world history ap flashcards summer assignment

Abdicate

to formally step down (from a monarchy or high position)

Agrarian

relating to rural/agricultural land and its use/ownership

Animism

belief that objects, animals, and places have a distinct spiritual being and soul

Antiquity

relating to ancient times

Appeasement

providing/negotiating the opposition with an advantage to prevent further conflict and pacify the situation

Aristocracy

a government where a few elites rule, usually decided by hereditary

Asceticism

significant self-discipline and avoiding indulgence usually for religious reasons

Assimilate

to take in and conform to the cultural and social lifestyles of one's surroundings

Authoritarian

government where people must obey and lack freedom for themselves

Autocracy

government where one person has full power

Bourgeois

relating to the typical middle class, specifically its values

Bureaucracy

government where key choices are made by state officials instead of elected individuals

Civic

relating to citizenship, a city, or community dealings

Centralized Government

government where executive and legislative power is concentrated at the same higher level

Coerced Labor

work done without compensation, often under threat or manipulation

Colony

an area politically overtaken by another country, often distant

Commerce

exchange of goods between two or more individuals

Communal

shared by everyone in the community

Concubine

a woman who lives with a man but has lower status than his wife(s)

Conscription

mandatory enrollment for military service

Cosmopolitan

people from various different countries

Coup

an unexpected sudden achievement, often the overthrowing in politics by a small group

Decentralized Government

government in which power is distributed among various factions across regions

Demographic

statistics and information that describe a given population and its characteristics

Despot

a ruler who holds total power and often uses it to oppress others

Diaspora

the scattered movement of people/migration from their ancestral homeland

Dissent

to differ in opinion from the majority

Domestic

relating to one's family, home country, or home

Dynasty

succession of rulers from the same descent or ancestors

Edict

a rule made/given by authority

Egalitarian

an individual who believes in the equality of all people

Emigrate

leaving one’s country to settle in another permanently

Gentry

well-born and bred individuals of high class

Hierarchy

a system in which individuals and groups are ranked according to status or authority

Homogenous

of the same type, uniform throughout

Imperialism

rich and powerful countries conquering others for power and/or economy

Indigenous

originating in a particular place (native)

Infrastructure

essential physical and organizational structures needed for a society

Lineage

individuals related to each other via a particular ancestor

Linguistic

the study of human speech and language

Maritime

related to the sea

Matrilineal

family relationships traced through the female line

Mercenary

concerned only about making money; a professional soldier hired to fight

Monarchy

a political system dependent on the undivided power of one individual

Monopoly

exclusive control and/or ownership of something

Monotheism

belief that there is only one God

Nationalism

loyalty and belief in one’s own nation, often at the detriment of others

Nomadic

a person who has no fixed home and wanders to different places

Oligarchy

power structure in which a small group holds power

Papacy

the office of the Pope

Parliament

an assembly of representatives that makes laws

Pastoral

duties of a priest or keeping sheep and cattle

Patriarchy

system of government where the father or eldest male is head

Patronage

support given to an organization by someone

Peasant

a poor farmer of low status who cultivates on a small area

Piety

devout in religion, faithfulness

Polygamy

practice of having more than one husband/wife

Polytheism

belief in worshipping more than one God

Proletariat

social class of the working class

Region

an area having definable characteristics but not physical boundaries

Republic

government where the state is ruled by elected representatives

Secular

not religious in character

Sedentary

a lifestyle characterized by little physical exercise

Stratification

the division of society into different classes

Succession

Suffrage

the right to vote in politics

Syncretism

a fusion of different religions, philosophies, or cultures

Theocracy

a government where priests rule under God’s name

Theology

the study of religious practice, faith, and experience

Totalitarian

a government where power is centralized and dictatorial and includes entire subservience to the state

Tributary State

a state lower in rank or power than its neighboring state

Tyranny

a state ruled by a oppressive absolute ruler

Urbanization

the process of people moving in large numbers to small areas, thus creating a city

Usurp

take by force or illegally

Vernacular

the dialect or language spoken by regular people in any particular region or country