ULTIMATE Spring 2025 World History Study Guide

World History Study Guide Vocabulary Flashcards

Tokugawa Shogunate

Japanese military government unified by Tokugawa Ieyasu

Alternate Attendance Policy

Required daimyo to alternate living in Edo and their own domains, controlling their power

Tokugawa Shogunate

Japanese military government unified by Tokugawa Ieyasu

Alternate Attendance Policy

Required daimyo to alternate living in Edo and their own domains, controlling their power

Ming Dynasty

Chinese dynasty known for stability and cultural achievements

Qing Dynasty

Last imperial dynasty of China, ruled by Manchus

Gunpowder Empires

Ottoman, Safavid, Mughal empires relying on gunpowder military tech

Sunni Islam

Majority branch of Islam (Ottoman, Mughal empires)

Shia Islam

Minority branch of Islam (Safavid Empire)

Taj Mahal

Mughal architectural masterpiece built by Shah Jahan

Absolutism

Political belief where one ruler holds all power within a country

Divine Right of Kings

Idea that monarch’s power comes directly from God

Enlightenment

Intellectual movement emphasizing reason, natural rights, and liberty

Mercantilism

Economic policy promoting exports over imports to increase national wealth

Urbanization

Movement of people to cities during industrialization

Nationalism

Pride and loyalty to one’s nation above monarch or empire

Imperialism

Extending control over other territories by political or military means

Mandate System

Post-WWI system where Britain and France controlled former Ottoman territories

Reparations

Payments made by defeated countries after war

Communism

Extreme socialism where the government owns production and property

Fascism

Authoritarian nationalist political system emphasizing dictatorship

Holocaust

Nazi genocide of Jews and other minorities during WWII

Cold War

Political and military tension between US and USSR after WWII

Decolonization

Process of colonies gaining independence after WWII

Globalization

Increased worldwide economic, cultural, and political connections

Pan-Africanism

Movement to unite African-descended people worldwide

Pan-Arabism

Movement aiming to unite Arab peoples and countries

Tokugawa Ieyasu

Unified Japan, started Tokugawa Shogunate

Mehmed II

Ottoman conqueror of Constantinople

Suleyman the Magnificent

Greatest Ottoman leader, reformed government and laws

Shah Abbas

Greatest Safavid leader, strengthened empire

Babur

Founder of Mughal Empire

Akbar

Greatest Mughal ruler, known for tolerance and expansion

Shah Jahan

Mughal ruler who built the Taj Mahal

Louis XIV

Absolute French king, “Sun King,” ruled from Versailles

Peter the Great

Russian tsar who westernized Russia

John Locke

Philosopher who inspired natural rights and government by consent

Voltaire

Advocate for free speech and religious freedom

Rousseau

Believed laws should be made by and for the people

Robespierre

Leader during French Revolution’s Reign of Terror

Napoleon Bonaparte

Stabilized France post-revolution; created Napoleonic Code

Jose de San Martin

South American revolutionary leader

Klemens von Metternich

Austrian diplomat who led Congress of Vienna

Adam Smith

Father of capitalism, author of Wealth of Nations

Karl Marx

Father of communism, wrote The Communist Manifesto

Otto von Bismarck

Unified Germany using realpolitik and nationalism

Cecil Rhodes

British imperialist in Africa

Camillo di Cavour

Leader of Italian unification

Vladimir Lenin

Led Bolsheviks, first communist ruler of Russia

Joseph Stalin

Brutal Soviet dictator, implemented Five-Year Plans

Benito Mussolini

Fascist Italy leader

Adolf Hitler

Nazi Germany leader

Emperor Hirohito

Japanese emperor during WWII

Douglas MacArthur

US general, planned Japan’s postwar democracy

Mahatma Gandhi

Led Indian independence movement with nonviolence

Nelson Mandela

Anti-apartheid leader in South Africa

Margaret Thatcher

UK Prime Minister, conservative leader

Golda Meir

Israeli Prime Minister

Indira Gandhi

Indian Prime Minister, assassinated by Sikh extremists

Devshirme system

Ottoman practice of training Christian boys for government/military

Alternate Attendance Policy

Tokugawa strategy to control daimyo

Kowtow

Chinese ritual showing respect to emperor, symbolizing cultural superiority

Decline of Ottoman & Safavid Empires

Caused by incompetent leadership

Ming & Qing Dynasties

Important Chinese dynasties, Qing ruled by Manchus

Louis XIV’s Versailles

Tool to control nobility

Peter the Great’s westernization

Fashion, women’s status, military reforms

Locke’s Natural Rights

Life, Liberty, Property; government must protect these

Rousseau’s Social Contract

Laws made by and for the people ensure freedom

French Revolution causes

Debt, monarchy’s spending, influence of American Revolution

American Revolution causes

Taxes, lack of representation, Enlightenment ideas

Haitian Revolution

Only successful slave revolt in history

Latin American Revolutions

Led by Creoles seeking independence

Napoleon’s reforms

Economy stabilization, education system, Napoleonic Code

Congress of Vienna

Restored order after Napoleon, led by Metternich

Industrialization effects

Urbanization, labor reforms, new social problems

Capitalism vs Communism

Smith’s market economy vs Marx’s classless society

Nationalism

Unified Germany and Italy; tore apart empires

Imperialism causes

Raw materials, new markets, “civilizing mission” (White Man’s Burden)

Meiji Restoration

Modernized Japan, restored emperor power

Opium Wars & Boxer Rebellion

China resisting western influence, failed

Indian Revolt of 1857 (Sepoy Mutiny)

Triggered by religious/cultural insensitivity

MAIN causes of WWI

Militarism, Alliances, Imperialism, Nationalism

Schlieffen Plan

Germany’s plan to avoid 2-front war

Treaty of Versailles

Ended WWI, harsh on Germany

Russian Revolution

Ended Romanov dynasty, started communist USSR

Stalin’s Five-Year Plans

Industrialize Soviet economy at cost of consumer goods

Axis leaders

Mussolini (Italy), Hitler (Germany), Hirohito (Japan)

Key battles

Stalingrad (turning point Europe), El Alamein (North Africa), Guadalcanal (Pacific)

Pearl Harbor

US enters WWII after Japanese attack

Holocaust

Genocide of Jews and others by Nazis

Atomic bombs

Dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki ending the war in Pacific

Yalta Conference

Divided Germany after WWII

MacArthur’s plan

Establish democracy in Japan

Marshall Plan

US aid to rebuild Europe after WWII

NATO vs Warsaw Pact

Military alliances of West vs USSR

Containment

US policy to stop communism

Iron Curtain

Churchill’s term for communist Eastern Europe

Cuban Missile Crisis

USSR missiles in Cuba nearly caused nuclear war

Decolonization

End of colonial empires in Africa and Asia

Apartheid & Anti-Apartheid

Racial segregation in South Africa and its opposition

Fall of Berlin Wall

Symbolized end of Cold War and communism in Europe

Tiananmen Square

Pro-democracy protests crushed by Chinese government