Key Concept Terms for AP World History

State

a nation under one government or a nation’s government [depending on context]

Empire

a political unit in which a number of peoples or countries are controlled by a single government

City

state

Centralized government

a government in which power is concentrated in a central authority to which local governments are subject; political power is mainly held by the top level of government

Decentralized government

a government in which power is spread out to lower levels of government and the highest level of government has limited authority

Bureaucracy (Civil Service)

government agencies/departments that carry out decisions made by the government (bureaucracy is made up of bureaucrats)

Commerce

trade

Governance

the action or manner of ruling a state

Political system

the organization and function of a state’s government

Dynasty

a series of rulers from a single family

Autocracy

a government in which one person has unlimited authority

Administration

the process of running an organization, including a government

Homogeneous

composed of the same kind

Heterogeneous

composed of different kinds

Diffusion

the process of spreading out

Interregional

relating to between regions [as in “interregional commerce”]

Intraregional

relating to within a region [as in “intraregional migration”]

Afro

Eurasia

Urbanization

the growth of cities and the migration of people into them

Cross

cultural

Diaspora

the scattering of any people from their original homeland [as in the “Jewish Diaspora” or “African diaspora”]

Western Hemisphere

the half of the earth that includes the landmasses of North America and South America, including the Caribbean Islands

Eastern Hemisphere

the half of the earth that includes the landmasses of Africa, Asia, Europe, and Australia

Coerced labor

work that is forced [as in a “coerced labor system”, examples of which include chattel slavery or corvée labor]

Chattel slavery

a form of coerced labor by which people are treated as personal property and can be bought and sold by their owner

Evangelistic

seeking religious converts (missionary)

Syncretism

the merging of different cultures, including religions, into a new form

Sinification

the process by which non

Egalitarian

the equality of all people

Transoceanic

extending across the ocean

Maritime

relating to the sea

Demography

the study of social statistics

Autonomy

having a self

Patriarchy

a social system in which power is held by men