9th Grade World History Final Exam Comprehensive Study Guide
Fundamental Concepts in Agriculture and Environment
Rural Living: Defined as living in the country; this is the direct opposite of a city or urban environment.
Urban Living: Defined as living in the city.
Agrarian Society: A society whose economy is based primarily on farming.
Drought: These are extended periods characterized by little or no rain, or inconsistent rainfall patterns.
Terrace Farming: An environmental alteration technique used by the Incas involving carving steps or flat land into the side of a mountain to facilitate agriculture.
Subsistence Farming: Growing just enough food for immediate personal consumption with no surplus (extra food).
Climate: The average weather conditions measured over an extended period of time.
Weather: The immediate outdoor conditions, which are subject to frequent changes.
Systems of Government and Economic Policies
Capitalism: An economic system based on the principles of supply and demand.
Totalitarianism: A form of government where the state has total control over the lives of the people.
Theocracy: A system where government and religion are blended together. A historical example is ancient Egypt.
Centralized Government: A setup where one central government (federal) rules over a larger geographical area.
Revolution: A major change, typically involving a change in government.
Absolute Monarchy: A system of government where the King holds all the power.
Divine King: The belief that a King receives his power directly from God.
Mercantilism: An economic policy characterized by two main goals:
Achieving a favorable balance of trade (maintaining more exports than imports).
Taking and maintaining colonies.
Dynasty: A series of rulers originating from the same family.
Imperialism: When a country takes over a smaller or weaker country for its own gain.
Nationalism: Having pride in your country.
Social Mobility: The ability for an individual to move up or down in social class.
The Five Themes of Geography
Location: Can be described as relative or exact (using latitude and longitude).
Place: Describes what a specific area looks like.
Interaction: Focuses on how humans change and adapt to their environment.
Movement: The physical and abstract displacement of people, goods, and ideas.
Region: An area defined by similar characteristic traits.
Foundational Vocabulary of Human Society
Culture: The complete way of life of a group of people, including music, religion, food, beliefs, and habits.
Subculture: A smaller group existing within a larger group.
Prehistoric: Refers to the long time period before written records were kept.
History: Defined as the story of humankind.
Cultural Diffusion: The spread of ideas that takes place whenever there is contact between cultures, such as through trade or war. Examples include the spread of religion and food.
Ethnocentrism: The belief that one's own culture is superior to all others. This is characterized by excessive pride and is often negative, leading to conflict or war.
Stereotype: Beliefs about a group of people that are based on fallacies.
Archaeology: The field of science where practitioners unearth artifacts and work with Anthropologists to reconstruct the past.
Assimilation: The process of moving to a new location and changing oneself to become more like the people who already live there.
River Valley Civilizations: Mesopotamia and Egypt
Mesopotamia: The Fertile Crescent
Geographic Context: Known as the "Land Between Two Rivers" or the "Cradle of Civilization."
Rivers: Located on the Tigris and Euphrates rivers.
Modern Location: Found in the modern country of Iraq.
Writing System: Known as Cuneiform, developed by the Sumerians.
Law Code: The famous Babylonian law code is Hammurabi’s Code of Laws.
Hittite Contribution: The introduction and use of Iron Weapons.
Phoenician Contribution: The development of a phonetic Alphabet for writing.
Hebrew Contributions:
Religious: The introduction of Monotheism.
Leader: Moses, who presented the Ten Commandments.
Holy Book: The Torah.
Egypt
Geographic Context: Located on the continent of Africa along the Nile River.
Deities:
Amon-Re: The Sun God.
Osiris: The God of the Underworld.
Writing: The Egyptians developed Hieroglyphics, a system of picture writing.
The Rosetta Stone: Critically important because it allowed for the deciphering of hieroglyphics (it "cracked the code").
Governance: Rulers of Egypt held the title of Pharaoh.
The Old Kingdom: The specific time period during which the pyramids were constructed.
Mummification: A burial process used to preserve the body.
River Valley Civilizations: India and China
India
Geographic Features: Started on the Indus River valley with the Himalayan Mountains to the north.
Khyber Pass: A famous mountain pass that allowed invaders to enter the region.
Monsoons: Winds that sometimes carry significant rain.
Earliest Cities: Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro, which were planned cities.
The Aryans: Invaders who created Indian culture.
Caste: A term representing social class or job occupation.
Language: The written language of India is Sanskrit.
China
Geographic Features: Started on the Yellow River, which is also nicknamed the "River of Sorrows."
Oracle Bones: Used for the purpose of telling the future.
Bronze: An alloy composed of two metals: Iron and Tin.
Ancestor Worship: The belief that dead relatives could influence the gods.
Dynastic Cycle: The system used to explain changes in government.
Mandate of Heaven: The idea stating that God chooses the ruler.
