Global History & Geography for 14-15 Yr olds USA) (Thomas Caswell)
Note: You may download the entries for this glossary here. If you wish to use this in your own Moodle course, first make a blank glossary and then follow the instructions for importing glossary entries here.
Thomas describes this database: "This 800+ term glossary is based on the New York State curriculum for 9th and 10th grade social studies. Called "Global History and Geography," this curriculum culminates in a high-stakes Regents examination that all students must pass in order to graduate and earn a high school diploma."
Browse the glossary using this index
Special | A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z | ALL
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Magellan, Ferdinand(1480?-1521) Spanish explorer who was the first to circumnavigate the globe. | |
Magna CartaA document granting rights to both the Church in England and the Nobility signed by King John in 1215. This is considered to be the beginnings of British democracy. | |
MahabharataHindu epic poem that was written in Sanskrit in the 5th century BCE. Its most important part is the Bhagavad-Gita. | |
MaliOne of the west African Trading Kingdoms. They were rich in gold and established a vast trading network across the Sahara desert. Greatest ruler was Mansa Musa, who converted to Islam and made a famous pilgrimage. | |
mandateA territory that was given to a European nation to administer by the League of Nations following the end of World War I. | |
Mandate of HeavenDivine right of rule in China. | |
Mandela, Nelson(1918 - )A black South African leader who protested the policy of Apartheid and spent over thirty years in prison before becoming the first black president of South Africa. | |
manorialismEconomic portion of feudalism where all aspects of life were centered on the lords manor including peasant villages, a church, farm land, a mill, and the lord's castle or manor house. | |
Mansa MusaEmperor of the kingdom of Mali in Africa. He made a famous pilgrimage to Mecca and established trade routes to the Middle East. | |
Mao Zedong(1893-1976) Leader of the Communist Party in China that overthrew Jiang Jieshi and the Nationalists. Established China as the Peoples Republic of China and ruled from 1949 until 1976. | |
Marco Polo(1254-1324) Italian explorer and author. He made numerous trips to China and returned to Europe to write of his journeys. He is responsible for much of the knowledge exchanged between Europe and China during this time period. | |
Maria TeresaAn enlightened Despot who ruled the Austrian Empire. | |
market economyAn economy that operates by voluntary exchange in a free market and is not planned or controlled by a central authority; a capitalistic economy. | |
Marshall PlanEconomic aid from the United States used to rebuild Europe after World War II. Named after United States Secretary of State George Marshall. | |
Marx, Karl(1818-1883), German political philosopher and writer. Coauthor with Friedrich Engels of The Communist Manifesto which described the new philosophy of scientific socialism, which is the basis for modern communism. | |
mass productionThe manufacturing of products on a large scale, usually through the use of machines. | |
massacreThe killing of large numbers of people | |
MatrilinealRelating to, based on, or tracing ancestral descent through the maternal line | |
Mau MauRevolutionary group in Kenya who used violent means to force out European settlers. | |
Maurya Dynasty(321? BCE - 185? BCE) Dynasty that united most of India under the rule of Chandragupta Maurya. Its greatest ruler, Asoka, converted to Buddhism and was instrumental in its spread. | |
Maurya, Chandragupta(?-286 BCE) First king of the Maurya dynasty in India. | |
MayansA Mesoamerican civilization of Central America and southern Mexico. Achievements include mathematics, architecture, and a 365 day a year calendar. They flourished between the 4th and 12th centuries C.E.. | |
Mazzini, Guiseppe(1805-1872), Nationalistic leader in Italy, who started a group called Young Italy in 1831. Young Italy was a nationalistic movement that wanted to end foreign control of Italy. | |
MeccaA city in Saudi Arabia where Muslims must make a pilgrimage at least once in their life. | |
Meiji(1852-1912) Emperor of Japan from 1867 to 1912. He was responsible for the end of the Tokugawa Shogunate and the rapid modernization and industrialization of Japan. | |
Meiji RestorationThe restoration of the Emperor Meiji to power in Japan, overthrowing the Tokugawa Shogunate in 1868. | |
Mencius(371?-289 BCE), Chinese philosopher, who studied Confucianism. He later refined many of the ideas and spread them across China. Also known as Mengzi, or Meng-tzu. | |
Menes(3100? BCE) King of Upper Egypt, united the two kingdoms of Upper and Lower Egypt | |
mercantilismThe policy of building a nation's wealth by exporting more goods than it imports. Colonies are instrumental in this policy as they supply their parent nations with raw materials that are used to produce finished goods, and then exported back to the colonies. Colonies not only served as a source for the raw materials, but also as an exclusive market for the parent country. | |
