AP HuGe - Chapter 8 Vocab

state

an area organized into a political unit and ruled by an established government that has control over its internal and foreign affairs

microstates

states with very small land areas

city-state

a sovereign state that comprises a town and the surrounding countryside

nation

a large group of people who are united by common cultural characteristics, such as language and ethnicity, or by shared history

nation-state

a state whose territory corresponds to that occupied by a particular nation

self-determination

the concept that nations have the right to govern themselves

to appease

to make someone happier by agreeing with them

multinational state

a state that contains more than one nation

colony

a territory that is legally tied to a sovereign state rather than being completely independent

colonialism

an effort by one country to establish settlements in a territory and to impose its political, economic, and cultural principles on that territory

balance of power

a condition of roughly equal strength between opposing alliances

democracy

a country in which citizens elect leaders and can run for office

autocracy

a country that is run according to the interests of the ruler rather than the people

anocracy

a country that is not fully democratic or fully autocratic but rather displays a mix of the two types

unitary state

most power is placed in the hands of central government officials

federal state

strong power is allocated to units of local government

weapon of mass destruction

a nuclear, biological, chemical, or other weapon that can kill and bring significant harm to a large number of humans or cause great damages to human-made structures, natural structures, or the biosphere