AP WORLD ALL VOCAB

Unit 1 – The Global Tapestry (c. 1200–1450 CE)

East Asia: China, Japan, Korea

  • Neo-Confucianism: A revival of Confucian thought blending elements of Buddhism and Daoism; became dominant during the Song dynasty and emphasized social harmony and moral behavior.

  • Mahayana Buddhism: A branch of Buddhism focused on compassion and the possibility of achieving enlightenment for all beings; popular in China, Korea, and Japan.

  • Flying Cash: Early Chinese paper money used during the Tang and Song dynasties; allowed merchants to deposit and withdraw money in different cities.

  • Champa Rice: A fast-ripening and drought-resistant rice from Vietnam that allowed two harvests per season, greatly increasing Chinese agricultural output.

  • Foot Binding: A practice among elite Chinese women where feet were tightly bound to appear small, reflecting patriarchal control and social status.

  • Grand Canal: A vast Chinese waterway system linking the Yellow and Yangtze Rivers, facilitating internal trade and communication.

  • Hangzhou: A major southern Chinese city that flourished during the Song dynasty; known for its commerce and culture.

  • Beijing: Capital city of several Chinese dynasties including the Yuan, Ming, and Qing; political and cultural center of northern China.

  • Sinification: The process by which non-Chinese societies came under the influence of Chinese culture, especially in East and Southeast Asia.

  • Khanates: Regions of the Mongol Empire ruled by different descendants of Genghis Khan, such as the Golden Horde or Ilkhanate.

East Asia: Japan

  • Shogunate: A form of government in Japan where the shogun (military leader) held power over the emperor; started with the Kamakura Shogunate.

  • Shinto: Indigenous Japanese religion focused on nature spirits (kami) and ancestor worship.

  • Bushido: The code of conduct for samurai, emphasizing loyalty, honor, and martial arts skill.

  • Samurai: Japanese warrior class who served the daimyo (lords) and followed bushido.

  • The Tale of Genji: The world’s first novel, written by Murasaki Shikibu in 11th-century Japan, depicting aristocratic court life.

Chinese Dynasties

  • Sui Dynasty (581–618): Reunified China after centuries of fragmentation; built the Grand Canal but collapsed due to overextension.

  • Tang Dynasty (618–907): A golden age of Chinese culture, expansion, and trade; embraced Buddhism and built a strong bureaucracy.

  • Song Dynasty (960–1279): Known for technological advances, economic prosperity, and the rise of Neo-Confucianism; politically weaker than Tang.

  • Wu Zhao: The only female emperor of China, ruled during the Tang dynasty, promoted Buddhism and education.

  • Li Bai: Famous Tang dynasty poet known for romantic and nature-themed poetry.

  • Zhu Xi: Leading Neo-Confucian scholar during the Song dynasty who emphasized order, education, and moral behavior.

Mongols

  • Mongols: Nomadic pastoralists from Central Asia who created the largest contiguous empire in history under Genghis Khan.

  • Genghis Khan: Founder of the Mongol Empire; united tribes and expanded through brutal military conquest.

  • Yuan Dynasty: Mongol-led dynasty in China (1271–1368) founded by Kublai Khan; mixed Chinese and Mongol administration.

  • Kublai Khan: Grandson of Genghis Khan; conquered China and established the Yuan dynasty.

Japan (continued)

  • Murasaki Shikibu: Heian court lady and author of The Tale of Genji.

  • Minamoto Yoritomo: First shogun of Japan; established the Kamakura Shogunate in 1192.

Ming China

  • Zheng He: Chinese admiral who led large maritime expeditions under the Ming dynasty to expand Chinese influence.

Unit 2 – Networks of Exchange (c. 1200–1450 CE)

Trade Networks & Commerce

  • Caravanserai: Roadside inns along trade routes like the Silk Roads where travelers and caravans could rest and resupply.

  • Camel Caravan: Groups of traders using camels to transport goods across deserts, especially on the Trans-Saharan and Silk Road routes.

