Unit 7 Vocabulary

Vocabulary for AP World History Unit 7

alliance

a formal pact or agreement between or among nations

antisemitism

prejudice, discrimination, or hostility toward Jews

atrocity

a cruel or ruthless act or behavior

authoritarian

of, pertaining to, or advocating complete obedience or subjection to authority, especially political authority, without concern for individual rights

blitzkrieg

a swift military attack from the air or ground

Bolsheviks

a member of the majority faction of the party that seized power in 1917 and formed the Communist party in the Soviet Union

casualty

a member of the armed forces removed from active duty as a result of being killed, wounded, captured, or missing in action

concentration camp

a prison camp in which large numbers of political prisoners, aliens, or those considered undesirable are confined and sometimes executed

conscription

compulsory enrollment in military service

diplomacy

the practice or skill of conducting negotiations between nations or governments

disillusion

disappointment that something was not as one initially perceived it to be

dual consciousness

the state of feeling as though you have two identities housed in one person or mind

eugenics

the false science, study of, or belief in the genetic improvement of the human race through control of breeding

fascism

a system of government characterized by strong, often dictatorial control of political and economic affairs, and often by warlike nationalism and brutal suppression of political protestors and ethnic minorities

genocide

the intentional attempt to exterminate all members of a certain race, nationality, religious, or ethnic group

Great Depression

the decade of the 1930s in the United States and other countries, characterized by extreme economic hardship; the Depression

mandate

a legal status established by the League of Nations where some territories were temporarily controlled by another state

militarism

a policy that emphasizes military strength and preparedness

mobilization

the act of assembling and preparing (troops or the like) for active military duty or service to a country; the act of assembling, organizing, or adapting (industries, supplies, facilities, or the like) for immediate use or service in times of war or states of emergency

nuclear

of or having atomic or hydrogen bombs

propaganda

information or opinions that are made public to promote or attack a movement, cause, or person

total war

a global war in which all warring nations mobilize for the war effort including soldier and civilian populations, who are both participants and targets; usually defined as meeting four criteria: mobilization, blurring of lines between soldier and civilian, total control of society, and rejection of a compromise peace

totalitarian

designating a system of government in which power and authority are highly centralized and intrusive into the lives of private citizens, and in which neither opposing parties nor individual differences in opinion are allowed

treaty

a formal agreement between two or more countries

tyranny

the oppressive or abusive exercise of power, of the government or authority that uses power in this way; unnecessary harshness; cruelty