Unit 9 Globalization Vocabulary

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering Unit 9: Globalization, including medical technological advancements, environmental issues, global economics, and international organizations.

Radio

A $20^{th}$ century technological innovation invented by Guglielmo Marconi in $1895$; it brought news, music, and cultural events to people regardless of distance and allowed listeners to hear the speaker's voice, which helped limit bias.

Internet

A global network connecting millions of computers to exchange information; it was first developed for the U.S. Defense Department during the Cold War and emerged as a common communication tool by the late $1990s$.

Birth Control

A medical advancement invented by Gregory Pincus involving a pill that provided a reliable barrier to pregnancy, causing fertility rates to decline and reshaping gender roles by giving women control over fertility.

Green Revolution

A mid-$20^{th}$ century response to hunger where scientists developed new varieties of wheat, rice, and grains with higher yields and resistance to pests and drought through crossbreeding and genetic engineering.

Vaccines

A medical innovation that helped eradicate deadly diseases; although they existed since the late $18^{th}$ century, they were not widely produced by governments until after $1900$.

Antibiotics

First accidentally discovered in $1926$ by Alexander Fleming as penicillin, a fungus that kills bacteria; it became essential for curing bacterial infections.

Epidemics

Occurrences of diseases, such as smallpox, where many people in the same place at the same time are affected.

Malaria

A parasitic disease spread by mosquitoes in tropical areas that killed more than $600,000$ people annually in the early $21^{st}$ century, mostly young African children.

Tuberculosis

An airborne infection associated with poverty that affects the lungs and is spread through coughs and sneezes; a cure was developed using antibiotics and rest.

Cholera

A bacterial disease spread through contaminated water causing acute intestinal infection and about $95,000$ deaths per year, mainly among poor people in developing countries.

Ebola

A deadly viral disease discovered in the Congo in $1976$ that infects humans via fluids from infected people or animals, namely the African fruit bat, causing bleeding and organ failure.

HIV/AIDS

Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome caused by the human immunodeficiency virus which killed over $25$ million people globally between $1981$ and $2014$; it is spread through bodily fluids.

Heart Disease

An abnormal organic condition of the heart or circulation typically associated with longer life expectancy, lifestyle, and genetics.

Alzheimer’s Disease

A form of dementia and a progressive, irreversible brain disorder characterized by the gradual deterioration of memory, reasoning, language, and physical functioning.

Deforestation

The removal of trees faster than forests can replace themselves, often resulting from cutting down trees to use land for agriculture.

Desertification

The transformation of habitable land into desert through the removal of natural vegetation cover via the expansion and intensive use of agricultural lands in arid and semi-arid areas.

Greenhouse Gasses

Gasses like $CO_2$ resulting from industrialization (factories, cars, airplanes) that build up in the atmosphere and trap the sun's heat from escaping Earth.

Water Scarcity

A lack of access to clean drinking water; the UN states $31$ countries face this issue, and the WHO predicts half the world's population will lack safe water by $2025$.

Fossil Fuels

Natural fuels such as coal, oil, petroleum, and natural gas formed in the geological past from the remains of living organisms.

Green Party

A new political party emerging in the $20^{th}$ century focused on environmental issues, nonviolence, and social justice.

Kyoto Protocol

A $1997$ international agreement intended to reduce climate emissions by $2012$, involving debates between developed nations and rapidly developing countries like China and India.

Free Market Economics (Policies)

Economic systems based on supply and demand with minimal government control, supported by leaders like Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher.

United States under Ronald Reagan

An era characterized by Reaganomics, free market advocacy, cutting welfare programs, and using the Strategic Defense Initiative while taking steps with Gorbachev to end the Cold War.

Mararet Thatcher

The Conservative Prime Minister of Great Britain who implemented Thatcherism to limit social welfare, restrict union power, end inflation, and improve the British economy.