  • Commodities: Valuable trade goods such as silk, spices, salt, gold, and textiles.

  • Gunpowder: Chinese invention that spread through the Silk Roads; revolutionized warfare globally.

  • Porcelain: High-quality ceramic from China that was widely traded and highly desired across Eurasia.

  • Papermaking: Invented in China, this technology spread westward, transforming education and record-keeping.

  • Compass: Navigation tool developed in China; crucial for maritime travel, especially in the Indian Ocean.

Key Events & Cities

  • Battle of Talas (751): Conflict between the Abbasid Caliphate and the Tang Dynasty; led to the transfer of papermaking to the Islamic world.

  • Banking Houses: Financial institutions that issued credit and bills of exchange; helped facilitate long-distance trade.

  • Silkworms: Used to produce silk in China; the foundation of the valuable silk industry.

  • Kashgar: A major trading city on the Silk Roads in Central Asia, linking China to the Islamic world.

  • Samarkand: A wealthy Silk Road city known for trade, architecture, and scholarship in Central Asia.

Disease & Travel

  • Bubonic Plague: Also known as the Black Death; spread via trade routes, killing millions in Eurasia.

  • Sogdians: Central Asian merchants who played a key role in Silk Road trade and cultural exchange.

  • Travels of Marco Polo: Accounts of the Venetian merchant’s journey to China, which fascinated Europeans and increased interest in Asia.

Key People

  • Genghis (Chinggis) Khan: United Mongol tribes; launched conquests that expanded trade and cultural exchange across Eurasia.

  • Ibn Battuta: Muslim traveler who journeyed across the Islamic world and documented cultures from West Africa to India to China.

  • Kublai Khan: Mongol ruler of China; founded the Yuan Dynasty and expanded trade networks.

  • Marco Polo: Venetian merchant who traveled to the Mongol court; his writings introduced Asia to Europe.

Mongol Empire & Innovations

  • Pastoralism: Nomadic lifestyle centered on herding animals; key to Mongol society and mobility.

  • Steppe: Vast grasslands of Central Asia where the Mongols originated.

  • Kurultai: Political council of Mongol leaders used to elect the Great Khan.

  • Khanate: Regional divisions of the Mongol Empire (e.g., Golden Horde, Ilkhanate).

  • Golden Horde: Mongol khanate ruling over Russia and Eastern Europe.

  • Siege Warfare: Military strategy involving surrounding and attacking fortified cities; perfected by Mongols.

  • Yuan Dynasty: Chinese dynasty ruled by the Mongols under Kublai Khan.

  • Ilkhanate: Mongol khanate in Persia; eventually converted to Islam and blended Mongol and Persian culture.

  • Yam System: Mongol postal relay system using stations and horses to quickly transmit messages.

  • Paiza: Mongol-issued passport that allowed safe travel across the empire.

  • Yassa: Legal code developed by Genghis Khan to unify his empire.

  • Pax Mongolica: "Mongol Peace" — a time of relative stability and increased trade and cultural exchange under Mongol rule.

  • Subutai Baghatur: Mongol general and military strategist under Genghis Khan.

  • Khwarazm Shah: Ruler of a Central Asian empire that was destroyed by Genghis Khan after defying him.

Indian Ocean Trade & Maritime Technology

  • Dhow: Arab sailing ship with triangular sails used for trade in the Indian Ocean.

  • Astrolabe: Navigational instrument used to determine latitude by measuring stars; important for maritime trade.

  • Lateen Sail: Triangular sail allowing ships to sail against the wind; crucial for Indian Ocean navigation.

  • Stern-Post Rudder: A Chinese invention that made steering ships easier and improved maritime trade.

  • Monsoon Winds: Seasonal winds that facilitated predictable travel across the Indian Ocean.

  • Junk: Large, stable Chinese ship used in long-distance trade.

Diasporic Communities

  • Diaspora: Communities of people living outside their homeland who maintain cultural connections; often formed by merchants (e.g., Jewish, Muslim, Chinese).

