Glossary Flashcards
Accomodation
Acceptance of economic, political, and social circumstances not of your own making or liking
Agribusiness
The business of agricultural production. It includes breeding, crop production, distribution, farm machinery, processing, supply, marketing and retail sales
Allies
The countries fighting against Germany including Britain, France, Belgium and Russia
Alsace-Lorraine
Area of France taken by Germany after the 1871 Franco-Prussian War
Anarchism
Belief in no government, no private ownership and the sharing out of wealth
Annex
To incorporate a territory into an existing political unit such as a country, state, county, or city
Anti-Semitic
Hostility towards or discrimination against Jews as a religious group or race
Arbitration
Where two opposing sides go to a neutral body for a judgment in their dispute
Associated power
Power not formally allied to other countries fighting against a common enemy, therefore having independence as to military strategy and the subsequent peace settlement
Ballistic missiles
Missiles (rockets) that follow a ballistic flightpath moving under the force of gravity with the objective of delivering one or more warheads to a predetermined target
Belligerents
Countries engaged in warfare
Bible belt
Area of Southern USA where Christian belief is strong
Bimetallists
Those who wanted both silver and gold used in the coinage
Bipartisan
Supported by members of two parties
Black press
A term used to describe newspapers, magazines and periodicals aimed at a largely black audience
Blackleg labour
Strike-breakers
Blockade
The surrounding or blocking of a place
The Blue Eagle
A symbol used in the US by companies to show compliance with the National Industrial Recovery Act
Boll weevil
An insect which attacked the cotton crop, eating its buds and flowers
Bonanza farms
Very large farms in the US peforming large scale operations, mostly growing and harvesting wheat
Boom
When the economy of a country is rapidly developing
British blockade of Germany
British naval blockade to prevent goods leaving and entering German ports.
Bull market
A time when share prices are rising
Bureau of Indian Affairs
The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), also known as the Office of Indian Affairs, was set up in 1824 to centralise the work with Native Americans within the War department..
Cartel
A group of companies agreeing to fix output and prices in order to reduce competition and increase profits
Central powers
Germany and its allies such as Austria-Hungary and Turkey
Civil disobedience
A non-violent way of protesting in order to achieve political goals
Civil rights
Having the vote in free elections; equal treatment under the law; equal opportunities eg in education and work; freedom of speech, religion and movement
Cold War
Confrontation without actually directly fighting each other
Colonisation
The forming of a settlement or colony by a group of people who seek to take control of territories or countries. It usually involved large scale immigration of people to a new location ad the expansion of their civilisation and culture into this area
Concessions
Favourable trading rights
Conscript
Someone compulsorily enrolled for service in the armed forces
Constitution
A document containing the rules by which a country is to be governed. The American constitution originally had seven articles, the first of which described the role of congress and the second that of a president
Consumerism
An increase in the production of consumer goods on the grounds that high spending is the basis of a sound economy
Corollary
A statement that follows on from another statement
Declaration of independence
This is the name of the statement made on 4 July 1776 which announced that the original thirteen American colonies, then at war with Britain, regarded themselves as thirteen newly independent colonies, no longer a part of the British Empire
Deflation
A fall in prices and goods
Defoliants
Chemicals sprayed on plants to remove their leaves
Detente
An easing of strained relations
Devalued the dollar
The value of the dollar was reduced against the other major currencies to encourage exports and improve the country’s trade deficit
Direct action
The use of acts such as strikes, marches, and demonstrations to achieve a political or sociel end
Dominion
A self governing nation within the British empire
Domino theory
The belief that if one state fell to communism it would be quickly followed by neighbouring states
Embargo
An official ban on trade or commercial activity
Entrepenuer
A person who sets up a business or businesses, taking on financial risks in the hope of making profits
Espionage
Spying
Expansionist
Following a policy of territorial expansion
Federal Reserve Board
A centralised system that allowed banks to run their own affairs with only limited government interference
Federal system of government
There is a central system of government and also state governments. Each state has its own powers that are not subject to interference from central government.
