AP World History Modern Essential Vocabulary

AP World History Modern Essential Vocabulary flashcards

Imperial Bureaucracy

Large organized government system that was a continuity in China from 221 BCE until 1911 CE.

Civil Service Exam

Rigorous exam which many young men would take if they wanted to get a job in the Chinese government. Required knowledge of Confucianism.

Filial Piety

Confucian principle of respect and obedience to one's elders/ancestors

Neo-Confucianism

Syncretic religion with a central focus on Confucianism with some Taoist and Buddhist ideas. This religion became popular during the Song dynasty and spread to other East Asian states

Commercialized

Something created with the principal goal of making money (selling commercial goods)

Proto-industrialization

Economic transformation in which family and communal groups of artisans efficiently mass-produced goods by hand and with simple tools.

Champa Rice

A quick-ripening and drought-resistant strain of rice developed in the Champa Kingdom in Vietnam and given to China as tribute.

Grand Canal

Cheap and efficient internal manamade Chinese waterway extending >30,00 miles. Construction first began during the Sui dynasty, but later dynasties, including the Song extended it.

Abbasid Caliphate

A massive Islamic state that ruled from 750-1258 across areas of North Africa, the Middle East and parts of Europe. Ruled during the “Islamic Golden Age” and was known as a center of learning, culture and trade.

Turkic states

Various states controlled by ethnic Turks such as the Mamluks, Seljuks, Delhi Sultanate and Ottomans. They replaced the Abbasid Caliphate, and fragmented the Islamic world

Sufis

Mystic sect of Islam which seeks a direct and personal connection with God.

House of Wisdom

renowned center of learning in Baghdad under the Abbasid Caliphate.

Bhakti Movement

A mystic sect of Hinduism, where Hindus focused on developing a strong attachment to a specific deity rather than emphasizing texts and rituals.

Silk Roads

A major land-based trade network in the 130 B.C.E until the 15th century that crossed Eurasia, connecting states from as far as China to Europe.

Interregional trade

The exchange of goods, services, and ideas between different regions (also called long-distance trade)

Caravan

group of travelers, merchants, or traders traveling together in a group for safety, mutual support, and efficient transportation of goods across land routes (especially deserts)

Caravanserai

Inns that sprang up along desert routes, often about 100 miles apart. They offered a place where travelers and their animals could rest and resupply

Flying cash

A government-created system of credit allowing a merchant to deposit paper money under their name and withdraw the same amount at another location (a precursor to modern banking)

Mongol Khanates

4 States that formed after the fracturing of the united Mongol Empire, each ruled by a different descendant of Genghis Khan: Ilkhanate in the Middle East, Golden Horde in Russia, Chagatai Khanate in Central Asia and Yuan dynasty in China

Magnetic compass

A navigational instrument that utilizes Earth's magnetic field to determine direction.

Astrolabe

This device allowed sailors to determine how far north or south they were from the equator.

Junk ship

A large Chinese sailing vessel that has been used for centuries in maritime trade, fishing, and exploration. (notable for their seaworthiness, efficiency, and adaptability to different sailing conditions)

Diasporic communities

Settlements of people away from their homeland. In these communities, settlers introduce their own cultural traditions into indigenous cultures, leading to cultural blending.

Zheng He

A muslim Chinese admiral who was sent on seven great voyages in the Indian Ocean where the main goal was to show the might of the Ming dynasty & receive tribute from the people he met (fleet of 300 ships carrying 28,000 people)

Monsoon winds

a seasonal change in the direction of winds, most often associated with the Indian Ocean.

Ibn Batutta

a Moroccan Muslim scholar and explorer who is widely known for his extensive travels throughout the Islamic world and beyond during the 14th century (30 years of travel through Central Asia, China, Spain, North Africa, &Mali)

Marco Polo

An Italian merchant, explorer, and traveler who is renowned for his extensive journey to Asia during the 13th century (claimed to have visited Mongol court of Kublai Kai in China)

Bubonic plague

an infection spread mostly to humans by infected fleas that travel on rodents. Also called the Black Death, it killed millions of people across Eurasia during the Middle Ages.

Gunpowder empire

large, multiethnic states in Eurasia that relied on firearms to conquer and control territories.

