600 BCE-600 CE Vocabulary Flashcards
Scholar-Gentry
In China, the class of prosperous families next in wealth below the rural aristocrats from which the rulers drew the administrative personnel. Respected for their education and expertise, these officials became a privileged group and made the government more efficient and responsive than in the past
Classic, Classical
Traditional, relating to a form or system felt to be of first significance before modern times
Mandate of Heavan
In Chinese history, the divine approval thought to be the basis of royal authority
Dynastic Cycle
The historical pattern of the rise, decline, and replacement of dynasties
Filial Piety
Respect for parents and elders
Empire
A political unit in which a number of peoples or countries are governed by a single ruler
Aristocracy
Land-owning families who make up a small portion of the population
Direct Democracy
A government where all citizens rule directly rather than through elected or appointed representatives
Citizen
A member of a state; especially one entitled to the rights and privileges of a freeman
Rational Thought
To base ones’s opinion on evidence and reason rather than superstition or commonly accepted beliefs
Philosopher
Thinkers who use logic and reason to investigate the nature of the universe, human society, and morality
Tyranny
Form of government in which ruling power is in the hands of a person who has seized control through force or the manipulation of social groups
Oligarchy
Form of government in which ruling power is in the hands of a few leaders
Barbarians
Members of society considered primitive, savage, etc.
Paterfamilias
The legal head of the extended family in Rome and the only person who could own property. Made all the decisions affecting his wife, children, and son’s wives