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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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.
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