Bureaucratic elites

people who carry out the organizational functioning of a hierarchical government of non-elected officials

Devshirme

a selection system that recruited Christian boys to forcefully serve in the Ottoman government. Boys ages 8 to 20 were taken each year from conquered Christian territories in europe. The highest ranking elite military members were called janissaries

Legitimize

Actions made by a ruler to validate their power and authority to their subjects, often promoted through religion, art and architecture

Tribute system

Goods given as a sign of respect, submission, or allegiance to a powerful state

Tax farming

a system where the right to collect taxes is in the hands of local officials (who often gained the position through an auction) This was a practice in the Ottoman Empire, but a similar system also existed in the

Isolationist

Policy of avoiding involvement in the affairs or conflicts of other countries.

Protestant Reformation

Protest against the Catholic Church’s corruption and demanded reform, leading to the formation of protestantism. Led by Martin Luther

Counter Reformation

Catholic Church’s response to the Protestant Reformation in order to revive the reputation and popularity

Sunni-Shi’a Divide

The division of the two main branches of Islam that began after the death of Muhammad in the 7c. The disagreement stems from who each group believed should be the successor of Muhammad.

Sikhism

Late 15th c. religion that developed in South Asia combining elements of Hindu and Muslim beliefs

Magnetic compass

Chinese invention from 206 BCE that allowed sailors to steer a ship in the right direction by using a magnetized needle that can pivot to align itself with magnetic north

Astrolabe

A device invented in 225 BCE, that was used by sailors to find out how far north or south they were from the equator

Lateen sails

A 2nd c. Arab invention of a ship sail in the shape of a triangle which allowed a ship to travel in different directions by catching the wind on either side of the ship

Stern rudder

1st c. Chinese invention of a vertical blade or board located at the stern (rear) of a ship, used for steering. It replaces older steering methods, such as the steering oar, and provides greater control and maneuverability for ships

Astronomical Charts

map of the stars and galaxies, that mariners relied on to guide ships’ direction (used in many cultures, dating as far back as ancient Egyptians)

Caravel

15th c. Portuguese invention of a small, three-masted sailing ship that allowed sailors to cross oceans

Carrack

a large, multi-decked sailing ship that was prominent in European naval fleets during the 14th to 17th centuries, used for long voyages and transporting a lot of cargo

Fluyt

Late 16th c. Dutch cargo vessel designed for maximum cargo capacity and efficiency, commonly used in European trade

Trading-post empire

an empire that establishes and maintains dominance over trade routes based on small trading outposts, rather than control of large territories

Northwest Passage

England, France, and the Netherlands all sought to find this northern maritime route to Asia. However, the search was unsuccessful, as the only northern maritime route that goes across North America borders the Arctic and is therefore not an efficient searoute

Eastern Hemisphere

the half of the earth which is east of the prime meridian, including Afro-Eurasia

Western Hemisphere

the half of the earth which lies west of the prime meridian, which includes the Americas

Maritime Empire

empires that span across oceans; colonial empires

Coerced labor

Labor that is gained through use of force or coercion

Chattel slavery

Slaves that were considered the property of slave owners and their children also were born into a status as slaves. This system of slavery developed during the 15th and 16th centuries as a result of the Transatlantic Slave Trade

Indentured servitude

A worker bound by a voluntary agreement (though often gained through coercion and deception) to work for a specified period of years often in return for free passage to an overseas destination.

Encomienda system

A feudal system carried out by the Spanish monarchy in the Americas. While the Spanish monarchs claimed ownership of the land, they granted conquistadors the right to manage the land and to demand labor of native peoples in the mines and fields.

Hacienda system

A Spanish system that overtime replaced the Encomienda system -large agricultural estates owned by wealthy colonist landowners in the Americas and were worked by native populations who were coerced into indentured servitude

Mercantilism

a nationalistic economic policy implemented by European colonizing countries in the 1450-1750 era of colonialism. It was designed to maximize exports (especially of manufactured goods) and import of raw goods (from colonies.) Trade is heavily controlled by the government in order to ensure highest profits for the colonizing country

Joint-stock company

A company owned by shareholders (investors); a precursor to the stock market

Transatlantic slave trade

global trade of enslaved Africans across the Atlantic Ocean to the Americas

Religious syncretism

the combining of different religious beliefs and practices, forming a new religion

Maroon society

a group of formerly enslaved Africans and their descendants who gained their freedom by fleeing enslavement and running to remote mountains or dense forests and establishing communities or integrating into communities of native populations.