  • Zheng He: Ming Chinese admiral who led massive naval expeditions across the Indian Ocean to show Chinese power and expand tribute.

Unit 3 – Land-Based Empires (c. 1450–1750 CE)

Gunpowder Empires

  • Gunpowder Empires: Large, militarized states that expanded using gunpowder weapons like cannons and muskets. Key examples:

    • Ottoman Empire

    • Safavid Empire

    • Mughal Empire

  • Ottoman Empire: Sunni Muslim empire centered in Anatolia (modern-day Turkey); expanded into Southeast Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa.

  • Safavid Empire: Shia Muslim empire in Persia (modern Iran); known for its conflict with the Ottomans.

  • Mughal Empire: Muslim empire in India known for religious tolerance (at times) and architectural achievements like the Taj Mahal.

Centralization of Power

  • Devshirme: Ottoman system of recruiting Christian boys from the Balkans, converting them to Islam, and training them as elite soldiers or bureaucrats.

  • Janissaries: Elite infantry soldiers of the Ottoman Empire; originally recruited through the devshirme.

  • Tax Farming: System where the state gave private individuals the right to collect taxes in exchange for a fee; used in the Ottoman Empire.

  • Zamindar: Land-owning elites in the Mughal Empire who collected taxes and served as administrators.

Religious Legitimacy & Conflict

  • Divine Right: European belief that monarchs were chosen by God to rule.

  • Shi’a Islam: Branch of Islam followed by the Safavids; led to conflict with Sunni Ottomans.

  • Sunni Islam: Branch of Islam followed by the Ottomans and Mughals.

  • Protestant Reformation: Movement against the Catholic Church led by Martin Luther; created new Christian denominations.

  • Martin Luther: German monk who wrote the 95 Theses criticizing Catholic corruption; started the Protestant Reformation.

  • Catholic Counter-Reformation: Movement to reform the Catholic Church and stop the spread of Protestantism (Council of Trent, Jesuits, Inquisition).

  • Jesuits: Catholic missionaries and educators who spread Catholicism during the Counter-Reformation.

Rulers & Their Power

  • Absolutism: A political system where a monarch holds total power, often justified by divine right.

  • Louis XIV: Absolute monarch of France who built the Palace of Versailles to show power and control the nobility.

  • Peter the Great: Russian czar who modernized (Westernized) Russia and expanded its territory.

  • Ivan the Terrible (Ivan IV): First czar of Russia; known for centralizing power and using violence to control nobility.

  • Akbar the Great: Mughal emperor who promoted religious tolerance and cultural blending.

  • Aurangzeb: Later Mughal emperor who reversed religious tolerance and expanded the empire but weakened it internally.

Art, Architecture & Culture as Power

  • Taj Mahal: Monument built by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan; symbol of empire’s wealth and Islamic influence.

  • Palace of Versailles: Lavish French palace used by Louis XIV to display power and control nobles.

  • Mosque of Suleymaniye: Large mosque in Istanbul built by Suleiman the Magnificent to show Ottoman strength and devotion.

  • Miniature Paintings: Small, detailed art pieces used in the Mughal Empire to glorify rulers and events.

Empire Administration

  • Tribute System: System where conquered peoples or neighboring states paid money or goods to avoid being attacked or to receive protection.

  • Millet System: Ottoman policy that allowed religious communities (like Christians and Jews) to govern themselves under their own laws.

  • Bureaucracy: System of government officials and departments used to manage large empires (China, Ottomans, Mughals all used it).

  • Civil Service Exam: Chinese system for selecting government officials based on Confucian learning; continued under the Ming and Qing dynasties.

  • Manchu (Qing) Dynasty: Ethnic minority (from Manchuria) who ruled China after the Ming; expanded Chinese borders significantly.

Unit 4 – Transoceanic Interactions (c. 1450–1750 CE)

🚢 Maritime Exploration & Technology

  • Astrolabe: Instrument used to determine latitude by measuring the position of stars.

