World History Review: 1200 – Present

A set of vocabulary and key event flashcards spanning from Era 1 (1200) to the contemporary world (present), including significant global treaties, revolutions, and social changes.

Chinggis Khan

Leader who in $1206$ unified nomadic tribes to begin Mongol conquests, creating the largest contiguous empire and facilitating Pax Mongolica.

Pax Mongolica

Period of stability and peace that facilitated trade along the Silk Road during the Mongol Empire.

Abbasid Caliphate

The Islamic state that ended in $1258$ after the Mongols sacked Baghdad, marking the end of the Islamic Golden Age.

Mansa Musa

Ruler of Mali whose $1324$ hajj demonstrated immense wealth, crashed the gold market, and spread Islam to West Africa.

Ibn Battuta

Traveler who from $1325$ to $1349$ documented the reach of the Dar al-Islam and highlighted cultural syncretism.

Bubonic Plague

Disease that killed $rac{1}{3}$ of Europe's population between $1347$ and $1348$, leading to the end of serfdom as labor value increased.

Zheng He

Ming Dynasty admiral who led power projection voyages in the Indian Ocean from $1405$ to $1433$ before China turned inward.

mit'a

The labor system used by the Inca Empire in the Andes, which mastered high-altitude agriculture around $1438$.

Ottomans

Empire that captured Constantinople in $1453$, ending the Byzantine Empire and forcing Europeans to find sea routes to Asia.

Gutenberg Printing Press

$1450s$ invention that fueled the Renaissance, Reformation, and Scientific Revolution by spreading ideas rapidly.

Columbian Exchange

The global exchange of people, plants, and diseases that began in $1492$ following Columbus's voyage.

Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade

System that began in $1502$ with the first African slaves brought to the Americas to support the plantation economy.

Martin Luther

Lead figure of the Protestant Reformation in $1517$ that shattered religious unity in Europe.

Smallpox

Disease introduced to Mesoamerica during the Spanish conquest by Cortez ($1519-1521$) which decimated local populations.

Mughal Empire

Empire in India founded by the Battle of Panipat in $1526$.

Potosí

Location where silver was discovered in $1545$, creating the first truly global currency and powering the Global Flow of Silver.

Manila Galleon

$1571$ trade route directly connecting the Americas (silver) to Asian markets (silk and porcelain).

Tokugawa Shogunate

Government established after the Battle of Sekigahara in $1600$, starting Japan's period of isolation.

Qing Dynasty

The last imperial dynasty of China, beginning in $1644$ after the Manchu takeover.

Peace of Westphalia

$1648$ treaty that ended the $30$ Years War and established the modern concept of nation-state sovereignty.

English Bill of Rights

$1689$ document that solidified constitutional monarchy and limited the "Divine Right of Kings."

Industrial Revolution

Economic transition starting in the $1750s$ in the UK from human and animal power to fossil fuels like coal and steam.

The Wealth of Nations

$1776$ publication that accompanied the rise of capitalism.

Haitian Independence

The only successful slave revolt in history, occurring in $1804$, which established the first independent black republic.

Latin American Independence

$1820s$ movements led by Bolivar and San Martin that ended Spanish mercantilism in South America.

Century of Humiliation

Period of Western imperialism in East Asia triggered by the $1st$ Opium War in $1839$.

Communist Manifesto

$1848$ document written as a reaction to the Industrial Revolution, laying groundwork for $20th$ century revolutions.

Meiji Restoration

Era of Japanese modernization triggered after Commodore Perry "opened" Japan in $1853$.

Sepoy Mutiny

$1857$ uprising that led to the British Raj, which was the direct rule of India by the British crown.

Suez Canal

Waterway opened in $1869$ that drastically shortened trade routes between Europe and Asia.

Berlin Conference

$1885$ meeting that began the "Scramble for Africa," where borders were drawn without regard for ethnic groups.

Treaty of Versailles

$1919$ treaty that punished Germany, created the League of Nations, and set the stage for WWII.

Great Depression

Global economic downturn triggered by the $1929$ Stock Market Crash, leading to the rise of totalitarian regimes.

United Nations

International organization founded in $1945$ designed to prevent future world wars.

Partition of India

$1947$ event ending the British Raj that created India and Pakistan, leading to massive migration and violence.

Chinese Communist Revolution

$1949$ revolution led by Mao Zedong that established China as a major communist actor.

Green Revolution

$1960s$ introduction of new agricultural technologies like GMOs and pesticides that drastically increased the food supply.

Iranian Revolution

$1979$ revolution that saw the rise of a theocratic government and a shift toward Islamic fundamentalism.

Ashoka

Mauryan Dynasty ruler ($322-184$ BCE) who spread Buddhism via Rock and Pillar Edicts.

Han Dynasty

Chinese dynasty ($206$ BCE – $220$ CE) that established the Civil Service Exam and the Silk Road.

Great Schism

The $1054$ formal split between the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches.

Battle of Lepanto

$1571$ naval battle that stopped Ottoman dominance in the Mediterranean.

Peter the Great

Russian leader who founded St. Petersburg in $1703$ as a symbol of Westernization.

7 Years War

Conflict from $1756$ to $1763$ described as the first "world war," establishing British dominance in India and North America.

Bretton Woods Conference

$1944$ conference that established the IMF and World Bank, making the dollar the global reserve currency.

Fall of Constantinople\n\n

The event in $1453$ marking the end of the Byzantine Empire and significant for the rise of the Ottoman Empire, impacting trade routes and European exploration efforts.\n\n

Spanish Conquest of the Aztec Empire\n\n

The conquest led by Hernán Cortés in $1519-1521$, resulting in the fall of Tenochtitlán and major shifts in power, culture, and economics in Mesoamerica.\n\n

English Civil War\n\n

Conflict from $1642$ to $1651$ that resulted in the temporary overthrow of the monarchy and the establishment of a Commonwealth; significant for concepts of liberty and governance.\n\n

American Revolution\n\n

Revolution from $1775$ to $1783$ that led to the independence of the thirteen American colonies from British rule, influencing ideas of democracy and governance worldwide.\n\n

French Revolution\n\n

Revolution beginning in $1789$ that dismantled the monarchy in France, promoting ideals of liberty, equality, and fraternity, which inspired global movements for change.\n\n

World War I\n\n

Global conflict from $1914$ to $1918$ triggered by the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, leading to changes in political boundaries, economies, and societies worldwide.\n\n

World War II\n\n

Global conflict from $1939$ to $1945$ that fundamentally altered world politics, leading to the establishment of the United Nations and the beginning of the Cold War.\n\n

Independence of India\n\n

The event in $1947$ that marked the end of British colonial rule in India, leading to the creation of two independent states: India and Pakistan, influencing decolonization movements globally.\n\n

Fall of the Berlin Wall\n\n

The event in $1989$ symbolizing the end of the Cold War and the division between Eastern and Western Europe, paving the way for German reunification and European integration.\n\n

Globalization\n\n

The process that accelerated in the late $20th$ century, characterized by increased interconnectedness and interdependence among countries, reshaping economies, cultures, and political systems.\n\n