AP World History: Modern - Unit 1 Review

Vocabulary flashcards reviewing essential terms, political systems, belief traditions, and labor models for AP World History: Modern Unit 1.

Centralization

A governance structure where power is concentrated in one ruler and bureaucracy, as seen in China, the Inca, and Islamic sultanates.

Decentralization

A governance system where power is delegated to local lords and rival states, as seen in western Europe, Japan, and Maya city-states.

Bureaucracy

Rule through trained officials rather than personal loyalty, exemplified by China's scholar-gentry and civil service exam.

Feudalism

The political bond of loyalty and military service in exchange for land.

Manorialism

The economic system of the estate in feudal societies.

Serfdom

The legal status of peasants bound to a manorial estate.

Tribute

A system of extraction where empires expand and hold territory by requiring subject peoples to provide goods or payments, as utilized by the Aztec.

Mit'a

A system of compulsory labor service used by the Inca empire to construct public works and maintain control over territory.

Universalizing Religions

Religions that seek converts and spread widely across regions, such as Christianity, Islam, and Buddhism.

Ethnic Religions

Religions that remain closely tied to particular peoples and specific geographic places, such as Hinduism and Judaism.

Confucianism

An East Asian belief system centered on social hierarchy, filial piety, and social duty.

Filial Piety

A core Confucian virtue emphasizing respect, obedience, and duty toward parents and family members.

Daoism

An East Asian belief system focused on living in harmony with nature.

Sufism

An adaptable branch of Islam that spread widely through mystical practices and cultural integration.

Diffusion

The spread of cultural traits, technologies, languages, and belief systems from a central hearth through migration, trade, conquest, and missionaries.

Syncretism

The blending of different religious or cultural traditions into something new, such as Chan/Zen Buddhism, Sufi-influenced Islam in Africa, or bhakti devotion.

Neo-Confucianism

A revived interpretation of Confucian thought in East Asia that sharply restricted the status and freedoms of women.

Scholar-Gentry

Class of trained civil officials in China who obtained political authority through education and civil service examinations.