Introductory Vocab Flashcards
B.C.E
before common era
C.E
common era
abdicate
to renounce or relinquish a throne, right, power, claim, responsibility, or the like, especially in a formal manner.
accession
the attainment or acquisition of a position of rank or power, typically that of monarch or president.
aesthetic
a set of principles underlying and guiding the work of a particular artist or artistic movement.
amenities
a desirable or useful feature or facility of a building or place.
anarchy
a state of disorder due to absence or nonrecognition of authority or other controlling systems.
animism
the belief in a supernatural power that organizes and animates the material universe.
antiquity
the ancient past, especially the period before the Middle Ages.
appeasement
a diplomatic negotiation policy of making political, material, or territorial concessions to an aggressive power with intention to avoid conflict.
aristocracy
the highest class in certain societies, especially those holding hereditary titles or offices.
asceticism
severe self-discipline and avoidance of all forms of indulgence, typically for religious reasons.
assimilate
the process of becoming a part, or making someone become a part, of a group, country, society, etc
authoritarian
favoring or enforcing strict obedience to authority, especially that of the government, at the expense of personal freedom.
autocracy
a system of government by one person with absolute power.
barbarism
absence of culture and civilization.
bureaucracy
a system of government in which most of the important decisions are made by state officials rather than by elected representatives.
city-state
a city that with its surrounding territory forms an independent state.
civic
relating to a city or town, especially its administration; municipal.
classical
relating to ancient Greek or Latin literature, art, or culture.
colonial
relating to the period of the British colonies in America before independence.
commerce
the activity of buying and selling, especially on a large scale.
communal
hared or used in common by members of a group or community.
concubine
historical: (in polygamous societies) a woman who lives with a man but has lower status than his wife or wives.
archaic: a mistress
conscription
compulsory enlistment for state service, typically into the armed forces.
cosmoplitan
including or containing people from many different countries.
coup
a sudden, violent, and unlawful seizure of power from a government.
demography
the study of statistics such as births, deaths, income, or the incidence of disease, which illustrate the changing structure of human populations.
despot
a ruler or other person who holds absolute power, typically one who exercises it in a cruel or oppressive way.
diaspora
a population that is scattered across regions which are separate from its geographic place of origin.
dissent
an opinion, philosophy or sentiment of non-agreement or opposition to a prevailing idea or policy enforced under the authority of a government, political party or other entity or individual.
dissident
a person who actively challenges an established political or religious system, doctrine, belief, policy, or institution.
domestic
relating to someone’s family, home, or home country.
dynasty
a line of hereditary rulers of a country.
edict
a decree or announcement of a law, often associated with monarchism, but it can be under any official authority.
egalitarian
a school of thought within political philosophy that builds on the concept of social equality, prioritizing it for all people.
elite
a select group that is superior in terms of ability or qualities to the rest of a group or society.
emigrate
leave one’s own country in order to settle permanently in another.
epic
a long poem, typically one derived from ancient oral tradition, narrating the deeds and adventures of heroic or legendary figures or the history of a nation.
ethnocentric
evaluating other peoples and cultures according to the standards of one’s own culture.
feudalism
the dominant social system in medieval Europe, in which the nobility held lands from the Crown in exchange for military service, and vassals were in turn tenants of the nobles, while the peasants (villeins or serfs) were obliged to live on their lord’s land and give him homage, labor, and a share of the produce, notionally in exchange for military protection.
genocide
the deliberate killing of a large number of people from a particular nation or ethnic group with the aim of destroying that nation or group.