Casta System

A social class system developed by the Spanish in the Americas. It established a fixed social class that a person is born into that was used to classify all of the races in America

Enlightenment

A period of philosophical developments in the 17th and 18th stemming from the Scientific Revolution and the humanism of the Renaissance.

Empiricist

Belief that knowledge comes from sensed experience, a leading philosophy of the scientific method (basing conclusions on observations on data).

Natural Rights

John Locke argued that people have these rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of property.

Social Contract

Thomas Hobbes argued that human's natural state is chaos and conflict, so people give up some rights to a government in return for law and order.

Nationalism

a feeling of intense loyalty to others who share one's language and culture or country

Suffrage

the ability to vote.

Abolitionism

the movement to end the Atlantic slave trade and free all enslaved people, which gained many followers in the 18th century.

Serfdom

the status of peasants under manorialism where serfs were enslaved and tied to the land they worked on for life, unable to leave without the noble’s permission.

Liberalism

19th century beliefs in natural rights, freedom, and laissez-faire capitalism

Republic

a political system where people elect officials.

American Declaration of Independence

Expressed the philosophy behind the colonist fight against British rule and announced the separation of 13 colonies from Great Britain.

The French Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen

adopted in 1789 during the French Revolution, declaring basic human rights

Bolívar’s “Letter from Jamaica

written by Simon Bolivar in 1815, criticizing Spanish colonization and arguing for Latin American independence.

Industrial Revolution

the global transition from making goods manually to using machines

Urbanization

the population shift from rural to urban areas

Capital

Wealth in the form of property or money owned by a business or individual.

Specialization of Labor

Workers perform much more specific tasks in order to increase the efficiency of production, requiring less skill of workers

Steam engine

18th century invention; an engine that uses the expansion or rapid condensation of steam to generate power. Used in 1st phase of Industrial Revolution

Internal combustion engine

an engine in which the combustion of fuel with air creates hot gasses which do work such as moving a piston while they expand. This engine was developed in the 19th century and replaced the steam engine and has been used to power automobiles and airplanes.

Fossil fuels revolution

The shift towards human reliance on fossil fuels as a result of industrialization (such as coal for steam engine, petroleum for internal combustion engine)

Second Industrial Revolution

This was a phase of rapid industrialization from the late 19th to early 20th century, also known as the technological revolution. It was marked by advancements in steel production, electricity and petroleum use

Steamships

A ship that is powered by a steam engine; greatly reduced travel time and increased amount of goods that could be transported across rivers and oceans.

Telegraph

communication system for transmitting messages through code, within seconds; invented in the 2nd phase of the industrial revolution.

Meiji Era

A period of modernizing, westernizing, and industrializing in Japan, developed in an attempt to strengthen Japan’s role in the global stage.

Free trade policies

Trade policies that minimize government involvement and taxation and emphasize capitalist principles

Adam Smith

A philosopher and author who wrote The Wealth of Nations. Known as the father of laissez-faire capitalism and advocated for free trade policies.

laissez -faire capitalism

Meaning “Hands off” in French, advocates for an economy based in the laws of supply and demand, with

Five Year Plans (Soviet Union)

Short-term plans to transform the economy of the USSR, using communist methods, including rapid industrialization and collectivization of agriculture

Transnational business

A business that operates in more than one country.

Labor unions

organizations of workers who advocated for more rights and better working conditions

Karl Marx

German scholar and writer known as the father of Communism.

Socialism

A system where the means of production are communally owned and wealth is redistributed to promote equality and eliminate social classes

Communism

An extreme form of Socialism which calls for a revolution to achieve Socialist ideals

Imperialism

When a powerful country exerts its power/control over other places through diplomacy or military force

Social Darwinism

Unscientifically applied Charles Darwin's theory of natural selection to humans. It argued that certain people became powerful in society because they were racially superior, and was used as a justification for imperialism in the late 19th and early 20th centuries

Civilizing Mission

The idea that more “advanced” countries had the duty to modernize “inferior” societies and was used as a reason for imperialism in the late 19th and early 20th centuries

Diplomacy

When countries negotiate treaties or agreements, often through coercion/ manipulation to gain control over other countries