Silk Roads: Overland and sea trade routes linking Asia, Africa and Europe Dar al-Islam: The Islamic world, a zone of shared religion and trade Abbasid Caliphate: Islamic empire (750-1258) centered at Baghdad, known for learning House of Wisdom: Baghdad center for translating and advancing knowledge Mongol Empire: Largest land empire; linked Eurasia under Genghis Khan and successors Pax Mongolica: Relative safety for trade across Mongol lands Bubonic plague: Black Death spread along trade routes in the 1300s Song dynasty: Chinese dynasty with advances in printing, gunpowder and paper money Neo-Confucianism: Revival of Confucian thought blended with Buddhist and Daoist ideas Ming dynasty: Chinese dynasty (1368-1644) that sent Zheng He's voyages Zheng He: Ming admiral who led large treasure fleets across the Indian Ocean Tang dynasty: Chinese dynasty known for prosperity and Buddhism Grand Canal: Waterway linking northern and southern China Feudalism: System of land held in exchange for loyalty and service Manorialism: Medieval economic system built on self-sufficient estates Byzantine Empire: Eastern Roman Empire centered on Constantinople Crusades: Religious wars between European Christians and Muslims over the Holy Land Renaissance: European revival of classical learning and art from the 1300s Printing press: Mid-1400s invention that spread ideas faster Protestant Reformation: 1500s movement challenging Catholic authority Martin Luther: German monk whose Ninety-five Theses began the Reformation Mali Empire: West African empire rich from gold and salt trade Mansa Musa: Mali emperor famed for his pilgrimage to Mecca in 1324 Timbuktu: Trading and learning center in West Africa Swahili Coast: East African trading cities linking Africa to the Indian Ocean Great Zimbabwe: Southern African stone city and trading center Aztec Empire: Mesoamerican empire centered at Tenochtitlan Inca Empire: Andean empire known for roads and terrace farming Mit'a system: Inca labor obligation to the state Ottoman Empire: Islamic empire that took Constantinople in 1453 Safavid Empire: Persian empire that made Shia Islam its state religion Mughal Empire: Muslim-ruled empire in South Asia from 1526 Akbar: Mughal ruler noted for religious tolerance Tokugawa shogunate: Japanese military rule (1603-1868) with limited foreign contact Atlantic slave trade: Forced transport of millions of Africans to the Americas Triangular trade: Trade linking Europe, Africa and the Americas Joint-stock company: Business owned by investors who share risk, like the Dutch East India Company Mercantilism: Policy of building national wealth through exports and colonies Scientific Revolution: 16th-17th century shift to evidence-based study of nature Enlightenment: 18th-century movement stressing reason and individual rights Absolutism: A monarch holds total authority Louis XIV: French king who embodied absolutism Peter the Great: Russian tsar who Westernized his country American Revolution: Colonial independence movement of 1775-1783 French Revolution: 1789 upheaval that ended the old order in France Haitian Revolution: Successful enslaved people's revolt that created Haiti in 1804 Simon Bolivar: Leader of independence movements in northern South America Napoleon Bonaparte: French emperor who spread revolutionary ideas by conquest Nationalism: Loyalty to one's nation and its self-rule Industrial Revolution: Shift to machine and factory production beginning in Britain Capitalism: Economic system of private ownership and markets Socialism: System favoring shared or state ownership of production Karl Marx: Thinker who wrote The Communist Manifesto, criticizing capitalism Urbanization: Growth of cities Imperialism: Building empires by conquering or dominating other lands Berlin Conference (1884-85): Meeting where European powers set rules for dividing Africa Opium Wars: 19th-century conflicts forcing China to open to trade Taiping Rebellion: Massive 1850-64 uprising against Qing rule Meiji Restoration: 1868 modernization of Japan under the emperor Sepoy Rebellion (1857): Uprising against British East India Company rule in India Suez Canal: 1869 waterway linking the Mediterranean and Red Seas Abolition: Ending slavery; widespread across empires in the 1800s Boxer Rebellion: Chinese uprising against foreign influence around 1900 World War I: 1914-18 global conflict that ended four empires Russian Revolution (1917): Overthrow of the tsar, leading to Soviet rule Great Depression: 1930s worldwide economic collapse Fascism: Authoritarian ultranationalist political movement World War II: 1939-45 global war Holocaust: Nazi genocide of six million Jews and others United Nations: International body founded 1945 Cold War: Rivalry between the US and USSR after 1945 Chinese Revolution (1949): Communist victory led by Mao Zedong Decolonization: Colonies gaining independence after 1945 Indian independence (1947): End of British rule and partition into India and Pakistan Mahatma Gandhi: Leader of nonviolent resistance in India Non-Aligned Movement: Nations avoiding alliance with either Cold War bloc Green Revolution: Mid-20th century agricultural advances raising crop yields Apartheid: South Africa's system of legal racial segregation Nelson Mandela: Anti-apartheid leader who became South Africa's president in 1994 Globalization: Growing worldwide connection of economies and cultures Migration: Movement of people across regions, a major theme in world history Treaty of Tordesillas (1494): Spain-Portugal agreement dividing newly found lands Columbian Exchange: Trade of crops, animals and diseases across the Atlantic Hajj: Pilgrimage to Mecca Sufism: Mystical tradition in Islam that helped spread the faith Bhakti movement: Devotional Hindu movement stressing personal love of god Caravel: Light, maneuverable ship used by Portuguese explorers Gunpowder empires: Ottoman, Safavid and Mughal states that used cannons Devshirme: Ottoman practice of recruiting boys for the army and government Millet system: Ottoman system giving religious communities self-government Qing dynasty: Last Chinese imperial dynasty (1644-1912) Sati and reform: Reformers in 19th-century India campaigned against the custom of widow burning Tanzimat: Ottoman reforms of the 1800s to modernize the state Zionism: Movement for a Jewish homeland, emerging in the late 1800s Pan-Africanism: Movement for unity among people of African descent Genocide: Deliberate destruction of a national or ethnic group Non-state actors: Groups like corporations or movements that act across borders without being governments European Union: Economic and political union of European countries OPEC: Organization of oil-exporting countries formed 1960 Free flashcards from Peabody at peabody.kids/flashcards/tp-ap-world-history