AP World Terms for Quiz

Vocabulary flashcards generated from AP World Terms for Quiz.

Abdicate

To formally give up or step down from political power.

Agrarian

Related to farming, agriculture, and rural land.

Animism

Belief that natural objects or beings possess spiritual power or souls.

Antiquity

Ancient times, especially the period before the Middle Ages.

Appeasement

Giving concessions to an aggressive power to avoid conflict.

Aristocracy

A social system in which nobles or an upper ruling class hold high status and power.

Asceticism

Strict self-discipline, often for religious reasons.

Assimilate

To become part of another group by adopting its customs, language, or beliefs.

Authoritarian

A government system in which leaders hold strong power and restrict political freedoms.

Autocracy

Government in which one person or a small group holds concentrated power.

Bourgeois

Relating to the middle class.

Bureaucracy

An administrative system organized through officials, departments, and established procedures.

Civic

Relating to citizens and life within a community or city.

Centralized government

A government in which major decision-making power is concentrated in a central authority.

Coerced labor

Labor performed through force or threats rather than free choice.

Colony

A territory settled or controlled by people connected to another country.

Commerce

Buying and selling goods and services; trade.

Conscription

Required military service imposed by a government.

Cosmopolitan

Having influences or characteristics from many different parts of the world.

Coup

A sudden, often illegal seizure of government power.

Decentralized government

A system in which authority is distributed among regional or local governments.

Demographic

Relating to human populations and information about them.

Despot

A ruler who exercises absolute or oppressive power.

Diaspora

A population that has spread from its original homeland to other places.

Dissent

Public disagreement with an official opinion, policy, or authority.

Domestic

Relating to the home, household, or family.

Dynasty

A succession of rulers from the same family.

Edict

An official order issued by a person in authority.

Egalitarian

Supporting the belief that people should have equal status and rights.

Emigrate

To leave one's home country to settle somewhere else.

Export

A good or service sold to another country or region.

Hierarchy

A ranking system that places people or groups at different levels of status or importance.

Homogenous

Consisting of things or people that are similar or the same.

Imperialism

A policy or system in which a powerful country extends control over other territories or peoples.

Import

A good or service purchased from another country or region.

Indigenous

Refers to peoples who originally inhabited a particular region.

Infrastructure

Basic physical systems such as roads, canals, bridges, and other public works that support society.

Lineage

A line of descent from a particular ancestor.

Linguistic

Relating to language and speech.

Maritime

Relating to the sea or activities involving the sea.

Matrilineal

Tracing descent or inheritance through the mother's family line.

Mercenary

A soldier who fights primarily in exchange for payment.

Monarchy

A government ruled by a king, queen, or royal family.

Monopoly

Complete or near-complete control of a market or service.

Monotheism

Belief in one God.

Nationalism

Strong loyalty and devotion to a nation.

Nomadic

Moving from place to place rather than living permanently in one location.

Oligarchy

Government controlled by a small group of people.

Papacy

The office or authority of the pope.

Parliament

A legislative body responsible for making laws.

Pastoral

An agricultural system focused primarily on raising livestock.

Patriarchy

A social system in which men hold primary authority in families and society.

Patronage

Support, often financial or political, given by a powerful person or organization.

Peasant

A poor or lower-class agricultural worker, especially in a traditional rural society.

Piety

Religious devotion or dedication to God and religious practices.

Polygamy

The practice of having multiple spouses at the same time.

Polytheism

Belief in or worship of multiple gods.

Proletariat

The working or laboring class.

Republic

A government in which political power is held by citizens and exercised through elected representatives or institutions.

Secular

Not connected to or controlled by religion.

Sedentary

Remaining in one place rather than regularly moving from place to place.

Stratification

The organization of people or groups into ranked social levels or categories.

Succession

The process through which one person takes over an important position of power.

Suffrage

The right to vote.

Syncretism

The blending of different religious or cultural traditions.

Theocracy

A government ruled by religious leaders or based on religious authority.

Theology

The study of God, religion, and religious beliefs.

Totalitarianism

A system in which the government seeks extensive control over society and individual life.

Tributary State

A state that sends payments or goods to a more powerful state in exchange for protection or recognition.

Tyranny

Cruel or oppressive government in which a ruler or small group holds excessive power.

Urbanization

The growth of cities as increasing numbers of people live and work in urban areas.

Vernacular

The everyday language spoken by ordinary people.