| HISTORICAL WORD | MEANING |
| absolutism | principle of government with absolute ruler who holds supreme power |
| administrator | person with an ability to organize and manage affairs or estate |
| agrarian | relating to land, agriculture and cultivation |
| apartheid | policy of racial discrimination (e.g., in South Africa) |
| archives | public records or place where records are stored |
| armor | protective covering for body worn in fighting |
| autonomy | right of self-government or ruling self without outside control |
| capitalist | person with wealth who invests in business for profit |
| caucus | private meeting or local committee for political party organization |
| civil | relating to citizens or State; non-military |
| coup d'etat | revolt by military leaders leading to violent or illegal change of government |
| dissident | rebellious person who is not in agreement with the government |
| explorer | person who travels to places with a sense of inquiry |
| exterritoriality | right to be free from jurisdiction of territory one resides in; right of foreigners to be protected by their own nation's laws |
| glasnost | policy of openness on domestic and international fronts initiated by Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev |
| indulgence | privilege often granted by Popes during purgatory for reduction of punishment to sinner |
| industrialization | process of establishing large-scale industries |
| inflation | price increases due to increases in money supply |
| lord | powerful nobleman in the Middle Ages with his own land owing allegiance to the king |
| medieval | relating to the Middle Ages |
| monastery | place where monks live as a community |
| monastic | relating to monks and monasteries |
| mosque | place of worship for Muslims |
| nationalization | process of converting into national property or bringing under government control |
| neolithic | relating to the later Stone Age |
| non-intervention | policy of keeping aloof from disputes of others |
| palaeolithic | relating to earliest stone implements |
| perestroika | policy of reforms for the Soviet economy initiated by Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev |
| proliferation | rapid growth, spread or multiplication |
| purdah | practice of secluding women of rank with screen in India |
| reincarnation | rebirth of soul in other living embodiment as per Hinduism and Buddhism |
| Renaissance | revival of arts and letters about A.D. 1400 - 1600; any similar revival period |
| ruins | remains of old cities and buildings |
| satrap | provincial governor in the Persian Empire |
| scroll | roll of parchment or paper; ancient book in roll form |
| site | place chosen for building or town |
| socialism | principle where society, not individuals, owns property and runs enterprises |
| Socratic | relating to Socrates, the wise man of ancient Greece |
| suffrage | right of voting at elections |
| Taoism | religious doctrine of the Chinese philosopher, Lao-tsze, about how man can achieve harmony |
| topography | physical features of a region and their description |
| totalitarianism | political system with single-party dictatorship and complete control over citizen's lives |
| urbanization | process of changing from rural villages to towns and cities |
