AP World History-Basic Concepts and Things to Know
(you guys are more than welcome to edit and add some of your own stuff!!!)
Viceroys- monarchs (page 275)
-During the Age of Exploration, Spain appointed these to govern the five parts of America
that they had claimed.
-These viceroys established the encomienda system, which was a system of forced labor
for natives.
-They also brought in slaves from Africa.
Mercenary- soldier who fights for a country that will pay them
Missionary- one who travels to a foreign country to spread their religion.
-Christianity was most commonly spread from Europe to the Americas and Africa when
they colonized/imperialized
Silver- precious metal found in many areas around the world (page 277)
-South America
-Spanish monopolized the world’s silver market from mines they controlled in South
America.
-Mines were located in the Andes Mountains of Peru and in Mexico.
-Silver mining depended on native labor (encomienda)
-This labor eventually shifted to African slaves which were provided by the
Portuguese.
-Opened doors in Ming China. Spanish now had access to the Philippines, China, and
Pacific Ocean trade routes
Joint-Stock Company- an association of individuals in a business enterprise with transferable
shares of stock, much like a corporation except that stockholders are liable for the debts of
the business (page 277)
-Combined wealth to invest (reduced danger for individual investors)
-Shared profit but less risky
-Columbian Exchange
-Created to pool the resources of many merchants
-Because large new ships were able to carry unprecedented cargoes and because often
goods were outright stolen from their native countries, successful voyages reaped huge
profits.
-A middle class of merchants developed from this. This attracted more investors,
which put the modern concept of a stock market underway.
Imperialism- one stronger country taking over another less-powerful country (page 324, 325,
328, 329)
-Britain with India
-Japan with Korea and Taiwan
-All of Europe’s “Scramble for Africa”
-Causes were to spread their religion and “superior ways”, as well as to get natural
resources
Enlightenment- period in history focusing on the role of humankind in relation to the
government (page 267)
-Montesquieu (1689-1755): claimed that the government should contain checks and
balances [French]
-Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778): claimed that one finds freedom by sacrificing
some individual rights for the greater good [French]
-Voltaire (1694-1778): claimed that religion crushes one’s own spirit and “one must
cultivate one’s own garden” [French]
-Cesare Beccaria (1738-1794): claimed that criminals retain some rights and the
state should not practice cruel and unusual punishment [Italy]
-Immanuel Kant (1724-1804): claimed that knowledge exists beyond what is
deduced from the use of only observation or only reason [Germany]
-David Hume (1711-1776): claimed that lack of empirical evidence casts doubt on
religion [Scotland]
-Adam Smith (1723-1790): claimed that an “invisible hand” will regulate the
economy if it is left alone [Scotland]
-Mary Wollstonecraft (1759-1797): claimed that women should have political rights
including voting and holding office [England]
-Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679): believed that people were naturally greedy and
violent and that the government’s role should be to preserve peace and stability at all costs
[England]
-John Locke (1632-1704): had a more optimistic view of human nature, also
believed that all men are created equal and are entitled to certain unalienable rights such as
life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, believed in self-government INSPIRED THE
AMERICAN DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE
Meiji Restoration- a change in the political control of Japan whereby the emperor regained
his political power (page 328)
-Meiji Ended Isolation Japan Industrializes
-Era of Japanese westernization
-Universal male military service, railways and steamships
-Cultural creativity
-New national identity, centered on military pageantry based off Japanese victories
over China and Russia
-By 1890s, Japan was a major world influence and became an imperial power.
Capitalism (free market system)- economic system based on open competition in a free
market, in which individuals and companies own the means of production and operate for
profit (page 320)
-Adam Smith: economic prosperity and fairness is best achieved through private
ownership
-“Wealth of Nations”
-Laissez-faire- “invisible hand”- when governments remove themselves entirely
from regulation
-Originated the rise of the industrial class
-Smith argued that this would best meet the needs and desires of individuals and
nations as a whole.
Feminism- doctrine advocating the social, political, and all other rights of women equal to
men (page 337)
-With all the dramatic changes during the nineteenth century, women’s rights were
ignored: education, wages and professional opportunities were inaccessible
-However, this opened a door for women’s rights movements
-Women were not unaffected by the new Enlightenment ideals of liberty, equality
-Writers such as Olympe de Gouges emerged
Social Darwinism- idea of “survival of the fittest” in human societies (page 323)
-applicable during times of imperialism
-European ethnocentrism, viewing other cultures as barbaric and uncivilized
-Dominant races/classes of people rose to the top through survival of the fittest,
therefore they were superior because they were on top
Nationalism- pride in one’s country
-Reason countries decided to imperialize
Industrialization- development of industry on an extensive scale (page 316, 337)
-Gave countries power because of their new developments
-Technological innovations
-New imperialism and interactions: modern forms of European art and culture emerged
based off contact with Asia and Africa
-Created need for unions and new ideas about relationships between social classes
-Also created new reasons and new ways to make war, including the development of
automatic weapons
-Spain appointed viceroys, or monarchs, to govern the five sections of the Americas they had
claimed. These viceroys immediately took control over the natives, whom they deemed
uncivilized. When these viceroys discovered the existence of silver in their settled areas, they
created a system known as the encomienda, which was an unfair system where natives were
forced to labor day and night in order to extract the silver. Later, slaves were also brought in
from Africa as part of the encomienda system.
Highlighted concepts: Viceroys, silver
-Soon after any country entered a golden age, a time of cultural, educational, and political
growth, the country would begin to imperialize, or expand their rule into less powerful
countries. These golden ages caused citizens to feel great pride and superiority, and a need to
share their greatness with the rest of the world. For example, Japan’s Meiji Restoration was a
time where the Meiji Emperor began a period of westernization in Japan. This sparked
feelings of nationalism as well as a new national identity, centered around military pageantry
based off Japanese victories over China and Russia. Soon enough, Japan had control of
territories in Korea, Russia, and China. All European countries practiced this imperialism
over the territories in Africa that they had claimed, sending missionaries to spread
Christianity as well as other officials to lay claim to the land’s natural resources.
Highlighted concepts: Imperialism, Meiji Restoration, Nationalism, Missionaries
