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Class structure used in India with 4 main categories; status was determined by birth and defined what opportunities or occupations a person would have, it was also a big part of Hindu religion, and if you were good you would be able to reincarnate into a higher caste. -
Social system in medieval Europe where kings and nobles were the top classes and knights and serfs were considered lower. Also developed serfdom, where serfs lived on a lord’s land and in return gave them a portion of their crops and had to completely obey them. It discouraged unified government and economic growth.
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Chinese dynasty that followed the Tang dynasty, considered part of the Golden Age of China, developed paper money as uniform currency, and had major technological developments that influenced the world, like gunpowder, the compass, and printing.
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Large communities of people with similar heritage or the same homeland that have since immigrated to a different country. Communities usually share language, religion, and social customs. Contributed to cultural diffusion and used by merchants around the Indian Ocean.
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A Mongol Khanate that ruled over Russia and Eastern Europe from 1227-1502 and was ruled over by Genghis Khan’s grandson.The Golden Horde unified the future Russian state and provided new political institutions. The khanate consisted of both Mongols and Turks and was later taken over by the Turkish.
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Italian merchant and explorer who traveled along the Silk Road and served under Kublai Khan as an administrator in Asia. His books have accounts of the political and cultural aspects of eastern countries during the time period.
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A large Chinese sailing vessel used to carry large amounts of cargo and people. It was especially important in the Tang and Song dynasties because of its large capacity and was incorporated into the army. Became more important in the 13th-15th centuries for international trade. -
A Muslim traveler who journeyed throughout Africa and the Middle East to help maintain traditional Islamic customs. He also wrote an important book detailing diverse Muslim cultures, and contributed to Dar Al Islam.
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Founded by the five brothers of Sangama with Hinduism and became the greatest empire of southern India through increased agriculture and the conquering of nearby land. Unified kingdom and brought a period of peace and prosperity through Hindu values and the wide use of Sanskrit. The empire fell in 1646.
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Zhen He, a Chinese explorer, was incited by the emperor to make 7 voyages to display China’s diplomatic, economic, and military prowess to many surrounding Asian and African countries. These expeditions were enormous, in both ship and crew, but ended because they were more costly than beneficial.
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Many new navigation technologies, like the astrolabe and magnetic compass, allowed for more effective transportation, and transportation between countries never before seen by each other. Many of these inventions hail from China, and incorporate the use of the stars and earth’s core, and this ingenuity is only the start of many other world changing inventions.
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The transfer and spread of plants, animals, precious metals, cultures, technology, diseases, and ideas between the eastern and newly colonized western hemisphere. It sparked huge shifts in population and also promoted more global trade.
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The Atlantic Slave Trade was a terrible system of exploitation started by Portuguese merchants, when they went to Africa and traded for enslaved people. 10 million and 12 million enslaved Africans were exported and spread throughout the world, as the Spanish, Dutch, French, British, and other major powers would also sail down to Africa and buy people for their labor.
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A drastic change in thought that replaced the older Greek scientific thought. It also changed the importance of Christianity as people started to view things in a more scientific, rather than religious way. It also advanced mathematics, astronomy, and philosophy.
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A period of monarchical rule throughout Europe (most notably France), where rulers held all the power in a country.They used divine right to legitimize their rule and didn’t share power with any other governing body. The best example is King Louis XIV. Absolute monarchs were able to change their countries with reforms quickly using their power.
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Third Mughal Emperor who tripled the empire in size and wealth, and was known for his value of intellect and collaboration with lands he conquered, making him a favorable ruler. He also created a powerful military and instituted social and political reforms.
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A system where colonists were allowed by the Spanish crown to recruit indigenous people for forced physical labor in Peru. Caused the development of new roads and public buildings, and also defined how colonists treated the native peoples.
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A religious doctrine written for European Christianity that legitimized the use of monarchical absolutism and a king’s rule, and allowed a king to have absolute authority over a kingdom because he was appointed by God.
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The Tokugawa dynasty of shoguns that ruled Japan for over 250 years before the Meiji Restoration Era. The ruling shoguns limited foreign influence by cutting off most opportunities for trade with foreigners and banning Christianity. This period also greatly urbanized Japan and centralized power.
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The Age of Enlightenment was a time period defined by its interest in Enlightenment, a philosophy of focusing on finding the truth in reality as opposed to tradition. Defining philosophers include Locke, Newton, and Voltaire.
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Stated in the Declaration of Independence, the United States was a colony of Great Britain until unjust taxes were put upon them. After succeeding in the fight against British forces, they were declared an independent country.
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The French people successfully overthrew the upper class and created a new empire. They did this through executing the wealthiest officials and overpowering the rest.
