2024 History Final- Terms and Definitions

antisemitism

Hostile beliefs or behavior toward Jews just because they are Jewish.

appeasement

The foreign policy of pacifying (making happy) an aggrieved (unhappy) country through negotiation in order to prevent war.

authoritarianism

is characterized by a strong central government that allows people a limited degree of political freedom. However, the political process, as well as all individual freedom, is controlled by the government without any constitutional accountability.

balance of power

when nations of the world have roughly equal power, usually with the effect of mitigating conflict.

bourgeoisie

The middle class

capitalism

An economic system in which private individuals (“capitalists”) own businesses. An economic and political system in which a country's trade and industry are controlled by private owners for profit, rather than by the state.

colonization

​​the action or process of settling among and establishing control over the indigenous people of an area

communism

a political theory derived from Karl Marx, advocating class war and leading to a society in which all property is publicly owned and each person works and is paid according to their abilities and needs.

conscription

the military draft; being made to fight in the war as a soldier 

concentration camp

a place where large numbers of people, especially political prisoners or members of persecuted minorities, are deliberately imprisoned in a relatively small area with inadequate facilities, sometimes to provide forced labor or to await mass execution.

conservatism

a philosophy that favors making few changes in society, sticking with traditions, and often spending as little government money as possible on public causes.

constitutional monarchy

a government in which a written constitution limits the power of the monarch (king or queen)

counter-revolutionary

someone that opposes the goals of a revolution and actively works against it. 

crimes against humanity

deliberate act, typically as part of a systematic campaign, that causes human suffering or death on a large scale

democracy

a government in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised by them directly or indirectly through a system of representation usually involving periodically held free elections

empire

a group of countries or regions that are controlled by one ruler or one government (imperial = adjective; imperialism = belief system)

equality

being equal in terms of social status, available opportunities, and treatment by the state/law.

fascism

is a system based on extreme militaristic nationalism, contempt for electoral democracy and political and cultural liberalism, a belief in natural social hierarchy and the rule of elites, and the desire to create a society in which individual interests would be subordinated to the good of the nation.

genocide

any acts committed with the intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, or religious group

globalization

the growing interdependence of the world’s economies, cultures, and populations, brought about by cross-border trade in goods and services, technology, and flows of investment, people, and information. 

ideology

a system of ideas and ideals, especially one which forms the basis of economic or political theory and policy

imperialism

a policy or the idea that supports the taking a country or territory by a stronger nation with the intent of dominating the economic, political and social life of the people of that nation

Inalienable rights (natural rights)

Something a person has which cannot be taken away, usually in the political sense. It is a rule about what a person is allowed to do or have

industrialization

the process of transforming the economy of a nation or region from focus on agriculture to a reliance on manufacturing.

internationalism

loyalty to humanity, plays down ethnic and linguistic identities, plays up human commonalities

laissez-faire

letting something happen without interference

liberalism

a philosophy that promotes individual rights, civil liberties, democracy, and a free and open market, without government interference. 

market economy

economic system where two forces, known as supply and demand, direct the production of goods and services.

militarism

the belief or desire of a government or people that a country should maintain a strong military capability and be prepared to use it aggressively to defend or promote national interests.

nationalism

identification with one's own nation and support for its interests, especially to the exclusion or detriment of the interests of other nations.

nation-state

a state (territory) that is controlled by a group of people with a national identity

proletariat

the working class, especially those that lack capital and must sell their usually unskilled labor in order to survive

propaganda

information, especially of a biased or misleading nature, used to promote or publicize a particular political cause or point of view.

proxy war

a war fought between groups of smaller countries that each represent the interests of other larger powers, and may have help and support from these larger countries.

radicalism

a belief in extreme political, economic, and social change, usually on the political left. Occasionally characterized by the willingness to use violence to achieve goals.

republic

a government in which people vote for representatives who represent them in a legislative body. The United States is a republican democracy.

secularism

the principle of separation of the state from religious institutions

Social Darwinism

a theory that people or nations are in competition in the same way species compete in Darwin’s theory of natural selection; only the most fit survive.

socialism

a political or economic theory in which community members own major industries and control the distribution of goods through a democratically elected government

sovereignty

supreme power, authority, control (popular sovereignty, individual sovereignty, national sovereignty)

suffrage

the right to vote in a political election

superpower

a country whose great military power is combined with widespread political influence

total war

complete use of a country’s resources and people for war.

totalitarianism

form of government in which the state’s power is unlimited and controls virtually all aspects of public and private life. This control extends to all political and financial matters as well as the attitudes, morals, and beliefs of the people.

unions

an organized association of workers in a trade, group of trades, or profession, formed to protect and further their rights and interests;

urbanization

the process by which large numbers of people become permanently concentrated in relatively small areas, forming cities