Acropolis

Means "high city and sacred rock" - Site of ancient

Greek temples and ruins in central Athens

Alliances

An agreement between two or more parties, made in

order to advance common goals and to secure common
interests.

Anti-Semitism

Hatred towards people of Jewish faith

Blitzkrieg

(Lightning War) - This combined air power with tanks

and mechanized troops to strike swiftly before defenders
could react

Bourgeoisie

A social class of people, characterized by their

ownership of capital and the related culture. Opposed to
the Proletariat

Brinksmanship

the practice of pushing a dangerous situation to the

verge of disaster in order to achieve the most
advantageous outcome

Communism

A system of social organization in which all economic

and social activity is controlled by a totalitarian state
dominated by a single person.

Containment

The policy of stopping and preventing

the spread of communism

Contrapposto

A pose for a sculpture where a figure stands with one leg

holding its full weight and the other leg relaxed.

Decentralized Government

the process of dispersing decision-making governance

closer to the people or citizens and away from a central,
national government

Dehumanization

To deprive a group of people of human

qualities or attributes

Discontinuous Region

A group of areas that are not directly

next to each other

Fascism

A system of government marked by centralization of authority

under a dictator, stringent socioeconomic controls, suppression of
the opposition through terror and censorship, and typically a
policy of belligerent nationalism and racism.

Feudalism

A system of obligations that bound lords and their subjects in Europe during much of
the Middle Ages. In theory, the king owned all or most of the land and gave it to his
leading nobles in return for their loyalty and military service. The nobles in turn held
land that peasants, including serfs, were allowed to farm in return for the peasants'
labor and a portion of their produce. Under feudalism, people were born with a
permanent position in society.

Fjords

where glaciers formed deep, steep valleys that are now

filled with saltwater; often found on the coastlines of
Scandinavian countries

Genocide

Mass killing of an ethnicity or religion

Imperialism

Expansion of a countries territory

Industrial Revolution

A move from man-labor to machinelabor and industry

Iron Curtain

Term for Eastern Europe being communist

and under control of the USSR

Marshall Plan

European economic recovery plan

funded by the US after WWII

Militarism

The belief or desire of a government or people that a

country should maintain a strong military capability and
be prepared to use it aggressively to defend or promote
national interests.

Nationalism

Pride for one's country

NATO

alliance of Western European countries and the US Meant to oppose communism and the Warsaw Pact

Navigable

Where a body of water is deep and

wide enough for shipping

Nazism

The ideology and practice of the Nazis, especially the

policy of racist nationalism, national expansion, and state
control of the economy.

Origin of Species

book written by Charles Darwin

outlining his theory of evolution

Pacifists

Policy which is opposed to war or to

violence of any kind.

Philosophy

(Loving Wisdom) - The study of logic

and wisdom

Polders

low-lying land that has been recovered

from a large body of water

Polytheism

Belief in many gods

Proletariat

The class of workers, esp. industrial wage earners, who

do not possess capital or property and must sell their
labor to survive. Opposed to the Bourgeoisie

Renaissance

Means "Rebirth" - A cultural movement happening

around the 1400-1600's that reflect a growth in
intellectual life

Socialism

A theory or system of social organization that advocates

the vesting of the ownership and control of the means of
production and distribution, of capital, land, etc., in the
community as a whole.

Solidarity

unity (as of a group or class) that produces or is based

on community of interests

Warsaw Pact

alliance of Eastern European countries and the USSR Meant to spread communism

Westerlies

winds that blow from the west