1. Barron’s Regents Review

2. Agrarian revolution
Change in farming method in England ’s –increased farm production

3. Absolute monarchy
Ruler has complete authority

4. Age of exploration
European monarchs sent explorers to Asia, Africa, and the Americas –

5. Agrarian economy
Economic system that focuses on agriculture as chief source of wealth

6. astrolabe
Instrument that determines latitude by the position of the stars

7. appeasement
Giving in to an aggressor to avoid war

8. armistice
Temporary agreement to stop fighting

9. Anti-Semitism
Prejudice against the Jewish people

10. Aristocracy
Government ruled by nobles or, the upper class

11. apartheid
Strict segregation of the races – especially in South Africa from

12. archipelago
A chain or group of islands – Japan….the Philippines

13. animism
Traditional African (& Japanese) belief that the spirit dwells in all living & non-living things

14. archaeologist
Scientist who studies past human life by studying relics or, artifacts left by ancient people

15. alliance
Agreement between two or more countries that provides for their shared defense & protection

16. anthropologist
Scientist that studies the origins and cultures of human beings

17. acid rain
Toxic (deadly) pollution produced by the burning of fossil fuels

18. Gupta
Indian empire that first developed what are now called Arabic numerals
181818

19. clan
Extended family or groups of families that have a common ancestor or family ties

20. Buddhism
Major religion of eastern & central Asia based on teaching of Siddhartha Gautama who believed in self-denial & meditation

21. civilization
Advanced form of society with a complex social system – some form of writing & advances in science & technology

22. bushido
Traditional code of the Japanese warrior (samurai) – emphasizes loyalty to the local warlord rather than allegiance to the emperor

23. civil disodbedience
Nonviolent or passive resistance; refusal to obey unjust laws

24. city-state
Small, independent state that consists of a city & the territory surrounding it - ancient Greece: Athens, Sparta…

25. balance of power
Attempt to set up things so that one nation does not have more power than its neighbors or, other nations

26. bourgeoisie
Middle-class – term used by Marx & Engels to describe the capitalists or, factory owners, who exploit the workers (proletariat).

27. citizen
Member of a state or country

28. balance of trade
Difference in value between a nation’s imports & exports over time

29. Byzantine Empire
Eastern part of the Roman Empire; preserved the culture of ancient Greece - saved Roman texts from destruction after the fall of the western Roman Empire in 476 A.D.

30. Black Death
Bubonic plague – contagious disease during the 1300’s where possibly over 100 million people died in Europe, Asia, and Africa

31. caliph
Title for the successor to Muhammad as the political & religious leader of Islam

32. Bolsheviks
Left-wing group in Russia – leader was Lenin – seized control of the government in They were later called communists

33. christianity
Belief system based on the teachings of Jesus that began in the Middle East about 2000 years ago & was rooted in the monotheistic religion of Judaism

34. class system
Social division of society based on wealth, birth, education, occupation, or race

35. caste system
Division of society into 4 major groups based on occupation or birth; a rigid social system of traditional Hindu society in India

36. Classical period
Refers to the artistic style of ancient Greece & Rome; it was considered their Golden Age

37. capitalism
Economic system where the means of production & wealth are controlled by individuals for profit. Opposite of communism where the government controls these things.

38. calligraphy
Fancy handwriting that Chinese & Arab scholars turned into an art form; characters & symbols represent words or ideas.

39. cultural diffusion
Spread of ideas, customs, & technology from one group or region to another culture.

40. Cultural Revolution
Program by Mao Zedong in China (1960’s) against those who opposed the communist government. Mao used the Red Guards (youths) to purge China of anyone who disagreed with his ideas or policies.

41. Commercial Revolution
Changes in the economies of Europe in the Middle Ages – led to a growth of towns, banks, & trade among nations.

42. consumer goods
Tangible economic products used to satisfy the wants & needs of a society.

43. deforestation
Destruction of a forest.

44. cuneiform
Ancient Sumerian form of writing. Characters were formed by pressing a stick into wet clay.

45. czar
Title of the Russian emperor; also spelled tsar.

46. culture
People’s way of life – language, customs, religion, traditions, and institutions.