  • Magnetic Compass: Navigational tool that shows direction using Earth’s magnetic field.

  • Lateen Sail: Triangular sail that allowed ships to sail more effectively against the wind.

  • Caravel: Small, fast Portuguese ship with triangular sails; used for exploration.

  • Carrack: Large Portuguese ship used for long-distance trade.

  • Galleon: Heavily armed ship used by Europeans, especially the Spanish, for trade and war.

  • Fluyt: Dutch cargo ship designed for efficiency and trade, not war.

  • Ocean Currents & Prevailing Winds: Used by European navigators to plan efficient sea routes.

🌍 Key Explorers & Sponsors

  • Prince Henry the Navigator: Portuguese prince who funded maritime exploration around Africa.

  • Bartolomeu Dias: First to round the southern tip of Africa (Cape of Good Hope).

  • Vasco da Gama: Portuguese explorer who reached India via the Cape of Good Hope.

  • Christopher Columbus: Sailed west for Spain, “discovered” the Americas in 1492.

  • Ferdinand Magellan: Led first expedition to circumnavigate the globe.

  • Captain James Cook: British explorer who mapped Australia, New Zealand, and the Pacific.

  • Vitus Bering: Explored the Arctic and Siberia; the Bering Strait is named after him.

🌐 Empires & Colonization

  • Trading Post Empire: Portuguese strategy of controlling coastal trade hubs (not inland territory).

  • Conquistador: Spanish conquerors in the Americas (Cortés, Pizarro).

  • Treaty of Tordesillas: Agreement dividing the New World between Spain and Portugal.

  • Viceroy: Spanish colonial governor who ruled in the Americas in the king’s name.

  • Colonies: Territories ruled by foreign powers, usually for economic gain.

🦠 Columbian Exchange

  • Columbian Exchange: The massive transfer of people, animals, plants, and diseases between the Old World and New World.

    • To Old World: Maize, potatoes, cacao.

    • To New World: Horses, pigs, smallpox, sugarcane.

  • Smallpox: Devastating disease that killed millions of Indigenous Americans.

  • Cash Crops: Crops like sugar, cotton, and tobacco grown for profit, not subsistence.

💰 Economic Systems

  • Capitalism: Economic system based on private property and free markets.

  • Commercial Revolution: Expansion of trade and business in Europe due to exploration and colonization.

  • Joint Stock Company: A company owned by investors who share profits and risks (e.g., British East India Co.).

  • Mercantilism: Economic policy focused on accumulating wealth through trade; colonies provided raw materials and markets.

  • Triangle Trade (Atlantic System):

    • Europe → Africa: Guns, textiles.

    • Africa → Americas: Enslaved people (Middle Passage).

    • Americas → Europe: Sugar, tobacco, cotton.

👩🏿‍🌾 Labor Systems

  • Encomienda System: Spanish system where colonists could demand labor from Indigenous people in return for "protection."

  • Hacienda System: Large estates in Spanish colonies with laborers (free or coerced).

  • Chattel Slavery: People treated as property to be bought and sold.

  • Indentured Servitude: Labor system where people worked for a set time in exchange for passage to the Americas.

  • Coerced Labor: Includes slavery, serfdom, encomienda, and mita systems.

🌎 Resistance & Impact

  • Maroon Societies: Communities of escaped enslaved people (e.g., in Jamaica, Brazil).

  • Queen Nanny: Leader of Jamaican Maroons who resisted British control.

  • Ana Nzinga: African queen who resisted Portuguese colonization in Angola.

  • Metacom's War (King Philip's War): Conflict between Indigenous Americans and English colonists.

  • Pugachev Rebellion: Peasant uprising in Russia led by a Cossack against Catherine the Great.

🧪 Cultural Exchange & Syncretism

  • Syncretism: Blending of different cultural or religious traditions (e.g., Vodun, Santería).

