Honors World History - Unit 1B Key Terms

Vocabulary flashcards covering the key terms, definitions, and historical significance from Unit 1B of Honors World History.

Direct Democracy

A form of government in which citizens participate directly in making decisions and voting on laws. It was used in ancient Athens and allowed male citizens to have a direct role in government rather than electing representatives to make decisions for them.

Oligarchy

A form of government in which a small group of people holds political power. It was used by some Greek city-states, including Sparta, and limited political power to a select group rather than the entire population.

Aristocracy

A form of government in which power is held by members of the wealthy or noble upper class. It gave political influence to wealthy and powerful families and was an important form of government in ancient Greece.

Monarchy

A form of government in which one person, usually a king or queen, holds political power. It was one of the earliest forms of government and was used by various ancient civilizations and Greek city-states.

Polis

An independent Greek city-state consisting of a city and its surrounding territory. It was the basic political unit of ancient Greece and allowed city-states such as Athens and Sparta to develop their own governments, laws, and cultures.

Acropolis

A fortified hilltop in an ancient Greek city that often contained important temples. It served as a religious and defensive center of the polis; the Acropolis in Athens became home to the Parthenon and symbolized Athens' cultural achievements.

Peloponnesian League

An alliance of Greek city-states led by Sparta. It strengthened Sparta's military power and eventually fought against Athens and its allies in the Peloponnesian War.

Delian League

An alliance of Greek city-states led by Athens that was originally formed to defend against Persia. It helped Athens become the most powerful city-state in Greece and contributed to the growth of the Athenian Empire.

Phalanx

A tightly organized military formation in which Greek soldiers fought side by side with overlapping shields and spears. It made Greek armies more effective and emphasized discipline, teamwork, and cooperation among soldiers.

Greek Golden Age

A period of great cultural, political, and intellectual achievement in Athens during the fifth century BCE. It produced important developments in democracy, philosophy, drama, art, architecture, and history that strongly influenced Western civilization.

Plato

An influential Greek philosopher and student of Socrates who wrote about government, justice, and an ideal society. He founded the Academy and argued in The Republic that society should be governed by wise and educated philosopher-kings.

Socrates

A Greek philosopher who taught by asking questions that challenged people to examine their beliefs and reasoning. He influenced Western philosophy through the Socratic method and was sentenced to death by Athens for allegedly corrupting the youth and disrespecting the gods.

Aristotle

A Greek philosopher and student of Plato who studied subjects including logic, science, politics, and ethics. He developed systematic approaches to studying the natural world and government and later taught Alexander the Great, influencing European and Islamic thought for centuries.

Hellenistic Culture

A blend of Greek culture with the cultures of Egypt, Persia, and other regions that developed after Alexander the Great's conquests. It spread Greek language, ideas, art, and customs throughout much of the eastern Mediterranean and Southwest Asia and encouraged cultural exchange.

Alexander the Great

A Macedonian king and military leader who conquered the Persian Empire and created a vast empire extending into Egypt and parts of South Asia. He spread Greek culture throughout his empire and helped create the Hellenistic world, in which Greek and local cultures blended.