Cross-period AP World History vocabulary and analytical concepts (continuity and change, causation, comparison) used across all units. Front: the term. Back: a plain-language definition with an example.
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- Continuity and change over time
- The recognition that societies maintain certain traditions and structures even as they adapt to new circumstances. Example: Buddhism continued to spread across Asia while adopting local cultural practices in each region.
- Causation
- The relationship between events or actions and their effects or consequences. Example: The Renaissance resulted from a combination of rediscovered classical texts, wealthy merchant patronage, and urban growth.
- Comparison
- Identifying similarities and differences between societies, events, or time periods. Example: Feudalism in Europe and the samurai system in Japan both featured hierarchical loyalty structures but differed significantly in land ownership patterns.
- Periodization
- Dividing history into distinct time periods to organize and analyze change. Example: The AP World History curriculum uses periods like the Classical Age and the Early Modern Period to structure historical study.
- Contextualization
- Understanding an event or idea by placing it within the specific time, place, and circumstances in which it occurred. Example: Understanding the Enlightenment requires considering the scientific revolution and the political instability of 17th-century Europe that preceded it.
- Primary source
- A document, artifact, or record created during the time period being studied. Example: A letter written by Napoleon or a medieval manuscript created in the 1300s.
- Secondary source
- An analysis or interpretation of historical events written after they occurred, typically by a historian. Example: A modern history textbook analyzing the causes of World War I.
- Historiography
- The study of how historical accounts are written, interpreted, and revised over time. Example: Historiography examines how Western historians traditionally emphasized European history while marginalizing other world regions.
- Bias
- A perspective or preference that influences how a source interprets or presents historical information. Example: A colonial administrator's account of colonized peoples often reflected the racial biases common in that era.
- Diaspora
- The forced or voluntary dispersal of a people from their homeland to multiple other regions. Example: The Jewish diaspora scattered Jewish communities throughout Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa over many centuries.
- Syncretism
- The blending of different religious, cultural, or philosophical traditions into a new synthesis. Example: In Latin America, Catholicism merged with indigenous religions to create syncretic religious practices.
- Hegemony
- The dominance or leadership of one power over others, often through economic, political, or military superiority. Example: British hegemony over global trade routes in the 19th century allowed Britain to shape international commerce.
- Hierarchy
- A system in which people or groups are ranked according to status, power, or authority. Example: The feudal hierarchy placed the king at the top, followed by nobles, knights, and peasants at the bottom.
- Feudalism
- A political and economic system based on the relationship between lords and vassals, with land as the primary source of wealth and power. Example: In medieval Europe, feudalism organized society around obligations between nobles and their subordinates.
- Absolute monarchy
- A system of government where a single ruler holds total power with no constitutional limits. Example: Louis XIV of France claimed 'I am the state' and governed without meaningful restrictions on his authority.