  • Our Lady of Guadalupe: Catholic symbol blending Indigenous and Christian beliefs in Mexico.

  • Sikhism: Religion founded in India that blends elements of Hinduism and Islam.

  • Sultanate of Women: Period in the Ottoman Empire where women of the harem had significant political influence.

  • Sephardic Jews: Jews expelled from Spain in 1492, many settled in the Ottoman Empire and North Africa.

Unit 5 – Revolutions (c. 1750–1900 CE)

📚 Enlightenment Ideas

  • John Locke: Natural rights — life, liberty, property; gov’t must protect them.

  • Jean-Jacques Rousseau: Social contract — gov’t gets power from the consent of the governed.

  • Voltaire: Advocated for free speech, religious tolerance.

  • Montesquieu: Separation of powers (influenced constitutions).

  • Adam Smith: Wrote Wealth of Nations; supported capitalism and laissez-faire economics.

  • Mary Wollstonecraft: Early advocate of women’s rights and education.

🗽 Political Revolutions

  • American Revolution (1775–1783): Inspired by Enlightenment; U.S. breaks from Britain; Declaration of Independence.

  • French Revolution (1789–1799):

    • Causes: Inequality, debt, Enlightenment.

    • Phases: Moderate (National Assembly), Radical (Reign of Terror), Napoleonic era.

  • Haitian Revolution (1791–1804):

    • Led by Toussaint L’Ouverture.

    • First successful slave revolt → independent Black republic.

  • Latin American Revolutions (1810s–1830s):

    • Leaders: Simón Bolívar, José de San Martín.

    • Inspired by Enlightenment and other revolutions.

🇮🇹 Nationalism & Unification

  • Nationalism: Pride in shared culture/language/history; led to unification and independence movements.

  • German Unification: Led by Otto von Bismarck, used “blood and iron.”

  • Italian Unification: Led by Giuseppe Garibaldi and Cavour.

  • Zionism: Movement to create a Jewish homeland (founded by Theodor Herzl).

  • Balkans: Nationalist movements weakened the Ottoman Empire.

🏭 Industrial Revolution

  • First Industrial Revolution (c. 1750–1850):

    • Britain was the birthplace (coal, iron, rivers, labor, capital).

    • Key inventions: Spinning jenny, steam engine, power loom.

  • Factory System: Replaced hand production; centralized labor.

  • Urbanization: People moved to cities for factory work.

  • Second Industrial Revolution (late 1800s):

    • Focused on steel, electricity, chemicals, and communication (telegraph, telephone).

💰 Economic Systems

  • Capitalism (Adam Smith): Free markets, private ownership.

  • Socialism: Government should regulate or own major industries to reduce inequality.

  • Communism: Classless society with communal ownership (Karl Marx & Friedrich Engels).

  • Utilitarianism (John Stuart Mill): Policies should promote the greatest good for the most people.

🧑‍🏭 Reactions to Industrialization

  • Labor Unions: Formed to protect workers’ rights.

  • Chartism: British working-class movement for political reform.

  • Factory Acts: Limited child labor, set work hours.

  • Luddites: Workers who destroyed machines they blamed for job loss.

  • Utopian Socialism: Early attempts to create ideal, cooperative societies (e.g., Owen, Fourier).

🌍 Global Effects of Revolution & Reform

  • Abolition of Slavery:

    • Britain (1833), U.S. (1865), Brazil (1888) — influenced by Enlightenment and activism.

  • Feminism:

    • Seneca Falls Convention (1848): First women’s rights meeting in the U.S.

    • Elizabeth Cady Stanton: Feminist leader who co-wrote the Declaration of Sentiments.

  • Serf Emancipation (Russia): Tsar Alexander II freed serfs in 1861 (but left them poor and tied to land).

📣 Revolutionary Documents

  • Declaration of Independence (1776) – U.S.; natural rights, break from tyranny.

  • Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen (1789) – French Revolution; equality, liberty.

  • Letter from Jamaica (1815) – Bolívar’s call for Latin American independence.