AP Terms - General

assertion

a confident and forceful statement of fact or belief, a claim

Legitmacy

Popular acceptance of the right and power of a government or other entity to exercise authority.

divine power

belief that god wanted a certain person to rule

elites

a group or class of persons enjoying superior intellectual, social, or economic status/power

Alienation

the state or experience of being isolated from a group or an activity to which one should belong or in which one should be involved.

Bureaucracy

A large, complex organization composed of appointed officials

centralized government

A government in which power is concentrated in a central authority to which local governments are subject

treasury

a place where money is kept

tribute

Money paid by one country to another in return for protection

infrastructure

the basic physical and organizational structures and facilities (transportation and communication systems) needed for the operation of a society

Patriarchy

A social or political system in which men hold the power and women are largely excluded from decision making. Usually the the father or eldest male is the head of the family and descent is traced through the male line

chastity

the practice of avoiding sexual intercourse, especially before marriage or not with one's spouse

aristocracy

the highest class in certain societies, especially those holding hereditary titles or offices. Nobles

Interregional

connecting two or more regions

cartography

science or art of making maps

Serfdom

A type of labor commonly used in feudal systems in which the laborers work the land in return for protection but they are bound to the land and are not allowed to leave or to peruse their a new occupation. This was common in early Medeival Europe as well as in Russia until the mid 19th century.

Universalizing

Religions that attempt to be global, to appeal to all people, wherever they may live in the world, not just to those of one culture or location.

claim

to state or assert that something is the case, typically supported by evidence

consolidate

to strengthen, combine, unite

reap

to gather or harvest crops or benefits from something that has been cultivated or developed

extramarital

relating to or involving s_xual activity outside one's marriage