AP World Summer Vocabulary

Abdicate

To renounce or to give up (authority, duties, an office. etc) especially in a voluntary, public or formal manner

Agarian

Relating to cultivated land or the cultivation of land; agricultural or rural

Animism

The belief in a supernatural power power that organizes and animates the material universe

Antiquity

Ancient times, faraway history; former ages

Appeasement

The policy of giving into demands in order to preserve the peace

Aristocracy

The nobility or hereditary ruling class

Asceticism

Severe self discipline and avoidance of all forms of indulgence, typically for religious reasons

Assimilate

A person or group who becomes a part of; blends into a society, country. Etc

Authoritarian

Enforcing strict obedience to authority, especially that of the government

Autocracy

A form of government in which unlimited power is held by a single individual

Bourgeois

Characteristic of the middle class

Bureaucracy

organizational theory, a system of administration based upon organization into bureaus, division of labor, hierarchy of authority.

Civic

Relating to a city or town, especially its administration; municipal

Centralized Government

A form of government in which both executive and legislative power is concentrated centrally at the higher level as opposed to being more distributed at various lower level governments

Coerced Labor

Forced Labor occurs when individuals are compelled against their will to provide work or service through the use of force, fraud or coercion

Colony

Region or governmental unit created by another country and generally ruled by another country

Commerce

The activity of buying and selling; especially on a large scale; social dealings between people

Communal

Shared by a community; public

Concubine

A woman who lived with a man but has a lower status than his wife or wives

Conscription

compulsory enlistment for state service, typically into the armed forces

Cosmopolitan

Including or containing people from many different countries

Coup

A sudden, violent and unlawful of power from a government

Decentralized Government

Reduction in the authority of national government over policy making

Demographic

Relating to the structure of population

Despot

A ruler or other person who holds absolute power, typically one who exercises it in a cruel oppressive way

Papacy

The central power of a Roman Catholic church where the pope is the head

Parliament

A supreme legislative body with the government head called a Prime Minister

Pastoral

A society that relies on animals instead of plants for food

Patriarchy

A society where men hold power in a family, government, or in economics

Patronage

Giving financial support or privileges to a person or group

Peasant

Workers that work the land are called agricultural workers, usually the lowest class

Piety

A virtue created by Confucius that is centered on love and respect for one's ancestors

Polygamy

Having more than 1 wife at a time

Polytheism

When a religion has belief in more than 1 god.

Proletariat

The lowest class in society

Region

An area of land that has specific features

Republic

When the citizens of a country can vote for their representatives

Secular

Not related to religion

Sedentary

Stays in one place

Stratification

Arranging people or things in hierarchical divisions

Succession

The right to get a title after someone ahead of you dies or can no longer have it

Suffrage

The right to vote in a political election

Syncretism

The bending of elements from multiple religions into one system of worship

Theocracy

A government based on religion

Theology

The study of faith, religion, and practices

Totalitarian

When the government has complete control over citizens' lives

Tributary State

A state that a subordinate to another state more powerful state

Tyranny

An oppressive government

Urbanization

When an area becomes urban with cities and businesses

Usurp

To take by force and illegally

Vernacular

The native language or dialect in a country

despot

A ruler with absolute and often oppressive power.

dynasty

A succession of rulers belonging to the same family or group.

edict

An official directive or proclamation made by a representative of power.

monarchy

A form of government where a single individual, the monarch, holds all political power.

oligarchy

A form of government where a few people control and hold all the power.

papacy

The office or authority of the Pope, the leader of the Roman Catholic Church.

nationalism

A strong sense of pride, loyalty, and identification with one's nation or ethnic group.

imperialism

The policy of extending a nation's authority and control over other territories, often through colonization or military conquest.

dissent

The expression of opinions or beliefs that oppose or differ from prevailing ideas or authority.

monopoly

Exclusive control or possession of a trade or industry by a single entity.

egalitarian

A belief that all people are equal, regardless of their social or economic circumstances.

hierarchy

A method of classifying or arranging people according to their degree of importance or power.

homogeneous

Consisting of similar or identical elements, often referring to a population or culture.

indigenous

Native to a particular region or environment, often referring to the original inhabitants of a land before outside influence.

infrastructure

The basic physical and organizational structures and facilities needed for the operation of a society, such as roads, bridges, and communication systems.

maritime

Relating to the sea or maritime activities.

matrilineal

A kinship system where descent is traced through the mother's line.

mercenary

A soldier who fights for financial gain rather than loyalty to a country or cause.

despot

A ruler with absolute and often oppressive power.

gentry

The upper or ruling class, often consisting of landowners and aristocrats.

lineage

A direct line of descent from an ancestor, often used to determine social status and inheritance.

linguistic

Relating to language or the study of languages.

monotheism

The belief in the existence of only one god.

nomadic

Referring to a way of life where groups of people move from place to place in search of food and resources.

diaspora

The dispersion or scattering of a particular group of people from their homeland to different regions.