Great Wall of China: A massive structure built to protect the borders from invaders.
Silk Routes: Major trade routes that originated in China.
World Religions and Philosophies
Hinduism
Key Deities: Vishnu (the Creator) and Shiva (the Destroyer).
Social Structure: Includes main castes plus the Untouchables (the lowest group outside the caste system). The Brahmans are at the top.
Holy Books: The Vedas (defining the Caste System) and the Upanishads (defining reincarnation).
Reincarnation: The idea of spiritual rebirth.
Sacred Site: The Ganges River is believed to clean the soul of sins.
Buddhism
Founder: Siddhartha Gautama.
Core Beliefs (Four Noble Truths):
Suffering is universal.
Desire for material goods causes suffering.
The only way to end suffering is to end desire.
Follow the Fold Path.
The Eight Fold Path: The rules for Buddhist life and the path to enlightenment.
Nirvana: The Buddhist term for heaven; the point of wanting nothing.
Zen Buddhism: A specific Japanese form of Buddhism.
Chinese Philosophies
Confucianism:
Main Book: The Analects (4 Baskets of Wisdom).
Core Philosophy: Think, act, and treat others ethically (The Golden Rule).
The Five Relationships: Ruler to Subject, Father to Son, Husband to Wife, Older Brother to Younger Brother, and Friend to Friend.
Taoism:
Decision Making: Taoists favor their heart or intuition over logic.
Governance: They believe government is not necessary and often gets in the way.
Legalism:
Belief: Holds a low view of human nature. The only thing that keeps people good is the threat of punishment.
Other Religious Concepts
Polytheistic: Belief in more than god.
Monotheistic: Belief in god.
Atheistic: Belief in no gods.
Philosophy: A belief system focused on how you live your life (focused on life, not the afterlife).
Predestination: A doctrine of Calvinism stating that God has already determined who will reach salvation at birth.
Classical Civilizations: Greece and Rome
Greece
Trojan War: Fought between Troy and the Greek States (led by Athens).
Literature: Homer is the author of the Iliad and the Odyssey.
Polis: The name for a Greek city-state.
Ostracism: Temporary exile from a city.
Sparta: A military society characterized by a simple life and training for war.
Athens: A free society (for men) emphasizing "a sound mind in a strong body."
Democracy: Athens created a limited/direct form of democracy.
Key Figures:
Hippocrates: The Father of Medicine; associated with the Hippocratic Oath.
Socrates: Philosopher who favored the Socratic Method (question and answer).
Plato: Started the Academy and wrote The Republic.
Aristotle: Began a science institute called the Lyceum.
Alexander the Great: Famous conqueror from Macedonia.
Hellenistic Culture: The name for the blend of Greek, Macedonian, and Indian culture spread by Alexander.
Rome
Social Classes: Patricians (the rich class) and Plebeians (the poor class).
Government: Rome developed a Republic with elected Senators.
Law: The Tables of Laws were the first Roman laws.
Conflicts: The Punic Wars were three wars fought against Carthage.
Hannibal: The leader of Carthage known for his elephant attack on Rome.
Leadership:
Julius Caesar: Leader who became dictator for life.
Augustus (Octavian): The first Emperor of Rome.
Pax Romana: A long period of peace in Rome.
Engineering: Aqueducts were Roman pipelines designed to carry water.
Christianity and the Byzantine Empire
Christianity
Sects: Refers to branches of the religion, such as Catholic and Protestant.
Apostles: The followers and friends of Jesus.
Tithe: A church tax consisting of of one's salary.
Martyr: Someone who dies for their beliefs.
Legalization: Constantine was the Roman leader who legalized Christianity.
Holy Text: The Bible.
Language: Latin was the official language of the Church.
Sacraments: Rituals required to enter Heaven.
Excommunication: Being "thrown out" of the church.
Heresy: Criticizing the church; those who do so are called heretics.
Inquisition: Church courts that investigated charges of heresy.
Simony: The practice of selling church offices and positions.
Byzantine Empire
Location: The Eastern Roman Empire, located in modern-day Turkey.
Capital City: Constantinople (formerly Byzantium).
Justinian: The most famous emperor, who created Justinian’s Code.
Historical Importance: The Byzantine Empire preserved Greek and Roman culture after the fall of the West.
Islam and the Middle Ages
Islam
Founder: Muhammad the Prophet.
Holy City: Mecca, where the religion was founded.
Holy Book: The Koran (Quran).
Five Pillars of Faith:
Confession of Faith.
Prayer.
Charity.
Fasting.
Pilgrimage.
The Middle Ages in Europe
Start of the Era: The Fall of Rome (West) in , resulting in chaos and disorder.
Invaders: Tribes such as the Barbarians, Vandals, and Huns (led by Attila).
