POLI 2 Key Terms

British Empire

A global empire built by Britain through colonization, trade, and military power, at its height controlling large parts of Africa, Asia, the Americas, and Oceania. It was the largest empire in history.

Common Wealth

A political association of mostly former British Empire territories that cooperate on shared values like democracy and development. It has no binding laws over members

Brexit

The British exit from the European Union. The public voted in favor in a referendum in June 2016

Cohabitation

The term used to refer to the situation in a mixed system when the president and prime minister are from different parties

Semi-presidential System

The governmental system in which executive power is divided and shared between a president and a prime minister

The Guillotine

An execution device used during the French Revolution designed for quick and standardized beheadings. It became a symbol of the Reign of Terror

Toussaint L’Overture

A leader of the Haitian Revolution who helped lead enslaved people in rebellion against French colonial rule. He played a key role in moving Haiti toward independence

Jean-Jacques Dessalines

A military leader of the Haitian Revolution who declared Haiti independent in 1804. He became the country’s first ruler after independence

Causes of the Haitian Revolution

Harsh slavery conditions

Plantation economy

Harsh slavery conditions, racial inequality, and influence from Enlightenment and other revolutions led to widespread rebellion in Saint-Domingue (Haiti). Economic exploitation of enslaved labor was also a major factor.

Failed state

A state that is unable to maintain control over its territory or provide basic public services. It often experiences political instability and weak institutions

French Debt

The massive financial debt France accumulated before the French Revolution due to war spending and royal extravagance. It contributed to the fiscal crisis that helped trigger the revolution

Causes of the French Revolution

Financial crisis

The Three Estates

The social hierarchy in pre-revolutionary France: the First Estate (clergy), Second Estate (nobility), and Third Estate (commoners). The Third Estate bore most taxes but had the least power.

Rein of Terror

A period during the French Revolution (1793–1794) marked by mass executions of perceived enemies of the revolution. It was led by the Committee of Public Safety under Robespierre

Presidential system

A governmental system in which power is divided and balanced between the executive

Parliamentary system

A system where the executive (prime minister) is chosen from the legislature and depends on its support to stay in power. The head of state is usually separate and more ceremonial

Vote of no confidence

A parliamentary vote that can remove a prime minister or government if they lose majority support. It is a key mechanism for accountability in parliamentary systems

Global North

The countries of the world that sit in the Northern hemisphere. These countries were generally part of the “First” and “Second” Worlds in the old

Global South

The countries of the world that sit in the Southern hemisphere. These countries were generally colonized by others from 1500 to 1945

Hegemon

The preponderant power (e.g., nation-state, empire, city state) in a global military-political system.

Mercantilism

An economic system in which wealth is seen as power. Economic ties are perceived as a weakness because they can be exploited. Mercantilism characterized the global system from the 1500s to the early 1800s

Comparative advantage

An economic principle that states countries should specialize in producing goods they can make most efficiently relative to others. This increases overall global trade efficiency

Pre Colonial Philippines

The Philippines before Spanish colonization consisted of diverse barangays and trade networks influenced by Austronesian

Babaylan

Spiritual leaders in precolonial Philippine societies who acted as healers

Miguel de Legazpi

A Spanish explorer and governor who led the colonization of the Philippines in the 1500s. He established the first permanent Spanish settlement in Manila

White Man’s Burden

A colonial ideology that argued Europeans had a moral duty to “civilize” non-European peoples. It was used to justify imperialism and racial hierarchy

American Colonialism

The period when the United States expanded overseas control over places like the Philippines

Autonomous regions

Subnational areas granted a degree of self-government within a larger state. They typically have control over local cultural

Semi-feudal/Semi-colonial Economy

A system where traditional feudal land relations coexist with foreign economic dominance. It is often used in Marxist analysis to describe uneven development in colonized or dependent countries

Rodrigo Duterte & the drug war

A policy in the Philippines under President Duterte characterized by aggressive anti-drug campaigns and extrajudicial killings. It has been widely criticized for human rights abuses

Women’s rights and politics

The struggle for equal political participation

BRICS

The initials for a group of emerging economies (as of 2010s): Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa. What unites these states is their opposition to the liberal international (economic and political) system, although they each have slightly different complaints about and policy preferences for subverting the Western dominance that they perceive.

Export-led growth

An important element of the East Asian Development Model in which states take advantage of the open (or more open) international system to produce for export and spawn development

“Comfort Women”

Women forced into sexual servitude by the Japanese imperial army during World War II. Many were from conquered China and Korea

Pre Colonial Mexico

The region before Spanish conquest, home to advanced civilizations like the Aztec and Maya with complex political, economic, and religious systems. It featured city-states, tribute systems, and agricultural innovation.

Peninsulares and Caudillos

Peninsulares were Spanish-born elites in colonial Latin America, while caudillos were strong regional military/political leaders in post-independence Latin America. Both reflect unequal and centralized power structures.

Mexican war of independence

A rebellion (1810–1821) that ended Spanish rule in Mexico. It was driven by social inequality, criollo dissatisfaction, and indigenous and mestizo resistance.

Mexican revolution

A major conflict (1910–1920) that overthrew the dictatorship of Porfirio Díaz and led to major land and labor reforms. It reshaped Mexico’s political system and constitution

Effects of NAFTA

The North American Free Trade Agreement increased trade and integration between the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. It boosted industry but also caused job displacement in some sectors.

Imperial China Civil Service System

A merit-based bureaucracy selected through rigorous exams based on Confucian texts. It created a centralized and educated governing class

Sun Yat-sen

A Chinese revolutionary leader who helped overthrow the Qing Dynasty and is considered the “Father of Modern China.” He promoted nationalism

Mao Zedong and Maoism

Mao Zedong was the leader of the Chinese Communist Party who founded the People’s Republic of China in 1949. Maoism emphasizes peasant-led revolution and continuous class struggle

Great Leap Forward

A Chinese economic campaign (1958–1962) aimed at rapid industrialization and collectivization. It led to economic collapse and massive famine

Deng Xiaoping’s Reforms

Economic policies starting in the late 1970s that introduced market mechanisms into China’s socialist system. They led to rapid economic growth and modernization

CCP

The Chinese Communist Party

National Party Congress

In China

Paramount Leader

The informal term for the most powerful political leader in China

Socialist market economy

China’s economic system combining state control with market-based reforms. It blends socialist political control with capitalist-style growth

Poverty Reduction

Policies aimed at decreasing the number of people living below the poverty line. In China, it has been a major government priority tied to economic development.

Hijab

A head covering worn by many Muslim women as part of modest dress. Its meaning varies widely depending on cultural

Mudawwana

Morocco’s family code of law regulating marriage, divorce, and inheritance. Reforms in 2004 improved women’s legal rights

Makhzen

The traditional governing elite and power structure in Morocco centered around the monarchy. It includes royal advisors

February 20th Movement

A Moroccan protest movement that emerged in 2011 during the Arab Spring. It demanded political reforms

Orientalism

A concept describing how Western societies historically portrayed Eastern societies as exotic

Salafist groups

Islamic movements that advocate returning to the practices of the earliest generations of Muslims. Some are peaceful religious movements

Sayyida al-Hurra

A 16th-century Muslim ruler of Tétouan in Morocco and a powerful female political figure. She allied with Ottoman and Barbary forces against Iberian powers

French colonialism

The expansion of French control over territories in Africa

State feminism

A system where the government actively promotes women’s rights and gender equality through laws and institutions. It is often seen in authoritarian or centralized states