merchantA person who sells goods or services. A member of the middle class in most societies. | |
MesoamericanA region of Central America, Mexico, and South America where several pre-Columbian civilizations lived including the Maya, Inca, and Aztecs. | |
messiahAccording to the Hebrew Bible, an anointed king who will lead the Jews back to the land of Israel and establish justice in the world. According to the Christians, the Messiah was Jesus Christ. | |
MestizosIn colonial Latin America, Spanish/Native America who were denied basic political, economic, and social rights due to their mixed heritage. | |
Mexican Revolution(1910 1920) A political revolution that removed dictator Porfirio Diaz, and hoped to institute democratic reforms. While a constitution was written in 1917, it was many more years until true change occurred. | |
Michelangelo(1475-1564) An Italian sculptor, painter, poet, engineer, and architect. Famous works include the mural on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, and the sculpture of the biblical character David. | |
Middle AgesTime period in European history between the fall of Rome in 476 C.E. and the beginning of the Italian Renaissance in the early 15th century. | |
middle classSocial and economic class usually composed of merchants, artisans, and business people. In some societies, the richest class, but without a title of nobility. The middle class is usually the backbone of society as they are generally more moderate in their economic, social, and political habits. | |
Middle EastGeo-Political designation of the area stretching from the eastern Mediterranean Sea to the western side of the Indian subcontinent. Consists of countries such as Israel, Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt. | |
Middle Kingdom (China)Term that ancient China used to refer to themselves. The believed they were the center of the Earth, or the Middle Kingdom. | |
Middle Kingdom (Egypt)(2040 BCE 1640 BCE) Period in ancient Egyptian history characterized by internal strife and hardships, and the invasion, and subsequent take over by the neighboring Hyksos. | |
migrationThe mass movement of people from one area to another. | |
militarismPolitical policy that is dominated by the military and the competitive buildup of arms. | |
militaryThe armed forces of a nation. | |
Milosevic, Slobodan(1941- ) Former Yugoslavian President. He fought to keep non-Serbs from breaking away from Yugoslavia. During the 1990s, he used his army to terrorize ethnic Albanians in Kosovo, who were asking for self rule. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) finally put a stop to this violence, and Milosevic has since been arrested and awaits trial for war crimes. | |
minorityA small group of people from a larger group. | |
missionaryA person who spreads the teachings of a religion. | |
Mixed EconomyAn Economic system that allows for the simultaneous operation of publicly and privately owned enterprise. | |
Model Parliament(1295) English Parliament where bishops and abbots, peers, two knights from each shire, and two representatives from each town all met in modern format for the first time. | |
modernizationTo change something to make it conform to modern standards | |
MohammedProphet of Allah; founder of Islam. | |
MokshaIn Hinduism, it is the release from the cycle of reincarnation through unification with Brahma. | |
Mona LisaA famous Renaissance painting by Leonardo Da Vinci. | |
monarchA state ruled or headed by a monarch. | |
monarchyA political system in which a country is ruled by a monarch. | |
monotheismThe belief in one god or goddess. | |
Monroe Doctrine(1823) A political policy of the United States by President James Monroe that states the Western Hemisphere is closed to European interference. | |
MosesHe is considered a founder of Judaism due to his role in the liberation of the Hebrews from Egypt, and his delivery of the Ten Commandments from Mount Sinai sometime around 2000 BCE. | |
mosqueA domed Islamic religious building. | |
movable type printing machinesA printing machine that used individual letters that could be moved after each printing. This allowed for faster and easier printing. | |
MuezzinIn Islam, one who issues a call to prayer, causing the faithful to gather at the local Mosque. | |
mulattoesIn colonial Latin America, Spanish/African who were denied basic political, economic, and social rights due to their mixed heritage. | |
multinational companyA company that does business in more than one country, usually by setting up branch offices. | |
mummificationThe process of preserving a corpse by removing the moisture from it before burial. This process was practiced by many different cultures. | |
musketHandheld weapon that uses small balls of lead as projectiles and gunpowder as the blasting agent. | |
Muslim LeagueNationalist movement in India by the Islamic population who did not feel represented by the Indian National Congress. They initially formed to protexct Muslim rights, but later called for an independent state. | |
Mussolini, Benito(1883-1945) Italian leader. He founded the Italian Fascist Party, and sided with Hitler and Germany in World War II. In 1945 he was overthrown and assassinated by the Italian Resistance. | |