History vocab Ch. 20-21

Liberal

A person who generally believes the government should take an active role in the economy and in social programs but should not dictate social behavior

Conservative

A person who believes government power, particularly in the economy, should be limited in order to maximize individual freedom

Televangelist

An evangelist who conducts regularly televised religious programs

Supply-side ecnomics

an economic theory that lower tax rates will boost the economy as businesses and individuals invest their money, thereby creating higher tax revenue

Deficit

The amount by which expenses exceed income

Mutual assured destruction

The strategy that, as long as two countries can destroy each other with nuclear weapons, they will be afraid to use them

Yuppie

A young, college-educated adult who is employed in a well-paying profession and who lives and works in or near a large city

Discount retailing

selling large quantities of goods at very low prices and trying to sell the goods quickly to turn over the entire inventory in a short period of time

Perestroika

A policy of economic and government restructuring instituted by Mikhail Gorbachev in the Societ Union in the 1980s

Glasnost

A soviet policy permitting open discussion of political and social issues and freer dissemination of news and information.

Downsizing

Reducing a company in size by laying off workers and managers to become more efficient

Capital gains tax

A federal tax paid by businesses and investors when they sell stocks or real estate.

Grassroots movement

A group of people organizing at the local or community level, away from political or cultural centers

Perjury

Lying when one has sworn under oath to tell the truth

Ethnic cleansing

The expulsion, imprisonment, or killing of ethnic minorities by a dominant majority group

Migration chains

The process by which immigrants who have acquired U.S. citizenship can send for relatives in their home country to join them

Refugee

Someone leaving his or her country due to a well-founded fear of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular group, or political opinion

Amnesty

The act of granting a pardon to a large group of people

Telecommute

To work at home by means of an electronic linkup with a central office

Euro

The basic currency shared by the countries of the European Union since 1999

Global warming

An increase in average world temperatures over time