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An epoch of the era, beginning in Great Britain, the industrial revolution was a long series of inventions and ideas that changed the human lifestyle, beginning with the shift from agriculture to factories. The manufacturing and drive to keep creating devastated natural resources, but boosted the human population and life expectancy.
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The Maroon Wars were multiple engagements between British colonizers and militias of escaped Jamaican slaves in a fight for Jamaican independence. Neither side could ever conquer the other, as the Jamaicans would use guerilla warfare tactics, but the British had more resources. Peace treaties were signed, these caused a ripple of other slave revolts across the world.
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Self-liberated slaves banded together to stop the oppressive French and British forces. After the French revolution, the Haitian slaves saw how unjust their oppression was, and fought, successfully, for their independence.
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Enacted and named after James Monroe, this policy stated that the United States was opposed to foreign interference from the Eastern Hemisphere. It also called for the freedom of South American colonies from Eastern powers.
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An unsuccessful, uprising against British colonizing forces in India. It began after Indian soldiers heard a rumor that the magazines they used were lubricated by pig and cow fat, which is religious oppression as pork consumption is banned in Islam, and cow consumption is banned in Hinduism.
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Japan established a capitalist economy, inspired heavily by developments in Europe at the time. Focusing on both exports and militarization, Japan quickly became to par with major European powers. -
Mahatma Gandhi was an Indian lawyer with a firm belief in peaceful protest and anti-colonialism. He has left a significant impact on the world through his creation of a unique form of peaceful rebellion, his assistance in the freedom of India from Great Britain, and his role in the Indian National Congress.
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The Machine Gun was a revolutionary technological advancement of the gun and was used in World War 1. Its use resulted in mass casualties and assisted in making one of the most violent wars in human history so violent. -
A Chinese uprising against Chinese Christians and most foreigners. It began with peasants, but was eventually supported by the government, driving out most Chinese Christians, and beginning aggravation from Christian European states. -
The Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand was a coordinated murder that took place in Bosnia and was carried out by Serbian nationalists. This act is known as the 'spark' of World War 1 and was, indeed, the catalyst of the world's first total war. -
The Triple Entente was a European power bloc consisting of France, Great Britain, and Russia. This alliance took place during the first World War and greatly contributed to the development of WW1 by increasing tension and creating a clear divide between themselves and the Triple Alliance.
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The League of Nations was an organization of global powers with the common goal of maintaining peace and preventing war among the world's most powerful nations, post WW1. Despite its end, the League of Nations inspired the foremost peacekeeping organization in today's world; the United Nations.
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The Collapse of the Ottoman Empire was a significant and slow end to one of the longest-lasting empires in world history. Its collapse implied the dawn of a new age in a technological, economic, and environmental sense, along with the significance of the detrimental impact of World War 1 on Europe.
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A state of hostility between the United States and the Soviet Union with Non-Aligned bystanders due to differences in economics, politics, and ideology. Open warfare did not occur, but proxy wars were a significant form of attack. The Cold War was a major effect of the lasting detriment caused by World War II and changed the way the economy, society, and politics function today.
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NATO is a military alliance between a number of the world's most prominent nations, originally created to prevent the spread of communism during the Cold War. Its creation signified the ongoing ideological and economic conflict between the USSR and the US. -
The invention of birth control was of great significance as it gave women autonomy over their own bodies, controlled populations, and decreased the maternal mortality rate by a large margin.
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Mutually Assured Destruction is a military policy that meant that two nations in war both had access to an arsenal of nuclear weapons that, if released, was assured to annihilate the other. The role MAD played in the Cold War was a significant one, as it lead to nuclear arms treaties and restrictions on nuclear weapons.
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The Green Revolution was a period of agricultural development that occurred within the Third Agricultural Revolution and introduced advancements in pesticides, farming technology, and the creation of GMOs. The Green Revolution majorly modernized the way the world makes use of agriculture and was a huge stepping stone in the advancement of agricultural practices.
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The international AIDS crisis was a global epidemic that lead to a vast amount of disease-related death. The AIDS epidemic showcased the lack of medical advancement in less developed countries and is the most significant pathogen in the world, still killing over one million people every year.
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Glasnost was a policy implemented by the Soviet Union leader Mikhail Gorbachev that opened the USSR up to the discussion of political and social issues. This was a major turning point in Russia's history due to the fact that freedom of speech has been restricted for many years prior.
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Cell phones have drastically altered the way humans interact with one another and the environment. They have made nearly every aspect of today's world significantly more accessible and have shaped trends and statistics around the globe. -
The North American Free Trade Agreement was an economic pact between the United States, Mexico, and Canada. This pact greatly benefited the economy and the labor force by increasing GDP and exportation profit, but lead to the loss of many manufacturing jobs as facilities relocated to Mexico.
