1. Critical Vocabulary Unit 2

2. Oligarchy Government in which power is in the hands of a few people (especially the wealthy and/or powerful).

3. Autocracy A government in which a dictator has unlimited power.

4. Democracy A government in which all citizens have an equal say in decisions.

5. Republic Form of government in which people choose their leaders

6. Aristocracy A government in which power is held by a hereditary ruling class (nobility).

7. Dynasty A series of rulers from a single family.

8. Polis Greek city-state

9. Christianity Based on the teachings of Jesus of Nazareth, a Jew. Characteristics: Salvation through faith in Jesus, Trinity (Father, Son, Holy Spirit), and the New Testament.

10. Buddhism Religion/philosophy created by Siddhartha Gautama who opposed the Hindu Caste System. Characteristics: Nirvana, all people are equal, Four Noble Truths, Eightfold Path, and Reincarnation.

11. Confucianism A system of ethics, founded on the teachings of Confucius, that influenced the traditional culture of China. Confucianism places a high value on learning and stresses family relationships.

12. Mandate of Heaven political theory of ancient China in which those in power were given the right to rule from a divine source

13. Pythagoras Greek philosopher and mathematician best known for creating the Pythagorean Theorem.

14. Silk Roads A network of trade routes spanning from China to the Mediterranean through which many good/ideas were exchanged over land.