, requiring natives to work for the state for a period each year.

Mulattos

People of mixed European and African ancestry in the Americas under colonial rule.

Northwest Passage

A sought-after water route through North America to Asia that European explorers hoped to find.

Ottamanism

A political ideology aiming to unite all subjects of the Ottoman Empire regardless of religion or ethnicity.

Peace of Augsburg

A 1555 agreement allowing German princes to choose either Lutheranism or Catholicism for their territory.

Peace of Westphalia

Series of treaties (1648) ending the Thirty Years’ War and recognizing state sovereignty in Europe.

Peninsulares

People born in Spain who held the highest political and religious positions in Spanish colonies.

Predestination

Calvinist idea that God has already determined who will be saved and who will not.

Primogeniture

Legal system where the eldest son inherits the entire family estate.

Queues

A Manchu hairstyle forced on Chinese men during Qing rule as a symbol of loyalty.

Reformation

A 16th-century movement against Catholic corruption that led to the creation of Protestant churches.

Shariah

Islamic law based on the Quran and Hadith, used in many Muslim societies.

Sikhism

A monotheistic religion from India that blends elements of Hinduism and Islam, founded by Guru Nanak.

Simony

The selling of church offices or roles, a corrupt practice criticized during the Reformation.

Spanish Armada

Large Spanish fleet defeated by England in 1588, marking the decline of Spanish naval power.

Steppe

Vast, flat grasslands of Central Asia, home to nomadic empires like the Mongols.

Syncretism

The blending of different cultures, religions, or ideas into new traditions or practices.

Taj Mahal

White marble mausoleum built by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his wife.

Tax farming

System where the government outsourced tax collection to private individuals who paid an upfront fee.

Tokugawa shogunate

Japanese military government (1603–1868) that unified Japan and isolated it from foreign influence.

Treaty of Tordesillas

1494 agreement dividing the newly discovered lands outside Europe between Spain and Portugal.

Triangular trade

Trade system connecting Europe, Africa, and the Americas, involving slaves, raw goods, and manufactured items.

Versailles

Magnificent French palace built by Louis XIV to display royal power and control the nobility.

Viceroys

Royal governors sent by Spain to rule colonies in the king’s name.

Zamindars

Tax collectors in the Mughal Empire who gained power and land through their roles.

100 Days of Reform

A failed attempt in China (1898) to modernize laws, education, and economy.

Abolitionism

A movement to end slavery, gaining momentum in the 18th and 19th centuries.

Afrikaners

Dutch-descended settlers in South Africa who clashed with British and indigenous groups.

Apartheid

A policy of racial segregation and discrimination in South Africa from 1948 to 1994.

Banana Republics

Small countries in Latin America dominated by foreign fruit companies and dependent on exports.

Bastille

A prison in Paris stormed in 1789, marking the start of the French Revolution.

Berlin Conference

A 1884–85 meeting where European powers divided Africa without African input.

Boer Wars

Conflicts in South Africa between the British and Dutch settlers (Boers) over territory and control.

Boxer Rebellion

Anti-foreigner uprising in China (1899–1901) that sought to end foreign influence.

Bushido

The traditional code of honor and morals followed by Japanese samurai.

Capitalism

Economic system based on private ownership and free markets.

Communism

A classless system where property is publicly owned and wealth is distributed equally.

Communist Manifesto

1848 pamphlet by Marx and Engels calling for proletarian revolution and a classless society.

Conservatism

Ideology favoring traditional institutions, monarchies, and limited change.

Corporations

Large companies owned by shareholders that operate as single legal entities.

Declaration of Independence

Document declaring the American colonies' freedom from British rule in 1776.

Declaration of Rights of Man

French document (1789) stating equality and individual rights during the Revolution.

Deism

Belief that God created the world but does not interfere in its operation; popular during Enlightenment.

Diaspora

The dispersion of people from their original homeland, like the African or Jewish diasporas.

Dreyfus Affair

A political scandal in France where a Jewish officer was wrongly accused, exposing deep anti-Semitism.

Enlightenment

18th-century intellectual movement promoting reason, liberty, and equality.

Ethnic Enclaves

Communities of immigrants maintaining cultural identity within foreign countries.

Export economies

Economies that rely heavily on exporting a few primary goods, often raw materials or crops.

Feminism

Movement for gender equality and women’s rights in political, social, and economic life.

Haiti Revolution

A successful slave revolt (1791–1804) that led to the first independent Black republic.

Imperialism

Policy of extending a country's power through colonization or military force.

Industrial Revolution

A period of rapid industrial growth in the 18th–19th centuries that transformed economies and societies.

Laissez faire

Economic idea that the government should not interfere in business or markets.

Liberalism

Political philosophy emphasizing liberty, individual rights, and democratic government.

Liberia

A West African country founded by freed American slaves in the 19th century.

Mamluks

Military slaves who ruled Egypt until defeated by Muhammad Ali in the early 1800s.

Monocultures

Economies or farms focused on growing a single crop, increasing vulnerability to disease or market shifts.

Nationalism

Belief in loyalty to a shared culture, language, or history, often leading to nation-state formation.

Opium War

Conflicts between Britain and China over British opium trade; led to unequal treaties favoring Britain.

Pan-Africanism

A movement promoting unity among all people of African descent worldwide.

Philosophes

Enlightenment thinkers in France who promoted reason, science, and reform.

Proclamation of 1763

British law forbidding American colonists from settling west of the Appalachian Mountains.

Proletariat

Working-class people who, in Marxist theory, would rise up against capitalist elites.

Raj

British rule in India from 1858 to 1947, following the Sepoy Rebellion.

Realpolitik

Politics based on practical needs and power rather than ideals or ethics.

Reign of Terror

A period during the French Revolution when radicals executed thousands of perceived enemies.