Feminist
Supporter of women’s rights who believes that men and women are equal in all areas
Fenians
An Irish republican organisation set up in the USA in 1858, fighting for Irish independence in Britain
Free trade
International trade that is left to run its course according to market forces and is not subject to duties or taxes
Ghetto
A densely populated area of a city inhabited by a socially anc economically deprived minority
GNP
Gross National Product (GNP) is the market value of all the products and servicees produced in one year by labour and property supplied by the citizens of a country. The total value of all final goods and services produced within a nation in a particular year
Gold standard
Where the value of money is based on the amount of the nation’s gold reserves
Good Neighbor
Foreign policy adopted by Roosevelt to mend and improve relations with Latin America
Great Powers
The most powerful countries such as Russia, Britain, and Germany
Guerrilla
A member of an irregular armed force that fights a stronger force by sabotage and harrassment
Hemispheric
Relating to the western or eastern or noethern or southern part of the world. In this case, it refers to the North and South America
Hire purchase
A system of credit whereby a person may purchase an item by making regular payments while already having the use of said item
Holding company
Where one very large company obtains a controlling interest in smaller companies in order to control the market
Hun
Derogatory term for Germans, derived from Huns, a warlike tribe renowed for their cruelty and barbarism in the fifth century
Impeachment
This is a formal process in which an official is accused of unlawful activity
Inauguration
The ceremony that begins the president’s term of office
Indochina
The region of south eat asia that was a colony of france
Inflation
Rise in prices due to more money being in circulation
Iron curtain
An imaginary border between Communist and non communist countries. Winston Churchill coined the term in 1946
Isolationism
A policy by which the USA detached itself from foreign affairs. A policy of non involvement and non intervention in other government’s internal affairs and wars
Jim Crow army
A refernce to the AA serving in the segregated military in WWII
Labour battalions
Troops who worked in construction or loading or transportation of equipment rather than serving in combat
Labour intensive crops
Cotton and tobacco required more workers than other crops because machinery could not always be used
Labour unions
Us term for a tradw union formed to look after the interests of its members
Laissez Faire
A policy of direct government interference in the economy
Legalistic
Following the letter of the law
Manhattan Project
A research and development project that produced the first atomic bombs during WWII
Mechanisation
The use of machines
Middle America
The traditional or conservative people of the middle class in the US
Military-industrial complex
A network of individuals and institutions involved in the production of weapons and military technologies
Mobilisation
Gearing the country for war, including recruiting, equipping and transporting the military
Munich Agreement
This was signed in Sept 1938 by Britain, France, Germany and Italy. It allowed Germany to annex part of Czechoslovakia
Munitions
Weapons and ammunition
Napalm
An inflammable sticky jelly used in bombs in order to set fire to people, trees and buildings
Native plutocracy
Wealthy, white Americans who controlled the government of the USA
Nativism
The policy of protecting the interests of native born or established inhabitants against those of immigrants
NATO
(North Atlantic Treaty Organisation)
Members included the US, Britain, France, Luxembourg, Holland, Belgium, Canada, Portugal, Italy, Norway, Denmark and Iceland
Nomadic
The Native Indians did not live in any one place permanently. They followed the buffalo herds, living in tepee villages that could be quickly assembled or demolished in response to the movement of the buffalo.
Nordic
This relates to a group or physical type of the Caucasian race characterised by their tall stature, long head, light skin and hair, and blue eyes origninating in Scandanavia.
