AP World History Midyear Review

A comprehensive set of vocabulary flashcards designed to help students prepare for their AP World History exam.

Scientific Revolution

A period that challenged traditional authority and developed new scientific ideas and methods.

Enlightenment

An intellectual movement that emphasized reason and individualism over tradition.

Nationalism

A political ideology that emphasizes a strong identification with and devotion to one's nation.

Cultural Nationalism

Form of nationalism focused on the shared cultural traditions of a nation.

Political Nationalism

Belief that the nation is the proper unit of government.

Ethnic Nationalism

Desire to preserve the ethnic distinctiveness of a nation based on ancestry or race.

Prince Metternich

A leading Austrian statesman known for his conservative policies and efforts to maintain the monarchy.

Carlsbad Decrees

Reforms instituted by Metternich to control liberal movements in the Austrian Empire.

Dual Monarchy

A political structure that created Austria-Hungary to accommodate ethnic nationalism.

Otto von Bismarck

The German statesman who oversaw the unification of Germany.

Realpolitik

A political system based on practical considerations rather than ideological ones.

Blood and Iron

Bismarck's strategy emphasizing military force and industrial strength to achieve political goals.

Seven Weeks War

Conflict in which Prussia defeated Austria to gain dominance in the German Confederation.

Danish War (1864)

War between Denmark and the alliance of Austria and Prussia resulting in territorial gains for the latter.

Franco-Prussian War

Conflict between Prussia and France that resulted in the unification of Germany.

Camillo Cavour

Key figure in Italian unification who favored constitutional government and modernization.

Italian Unification

The political and social movement that consolidated various states of Italy into the Kingdom of Italy.

Isolationism

A policy of seclusion practiced by Japan during the Tokugawa Shogunate.

Shoguns

Military leaders who ruled Japan, often more powerful than the emperor.

Tokugawa Shogunate

Japan's last feudal military government, ruling from 1603 to 1868.

Commodore Matthew Perry

Led the US naval expedition that forced Japan to open its ports to American trade.

Treaty of Kanagawa

The agreement that ended Japan's policy of exclusion and opened ports to the US.

Harris Treaty

Treaty granting rights to U.S. citizens and access to Japanese ports.

Meiji Restoration

The period of rapid modernization and industrialization in Japan following the fall of the Tokugawa Shogunate.

Saigo Takamori

A Japanese samurai who played a key role in the Meiji Restoration but later opposed it.

Sino-Japanese War

Conflict between China and Japan, resulting in Japanese victory and territorial gain.

Russo-Japanese War

Conflict between Russia and Japan over imperial ambitions in East Asia, ended in Japanese victory.

Treaty of Portsmouth

The treaty that ended the Russo-Japanese War, mediated by President Theodore Roosevelt.

Leopold II of Belgium

Colonizer who exploited the Congo Free State for personal gain.

Scramble for Africa

The rapid invasion and colonization of African territory by European powers.

Congo Free State

The state privately controlled by King Leopold II of Belgium, infamous for its exploitation.

Berlin Conference

The meeting where European powers divided Africa among themselves.

Protectorate

A state that is controlled and protected by another.

Sphere of Influence

Region where one country has predominant influence over trade and investment.

Settler Colony

Colony where foreign settlers establish permanent residence, exercising control over the local populations.

Boer War

Conflicts between British and Dutch settlers in South Africa over control.

Social Darwinism

The belief that societies evolve through competition and that stronger nations have the right to dominate weaker ones.

Ethnocentrism

Belief in the superiority of one's own culture over others.

Canton Trading System

China's system restricting foreign trade to specific ports during the Qing dynasty.

Sun Yatsen

Chinese revolutionary leader who played a key role in overthrowing the Qing Dynasty.

Opium

Addictive drug originating from the poppy plant; key in British trade with China.

First Opium War

Conflict between Britain and China after China attempted to suppress opium trade.

Treaty of Nanking

Agreement ending the First Opium War, imposing unequal terms on China.

Second Opium War

Follow-up conflict further opening China to foreign trade.

Treaty of Tientsin

Established more trade ports and allowed foreigners access to China's interior.

Boxer Rebellion

Anti-foreign uprising in China aimed at ending Western influence.

Taiping Rebellion

Massive civil war in China led by the Taiping movement against the Qing dynasty.

