WHAP

1450-1750

Period of intense European overseas exploration and colonization.

European exploration

Driven by the desire for new trade routes, wealth, and spreading Christianity.

Portuguese maritime empire

One of the earliest global maritime empires, focused on trade routes in Africa, Asia, and South America (Brazil).

Columbian Exchange

The exchange of plants, animals, diseases, and human populations between the Old World (Europe, Asia, Africa) and the New World (Americas).

Triangular Trade

A system of trade routes involving Europe, Africa, and the Americas, trading goods like slaves, sugar, and manufactured products.

Cash Crop

Crops grown for profit, such as sugar, tobacco, and cotton.

Encomienda

A Spanish labor system that granted land and Native American laborers to Spanish colonists.

Mita

A forced labor system used in the Andes, particularly by the Spanish, requiring indigenous people to work in mines and on public works projects.

Slave trade

The transatlantic trade of enslaved Africans to the Americas.

Religious syncretism

The blending of different religious beliefs and practices.

Indentured servitude

A labor system where people work for a period of time in exchange for passage to the Americas and eventual freedom.

Silver trade

The global trade network centered on the exchange of silver, particularly between the Americas, Europe, and Asia.

Mercantilism

An economic theory that promotes governmental regulation of a nation's economy to increase its power and wealth.

Protestant Reformation

A 16th-century religious movement that challenged the authority of the Catholic Church and led to the creation of Protestant churches.

Devshirme

The Ottoman practice of forcibly recruiting soldiers and bureaucrats from among the children of their Balkan Christian subjects.

Feudalism in Japan

A decentralized political system in Japan where regional lords (daimyo) controlled land and owed allegiance to the shogun.

Latin American social classes

The hierarchical social structure in Latin America, typically based on race and place of birth, with Peninsulares at the top and enslaved Africans and indigenous people at the bottom.

1750-1900

A period of major technological, socioeconomic, and cultural change that began in Great Britain in the late 1700s and spread throughout the world.

Proletariat

The working class in a capitalist society who do not own the means of production.

Marxism

A political and economic theory developed by Karl Marx advocating class struggle and a transition to a society in which the community owns all means of production.

Adam Smith

A Scottish economist and philosopher who advocated for free markets and is considered the father of modern economics.

Indian textile manufacturing

The production of textiles in India, which was a major industry before British colonization.

Enlightenment

An intellectual and philosophical movement that emphasized reason, individualism, and human rights.

John Locke

An influential Enlightenment thinker who advocated for natural rights and limited government.

American Revolution

A revolution in which the 13 British colonies in North America declared independence from Great Britain.

French Revolution

A revolution in France against the monarchy and aristocracy, advocating for liberty, equality, and fraternity.

Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen

A document from the French Revolution that declared the rights of all men to liberty, property, and security.

Haitian Revolution

A revolution in Haiti led by enslaved Africans that resulted in the establishment of an independent nation.

Mexican Revolution (independence movement)

A series of conflicts and political changes in Mexico aimed at achieving independence from Spanish colonial rule.

Opium War

Wars fought between Great Britain and China over the opium trade.

Taiping Rebellion

A large-scale rebellion in China against the Qing dynasty, driven by religious and socio-economic factors.

Self-strengthening movement

A movement in China to modernize and strengthen the country in response to foreign influence.

Boxer Rebellion

An anti-foreign, anti-Christian uprising in China at the end of the Qing dynasty.

Sepoy Rebellion

A rebellion in India against British rule, sparked by the use of rifle cartridges greased with animal fat.

Meiji Restoration

A period of modernization and reform in Japan that transformed the country into a major industrial power.

Maroons

Communities of runaway slaves in the Americas.

Abolitionist movement

A movement to end slavery and the slave trade.

United Fruit Company

An American corporation that controlled vast territories and resources in Central America, particularly in the banana industry.

Suffragist movement

A movement advocating for women's right to vote.

European imperialism

The policy of extending a country's power and influence through colonization, diplomacy, or military force.

Social Darwinism

The application of Darwinian concepts of natural selection to human society, often used to justify imperialism and social inequality.

World War I – causes

Militarism, Alliances, Imperialism, Nationalism.

World War I – women’s roles

Women took on jobs previously held by men, contributing to the war effort and shifting gender roles.

World War I – trench warfare

A type of combat in which opposing sides fight from trenches facing each other, characterized by long periods of stalemate.

World War I – peace treaties and their effects

Treaties like the Treaty of Versailles imposed harsh terms on Germany, leading to resentment and instability.

Mandate system

A system established by the League of Nations to administer former German and Ottoman territories after WWI.

Balfour Declaration

A British statement in 1917 supporting the establishment of a national home for the Jewish people in Palestine.

League of Nations

An international organization established after WWI to promote peace and cooperation among nations.

Russian Revolution

A series of revolutions in Russia that overthrew the Tsarist government and led to the establishment of the Soviet Union.

Flu epidemic

The Spanish flu pandemic of 1918-1919, a deadly global outbreak that killed millions.

Great Depression

A severe worldwide economic downturn in the 1930s, marked by high unemployment and poverty.

New Deal

A series of programs and reforms enacted in the United States by President Franklin D. Roosevelt to combat the Great Depression.

Fascism

A political ideology characterized by authoritarianism, nationalism, and militarism, exemplified by leaders like Mussolini.

Japanese imperialism

Japan's expansionist policies in Asia during the early 20th century, driven by the need for resources and strategic dominance.

World War II – causes

Aggression by Axis powers, failure of appeasement, and the rise of nationalism.

World War II – Axis Powers

Germany, Italy, and Japan.

Hiroshima

The Japanese city on which the first atomic bomb was dropped in August 1945.

United Nations

An international organization founded in 1945 to promote peace, security, and cooperation among nations.