China under Deng Xiaoping

A period beginning in $1981$ where the Communist Party promoted economic growth through a "Let some people get rich first" policy, opening the economy while maintaining political control.

Chile under Augusto Pinochet

A period from $1974$ to $1990$ following a U.S. backed coup where the Chilean economy shifted from state control toward a free-market approach.

Economic Liberalization

The opening up of a country's economy, such as when India relaxed trade restrictions in the $1990s$.

Multinational Corporations

Organizations legally incorporated in one country that manufacture and market products in many different countries with multinational management and stock ownership.

Knowledge Economies

Economies that create, distribute, and use information through professions such as designers, engineers, and teachers.

World Trade Organization

Established in $1995$, this body made rules governing more than $90$ percent of international trade and promoted fair pricing, gender equity, and safe working environments.

North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)

A free trade system negotiated in $1994$ between the United States, Mexico, and Canada.

Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)

A group of ten Southeast Asian nations established in $1967$ to promote regional trade.

Nestle

A Swiss-based multinational corporation and the world's largest food company, noted for controversies involving child labor and cocoa production on protected lands.

Mahindra and Mahindra

An India-based multinational corporation headquartered in Mumbai that produces cars, farm equipment, military vehicles, and electrical energy.

Maquiladoras

Factories located in Mexico that utilize low-wage labor to produce tariff-free goods for foreign export.

UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights

A foundational document adopted by the UN in $1948$ laying out basic rights and fundamental freedoms for all humans.

Global Feminism

A series of worldwide demonstrations and movements standing up for the rights of women.

Negritude Movement

A movement primarily in French West Africa emphasizing "blackness" and the rejection of French colonial authority.

Liberation Theology

A movement in Latin America during the $1950s$ and $1960s$ combining religious ideology with inherent rights to interpret Jesus' teachings as a means of liberating people from abuses.

US Voting Rights Act of 1965

A legislative act that banned discrimination in voting in the United States.

Apartheid

A South African system instituted in $1948$ that enforced racial segregation.

Caste Reservation in India

The government practice of setting aside a percentage of public sector jobs and higher education enrollment for individuals from underprivileged castes.

Greenpeace

A multinational agency founded in $1971$ that battles environmental issues like deforestation, global warming, and overfishing.

Wangrai Maathai

The Kenyan activist who founded the Green Belt Movement and was the first African woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize.

Popular Culture

The culture of everyday people as opposed to that of the educated elite.

Consumer Culture

A culture focused on buying and owning products rather than on belief systems or place of residence.

Reggae

Jamaican music blending New Orleans jazz, rhythm and blues, and mento, often associated with the Rastafari religion.

Bollywood

The popular name for the film industry based in Bombay (Mumbai).

Facebook

A popular free social networking website used to share photos and information and maintain contact with family and friends.

Online Commerce

The practice of shopping online through sites like Alibaba and eBay, which accelerated globalization.

Global Brands

Products or services known and sold worldwide by a specific company, such as Nike, Apple, or Coca Cola.

Weibo

A Chinese microblogging site and version of Twitter.

Brexit

The $2016$ nickname for the exit of Britain from the European Union.

Fair Trade

A trading method ensuring producers receive a fair price, such as for coffee or chocolate, to improve the standard of living for farmers in developing countries.

Sustainable Development

Development that meets present needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

Debt Relief/Restructuring

A situation where a portion of a debt is written off or the total amount owed is reduced.

United Nations

An international governing body formed in $1945$ to increase political and economic cooperation, growing out of the League of Nations.

General Assembly

The UN forum where each of the $193$ member nations has one representative and an equal vote.

Security Council

A UN group of $15$ members responsible for maintaining international peace; all Member States are obligated to comply with its decisions.

World Bank

An international organization providing financing and research to developing nations to fight poverty and aid economic advancement.

International Monetary Fund

An organization of $190$ member countries that supports economic policies to promote financial stability, productivity, and job creation.