Test 2 Flashcards
Aristocracy
Land-owning families who make up a small portion of the population
Classic, classical
Traditional, relating to a form or system felt to be of first significance before modern times
Scholar-gentry
In china, the class of prosperous families next in wealth below the rural aristocrats from which the rulers drew their 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.
Civil service
The administrative departments of the government, especially those in which employees are hired on the basis of their scores on examinations
Meritocracy
Government or the holding of power by people selected on th basis of their ability
Mandate of Heaven
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
Ancestor veneration
A ritual practice that is based on the belief that deceased family members have a continued existence, take an interest in the affairs of the world, and possess the ability to influence the fortune of living
Empire
A political unit in which a number of peoples or countries are controlled by a single ruler.
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 one’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
Oligarchy
Form of government in which ruling power is in the hands of a few leaders
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
Paterfamilias
The legal head of the extended family in Rom(e?) and the only person who could own property. Made all decisions affecting his wife, children, and son’s wives.
Latifundia
A large landed estate in Ancient Rome typically worked by slaves
Autocracy
A government in which the ruler has unlimited power and uses it and manner he chooses
Dictator
A political leader given absolute power to make laws and command the army for a limited time (in theory)
Republic
A form of government in which power is in the hands of representatives and leaders are elected by the people
Caste
Each of the hereditary classes of Hindu society, distinguished by relative degrees of ritual purity and of social status
Divinity
The state or quality of being divine
