American History II Vocab -- All Chapters

chapter 7 page 700ish

containment

the policy or process of preventing the expansion of a hostile power

muckraker

a journalist who uncovers abuses and corruptions in a society

direct primary

a vote held by all members of a political party to decide their candidate for public office

initiative

the right of citizens to place a measure or issue before the voters or the legislature for approval

referendum

the practice of letting voters accept or reject measures proposed by the legislature

recall

the right that enables voters to remove unsatisfactory elected officials from office

suffrage

the right to vote

prohibition

laws banning the manufacture, transportation, and sale of alcoholic beverages

Social Darwinism

a philosophy based on Charles Darwin's theories of evolution and natural selection, asserting that humans have developed through competition and natural selection with only the strongest surviving

arbitration

settling a dispute by agreeing to accept the decision of an impartial outsider

insubordination

disobedience to authority

direct tax

a tax imposed directly on a person or their property

indirect tax

a tax that someone pays, but the tax burden falls on someone else

income tax

a tax based on the net income of a person or a business

unfair trade practices

trading practices that derive a gain at the expense of competition

imperialism

the actions used by one nation to exercise political or economic control over a smaller or weaker nation

protectorate

a country that is technically independent but is actually under the control of another country

yellow journalism

type of sensational, biased, and often false reporting for the sake of attracting readers

autonomy

the quality of or state of being self-governing

jingoism

extreme nationalism marked by aggressive foreign policy

sphere of influence

section of a country where a foreign nation enjoys special rights and powers

Open Door policy

a policy that allowed each foreign nation in China to trade freely in the other nations' spheres of influence

dollar diplomacy

a policy of joining the business interests of a country with its diplomatic interests abroad

guerillas

armed fighters who carry out surprise attacks

gross national product

The total value of goods and services, including income received from abroad, produced by the residents of a country within a specific time period, usually one year.

entrepreneur

A person who organizes, manages, and takes on the risks of a business.

laissez-faire

Idea that government should play as small a role as possible in economic affairs.

land grant

a grant of land by the federal government, especially for roads, railroads, or agricultural colleges

corporation

A business owned by stockholders who share in its profits but are not personally responsible for its debts

economies of scale

the reduction in the cost of a good brought about especially by increased production at a given facility

monopoly

total control of a type of industry by one person or one company

trust

a combination of firms or corporations formed by a legal agreement, especially to reduce competition

holding company

a company whose primary business is owning a controlling share of stock in other companies

deflation

a decline in the volume of available money or credit that results in lower prices, and therefore increases the buying power of money

industrial union

an organization of common laborers and craft workers in a particular industry

lockout

a company tool to fight union demands by refusing to allow employees to enter its facilities to work

injunction

a court order whereby one is required to do or to refrain from doing a specified act

closed shop

an agreement in which a company agrees to hire only union members

immigrant

one who enters and becomes established in a country other than that of his or her original nationality

nativism

A policy of favoring native-born individuals over foreign-born ones

skyscraper

a very tall building

tenement

multifamily apartments, usually dark, crowded, and barely meeting minimum living standards

political machine

an organization linked to a political party that often controlled local government

party boss

the person in control of a political machine

graft

the acquisition of money in dishonest ways, as in bribing a politician

individualism

the belief that no matter what a person's background is, he or she can still become successful through effort

philanthropy

providing money to support humanitarian or social goals

settlement house

an institution located in a poor neighborhood that provided numerous community services such as medical care, child care, libraries, and classes in English

Americanization

process of acquiring or causing a person to acquire American traits and characteristics

populism

a political movement founded in the 1890s representing mainly farmers that favored free coinage of silver and government control of railroads and other large industries

greenback

unit of paper currency first issued by the federal government during the Civil War

inflation

an ongoing increase in prices and decrease in the value of money

cooperative

a store where farmers buy products from each other; an enterprise owned and operated by those who use its services

graduated income tax

a tax based on the net income of an individual or business and which taxes, different income levels at different rates

poll tax

A tax of a fixed amount per person and payable as a requirement for the right to vote

segregation

Separation of people based on racial, ethnic, or other differences

Jim Crow laws

statues enacted to enforce segregation

lynch

to execute, by hanging, without lawful approval

propoganda

the spreading of ideas about an institution or individual for the purpose of influencing opinion

militarism

a policy of aggressive military preparedness

nationalism

loyalty and devotion to a nation

contraband

goods whose importation, exportation, or possession is illegal

Stock Market

a system for buying and selling stocks in corporations

bull market

a long period of rising stock prices

speculation

act of buying stocks at great risk with the anticipation that that prices will rise

margin

buying a stock by paying only a fraction of the stock price and borrowing the rest

margin call

demand by a broker that investors pay back loans made for stocks purchased on margin

bank run

persistent and heavy demands by a bank's depositors, creditors, or customers to withdraw money

installment

regular periodic payment made to pay off the cost of an item when buying it on credit

bailiff

minor officer of the courts

hobo

a homeless and usually penniless wanderer

soap opera

a serial drama on television or radio using melodramatic situations

public works

protects such as highways, parks

relief

aid in the form of money or supplies for those in need

foreclose

to take possession of a property from a mortgager because of defaults on payments

polio

abbreviated term for poliomyelitis, an acute infactious disease affecting the skeletal muscles, often resulting in permanent disability and deformity

concentration camp

a camp where persons are detained or confined

extermination camp

a camp where men, women, and children were sent to be executed

strategic materials

items needed for fighting a war

internationalism

a nation policy of actively trading with foreign countreis t ofoster peace and prosperity

charter

a constitution

satellite nations

nations politically and economically dominated or controlled by another more powerful country

Iron Curtain

the political and military barrier that isolated Soviet-controlled countries of Eastern Europe after World War II

limited war

a war fought with limited commitment of resources to achieve a limited objective, such as containing communism

censure

to express a formal disapproval of an action

fallout

radioactive particles dispersed by a nuclear explosion

massive retaliation

a policy of threatening a massive response, including the use of nuclear weapons, against a Communist state trying to seize a peaceful state by force

brinkmanship

the practice of pushing a dangerous situation to the limit to force an opponent to back down

covert

not openly shown or engaged in; secret

developing nation

a nation whose economy is primarily agricultural

military-industrial complex

an informal relationship that some people believe exists between the military and the defense industry to promote greater military spending and influence government policy

disenfranchise

to deprive of the right to vote

cost-plus

a government contract to pay a manufacturer the cost to produce an item plus a guaranteed percentage

Sunbelt

a new industrial region in southern California and the Deep South that developed during World War II

Victory Suit

a men’s suit with no vest, no cuffs, a short jacket, and narrow lapels, worn during WWII in order to save fabric for the war effort

rationing

restricting the amount of an item an individual can have due to a limited supply

victory garden

garden planted by citizens during war to raise vegetables for home use, leaving more for the troops

amphtrac

an amphibious tractor used to move troops from ships to shore

kamikaze

during World War II, a Japanese suicide pilot whose mission was to crash into his target

Periphery

the outer boundary of something