The Franks: Conquered Gaul; notable leaders include Clovis, Charles Martel, and Charlemagne.
Battle of Tours: The battle where Christians defeated Muslims in Europe.
Charlemagne: The last strong King of the Franks; he reconquered large parts of the Roman Empire.
Feudalism: A social system based on the exchange of land for protection and loyalty.
Wealth: Measured in land during this period.
Serfs: The lowest group of people who were tied to the land.
Chivalry: A code of conduct for knights and nobles incorporating Christian values and warrior ideals (e.g., protecting the weak, rules for battle).
Manor: Self-sufficient communities.
Three-Field System: A crop rotation system where one field was kept fallow (unplanted).
The Crusades:
Goal: To win back the Holy Land.
Launch: Pope Urban II launched them at the Council of Clermont, promising remission of sins.
Motivation: God, Gold, and Glory.
Results: Viewed as the "Most Successful Failure in History"; though the military goal failed, it resulted in cultural diffusion and pulled Western Europe out of the Dark Ages.
Japan and European Monarchies
Japan
Social Structure: Based on Feudalism, similar to medieval Europe.
Shogun: The person who controlled the Emperor.
Bushido: The code of conduct for the Samurai.
Isolationism: A policy of closing Japan to remove foreign influence.
Ethnocentrism: The reason contact was forbidden by the Emperor.
Rise of Monarchies
William the Conqueror: The Duke of Normandy who invaded England in and defeated Harold at the Battle of Hastings.
Magna Carta: A document that limited the power of the monarchy in England.
Parliament: The law-making body in England.
Hundred Years War: Fought between England and France; Joan of Arc led the French.
Bubonic Plague (Black Death): A disease carried by fleas on rats that killed of the population in Western Europe.
Renaissance and Reformation
Renaissance: Meaning "Rebirth" (specifically of culture, art, science, and technology), inspired by Greece and Rome.
Humanism: The belief that man can accomplish great things on Earth; a reaction to the Dark Ages.
Humanities: Subjects including Art, History, Poetry, and Science (not religion).
Niccolò Machiavelli: Wrote The Prince, giving advice on how to take and hold power. He believed "the ends justifies the means" and debated whether it is better to be loved or feared.
Leonardo da Vinci: The quintessential "Renaissance Man"; painted the Mona Lisa and The Last Supper.
Michelangelo: Regarded as the best sculptor; famous for the Pieta, David, and the Sistine Chapel.
Johann Gutenberg: Inventor of the Printing Press, which made books inexpensive and spread information quickly.
Shakespeare: Playwright of tragedies and comedies (e.g., Romeo & Juliet) performed at the Globe theater.
The Reformation:
Martin Luther: Started the movement by posting the Theses (questions for debate) to protest problems like the sale of Indulgences. This broke the religious unity of Western Europe.
John Calvin: Creator of the idea of Predestination.
Henry VIII: English King who broke with Rome to have a son; the Act of Supremacy made him the head of the Church of England (Anglican Church).
Council of Trent: A meeting held by the Catholic Church to correct issues.
Africa and the Americas
Africa
Geography: Features Climate Zones and diverse societies. The Sahara is the largest desert.
Human Origins: The Great Rift Valley is the site of the earliest discovery of humans.
Trade: West African trade routes moved Gold and Salt.
Mali Empire: Mansa Musa was the most famous ruler, known for his display of wealth during a pilgrimage to Mecca. Timbuktu was a center of education.
The Americas
Mayas: Located in Mexico; achieved advancements in Math.
Aztecs: Located in Mexico with the capital at Tenochtitlan. They collected tribute and practiced human sacrifice to appease the Sun God.
Incas: Located in the Andes Mountains of Peru; used terrace farming. Machu Picchu remains their famous "lost city."
The Age of Exploration
Scientific Revolution: Galileo (following Copernicus) supported the Heliocentric Model of the universe (planets revolve around the Sun). He was tried for heresy and forced to recant.
Reasons for Exploration: Imperialism and the " G's" (God, Gold, and Glory).
Inventions: Astrolabe, Maps, Compass, and improved ships.
Treaty of Tordesillas: The Pope divided the New World using a line of demarcation between Spain (West) and Portugal (East).
Spanish Conquest: Spain took control of the New World. Conquistadors (like Cortez who conquered the Aztecs and Pizarro who conquered the Incas) defeated Native Americans using better weapons, alliances, and disease.
Encomienda: A system used to enslave Native Americans.
Triangle Trade / Columbian Exchange: Trade between Europe, Asia, and the New World. The Middle Passage was the two-month trip for slaves from Africa to the New World.
Explorers:
Columbus: "Discovered" the Americas in while sailing west for India.
Hudson: Explored the Hudson River/Bay looking for a Northwest Passage.
Da Gama: First to take an all-water route from Europe to