British in India

The British colonial presence that sought to exploit India's resources and establish control.

Suez Canal

Waterway constructed in Egypt to shorten travel time between Britain and India.

British East India Company

A trading company that had significant control over India before direct British rule.

Sepoy

Indian soldier serving under British command.

Sepoy Rebellion

The uprising against British rule in India sparked by cultural and economic grievances.

Indian National Congress

Political party in India aimed at gaining independence from British rule.

Extrateritoriality

The principle allowing individuals to reside in a foreign country under their own laws.

British in Australia

Colonization involving the establishment of a penal colony and exploitation of resources.

Reasons for British in Australia

Colonization for purposes of imprisonment, agriculture, and resource extraction.

Aborigines

The indigenous people of Australia who were displaced by European colonization.

British in Canada

Colonial rule involving both English and French cultural influences.

Act of Union

Legislation that merged Upper and Lower Canada into a single political entity.

Dominion of Canada

Canada's establishment as a semi-autonomous colony within the British Empire.

Residential School System

System designed to assimilate Indigenous children into Euro-Canadian culture.

First Nations

Indigenous peoples in Canada recognized under the Indian Act.

American Imperialism

Expansionist policy driven by the belief in Manifest Destiny.

Manifest Destiny

The belief that Americans were destined to expand across North America.

Monroe Doctrine

U.S. policy opposing European colonialism in the Americas.

Alaska Purchase

Acquisition of Alaska from Russia in 1867, deemed initially as folly due to perceived lack of resources.

Hawaii

Acquisition of territory for its strategic and agricultural resources.

Queen Liliuokalani

Last monarch of Hawaii before it was annexed by the United States.

Spanish-American War

Conflict resulting in the U.S. acquiring territories from Spain.

Yellow Journalism

Journalistic style that exaggerates news to influence public opinion.

Treaty of Paris

Agreement ending the Spanish-American War, ceding territories to the U.S.

Philippine-American War

Conflict where Filipinos resisted U.S. rule following Spanish colonization.

Jones Act

Legislation that granted Puerto Ricans U.S. citizenship.

Panama Canal

Waterway constructed to facilitate maritime trade, involving U.S. support of Panama's independence.

Dollar Diplomacy

U.S. economic policy aimed at promoting American economic interests abroad.

Neo-colonialism

Indirect control of foreign nations through economic means rather than direct political control.

Natural Rights

Inalienable rights inherent to all individuals, such as life, liberty, and property.

Social Contract

An agreement among individuals to form a society that provides mutual benefits.

Separation of Powers

Political doctrine ensuring no one branch of government has absolute power.

Enlightened Despotism

Monarchs who ruled justly and guided by Enlightenment principles.

Salons

Social gatherings for intellectual exchange during the Enlightenment.

Liberalism

Ideological belief in progress, individual rights, and government reform.

Conservatism

Ideology focused on preserving traditional institutions and social order.

Thomas Hobbes

Philosopher who argued for absolute monarchy based on the premise of human nature.

John Locke

Philosopher advocating natural rights and government by consent.

Jean Jacques Rousseau

Philosopher who argued for direct democracy and the social contract.

Baron de Montesquieu

Political philosopher advocating for separation of powers in government.

Joseph II

Austrian ruler known for his enlightened reforms and abolition of serfdom.

Catherine the Great

Empress of Russia known for her territorial expansion and cultural influence.

Mercantilism

Economic policy focused on accumulating wealth through trade and colonialism.

Mary Wollstonecraft

Early advocate for women's rights and gender equality.

Voltaire

Writer and philosopher who championed freedom of speech and religious tolerance.

Absolute Monarchy

Form of government where a single ruler holds total power.

Galileo Galilei

Pioneering astronomer who advanced the heliocentric theory using the telescope.

Heliocentric Theory

The astronomical model proposing that the Earth and planets revolve around the Sun.

Inquisition

Judicial system used to suppress heresy and enforce Catholic doctrine.

Johannes Kepler

Astronomer who formulated laws of planetary motion.

Sir Isaac Newton

Scientist who established the laws of motion and universal gravitation.

Scientific Method

Systematic approach to inquiry based on observation and experimentation.

Empiricism

Philosophical theory that knowledge comes from sensory experience.