Normalcy
Harding meant by this a return to the situation before WWI which he believed to be the norm, of as little government intervention as possible at home and in foreign affairs
Open door policy
This was a term first used to guarantee the protection of equal priviliges among countries trading with China. The policy proposed to keep China open to trade with all countries on an equal basis thus no international power would have total control of the country
Pan American
Relating to all countries on the American continent
Peace societies
Various groups set up in the USA in the 1920s to encourage support for peace. One example wad the World Peace Association
Per capita income
A measure of the amount of money that is being earned per person in a certain country
Philanthropy
Showing a concern for human welfare and advancement, usually manifested by donations of money, property, or work to needy persons
Poverty line
The income level at which a family is unable to meet its basic needs
Primary election
An early stage of voting in which the whole electorate can choose a political party’s candidates for election rather than having the candidates chosen for them by the party
Prohibition
The prevention by law of the manufacture and sale of alcohol
Protectorate
A state that is controlled and protected by another. For example, after the US Navy took possession of eastern Samoa on the behalf of the US, the existing coaling station at Pago Pago Bay was expanded into a full naval station. In 1911, the US Naval Station Tutuila, which was composed of Tutuila, Aunu’u and Manu’a, was officially renamed American Samoa
Pump priming
The activity of helping a business, programme, economy etc to develop by giving it money
Puppet emperor
A ruler controlled by others
Rediscount rates
The interest rate at which banks borrow money from the Federal Reserve Banks
Reparations
War damages to be paid by a defeated country
Secede
To withdraw from an organisation
Secretary of State
US official responsible for the administration of foreign policy
Sectional
Political, economic and social differences between the North and South
Separatism
Keeping races apart. Two separate countries for black and white Americans
Sharecroppers
These were tenant farmers. A landlord allows a tenant to use an area of land in return for a portion of the crop produced on the land
Simo-Us
relations between America and China
Speakeasy
An illegal drinking shop
Speculators
Speculators are risk taking investors with expertise in the market/markets in which they are trading
Spoils system
The practise whereby a political party, after winning an election, gives government jobs to its voters as a reward for working toward victory, and as an incentive to keep working for the party- as opposed to a system of awarding offices on the basis of some measure of merit independent of political activity
State of the Union Address
The US President’s message to the country at the start of a new session of Congress
Stocks and shares
Certificates of ownership in a company
Syncopation
This refers to the off-beat rhythms that characterise jazz music
Tariffs
Taxes on imported goods from other countries
Totalitarianism
When political regimes suppress political opposition and control all aspects of people’s lives
Trench warfare
The defensive network on the Weston Front in which millions died
Unconditional surrender
Surrender without conditions, in which no guarantees are given to the country that is surrendering
Unrestricted submarine warfare
Attacking any ship en route to an enemy port
Vertical integration
When a company expands its business into areas that are at different points on the same production path, such as when a manufacturer owns its supplier and/or distributor
Vietminh
The League for the Independence of Vietnam, a nationalist and Communist dominated organisation, later known as the Vietcong.
War bonds
Debt securities issued by a government to finance military operations and other expenditure in terms of war
War indeminity
Compensation from a defeated nation to the victors following a war
War profiteering
Making excess profits during war time eg by charging artificially high proces
‘Yellow press’
The term used to describe the sensationalist journalism of the 1890s. Journalists such as William Randolph and Joseph Pulitzer competed with each other to print stories about apparent Spanish atrocities in Cuba including the ill-treatment of female prisoners. It became known as the Yellow Press after a cartoon character called the Yellow Kid, from Pulitzer’s New York World.
Youth culture
The beliefs, attitudes and interests of teenagers
abolitionist
someone who campaigns for an end to slavery
American Federation Labor (AFL)
the first federation of labour unions in the US, founded in Ohio in May 1866 by an alliance of craft unions disaffected from the Knights of Labor, a national labor association
banking holiday
a complete freeze on bank activity proposed by Herbert Hoover and then implemented by Franklin Roosevelt son. after he came president in 1933
‘Beat generation’
a term centred on the ‘alternative’ cultural community of Greenwich Village in New York City; Beat writers experimented with new cultural forms, rejected traditional moral standards and were known for using illegal drugs
brinkmanship
taking disputes to the brink of war before accepting agreements
California Golf rush
the discovery of golf at Sutter’s Mill in California in 1848 led to a full scale gold rush in 1849; this intensified interest in the west, and lee to new routes across the lands west of the mississippi, and san francisco, california, rapidly developed into a major seaport city
carpetbaggers
a term or abused use to describe northern merchants and political agents accused of robbing valuables from the defeated south and carrying their loot away in rolled up stolen carpets
cartels and trusts
corporations and combinations of companies who joined together to raise more capital (money for investment) in order to gain control of key markets
Confederation
the joining together between 1867 and 1871 of the various provinces to strengthen the unity of the dominion of canada, recently granted self rule by britain