47. de-colonization
Process by which European colonies in Asia & Africa became independent countries after World War II ended.

48. containment
Policy of the U.S. toward the Soviet Union during the Cold War to prevent the spread of communism in the world.

49. communism
Form of socialism proposed by Karl Marx & Friedrich Engels – a “classless” society – supports a common ownership & equal distribution of the products of society; no class struggle & the government will wither away.

50. constitutional monarchy
Government in which the king or queen’s power is limited or defined by the legislature or parliament body.

51. coup d`etat
(French term) – swift overthrow of the government by force or by a small group of people.

52. conquistadors
Spanish explorers who conquered land in the Americas for Spain during the 1500’s & 1600’s.

53. command economy
Economic system where the central authority makes all the production decisions on what & how to produce goods. ie: communist states

54. crusades
Religious wars between Christian Europe & the Muslims for control of the Holy Lands, lasting from 1096 A.D. until 1246 A.D.

55. collectivization
System under communism in which many small farms were combined into large farms owned & operated by the govt. & worked by the peasants; started by Stalin in the late 1920’s.

56. Cold War
Period of tension & hostility between the U.S. & Soviet Union after 1945 because of their different political & economic systems; worldwide struggle without actual fighting between the two powers; “ended” in 1991 with the collapse of the U.S.S.R. (Soviet Union).

57. codified law
Organized and written set of rules or laws.

58. Confucianism
Belief system of the Chinese philosopher Confucius –emphasizes traditional values such as obedience. respect for elders, education, leaders, and the importance of the family!

59. famine
Drastic shortage of food that results in severe starvation and hunger.

60. ethics
Standards or rules that guide human behavior.

61. ethnic group
Group of people sharing a common language, religion, history, and cultural heritage.

62. ethnic cleansing
Term used to describe the forcible removal or murder of Muslims from former Yugoslav provinces of Bosnia & Herzegovina by the Serbian majority during the years

63. Estates-General
Legislative assembly of France composed of clergy, nobles, and commoners during the Old Regime.

64. fossil fuels
Fuel such as oil, coal, wood, and natural gas.

65. Five Pillars of Wisdom
Basic beliefs of Islam that include: one God (Allah), praying 5 times a day, fasting during the month of Ramadan, making a pilgrimage to Mecca and giving alms to the poor.

66. Five Year Plan
Series of economic goals started by Joseph Stalin in Russia (1927) to build up industry & improve farm production.

67. Euro or Eurodollar
Uniform currency (money) introduced in Europe in 1999.

68. fascism
Political philosophy that puts the nation over the individual. A dictator has complete control, suppresses all opposition, and has no regard for democracy. – Mussolini (Italy) in the 1920’s and 1930’s.

69. enlightened despot
Absolute ruler who bases decisions on the ideas of the Enlightenment; uses absolute power to begin social changes.

70. feudalism
political, economic, and social system in Europe & Japan during the 1100’s in which land is controlled by the local lord, who owed allegiance to a higher lord or monarch. The lord allowed serfs to work the land in exchange for protection.

71. expansionism
Policy of increasing a nation’s territory at the expense of another nation.

72. Fertile Crescent
Large arc of land in the Middle East between the Tigris & Euphrates Rivers (modern-day Iraq), mostly desert or semi-arid (dry) land, called the “Cradle of Civilization”.

73. factory system
System that brought workers & machines together to produce goods in large quantities; it began in the British textile (fabric) industry during the Industrial Revolution.

74. extraterritoriality
Special right of foreign citizens to be tried for a crime by the laws and courts of their own nation; this applied to Westerners in China during the 19th and 20th centuries.

75. exploitation
Term used to describe how the mother countries took advantage of their colonies to insure that their own economies grew. (also – mercantilism).

76. extended family
Family made up of grandparents, parents, children, aunts, uncles, and cousins whose members may live in the same household or area; this type exists mainly in a traditional society.
*** Opposite – is a “nuclear family”.

77. ethnocentrism
Prejudicial belief that one’s culture or standards are superior to those of other societies.

78. The Enlightenment
Period known as the Age of Reason in 18th Century Europe. Enlightenment thinkers believed that one could use reason to understand the universe; they rejected traditional ideas based on authority.