EXAM PREPWorld History

EARLY CIVILIZATIONSUnit 1

Early Civilization

• Where did the world’s first cities appear?Along fertile river valleys (Egypt,

Mesopotamia, India, China)

• What are the 8 features of civilization?– Cities, government, religion, job specialization,

social classes, writing, arts, & architecture

Early Civilization

• How & why did the ancient Egyptians practice mummification?– Mummification was a complex scientific process

for preserving dead bodies. Egyptians believed that your body went with you in the afterlife

• What is the Code of Hammurabi?– The first set of written standardized laws; very

strict, “eye for an eye”

Early Civilization

• Compare & Contrast Hinduism & Buddhism– Both religions believe in reincarnation, and believe

that if you live a perfect life, then you will escape the cycle of reincarnation. Hindus have a more rigid social structure & are polytheistic. Buddhists do not worship any central gods

• What was the purpose of the caste system in India?– To keep the spiritually “impure/unclean” away from

the rest of the people

CLASSICAL CIVILIZATIONS(GREECE & ROME)

Unit 2

Classic Civilizations• Compare & Contrast the Greek city-states of

Athens & Sparta– Athens: democratic, emphasized the arts, wealthy

traders– Sparta: monarchy, military & war, no arts– Both spoke same language & worshipped same

gods• Describe monarchy, aristocracy, & oligarchy– Monarchy: single ruler, king/queen– Aristocracy: ruled by landowners– Oligarchy: ruled by rich

Classical Civilizations

• Explain the difference between direct democracy & representative democracy– Direct: every citizen votes directly on every law– Representative: voters elect reps to make laws

• How did the Classical Greek & Roman cultures influence modern law & government?– Created concept of democracy, structure of senate,

& the basis for all modern law

Classical Civilizations

• Explain how Christianity grew so rapidly in the Roman Empire– Christianity was open to anyone & had positive

message about eternal life; spread by Paul• Explain the causes of the fall of the Roman

Empire– Causes: weak military, overspending/debt, high

taxes, invasions led to “Dark Ages”

MEDIEVAL TIMES/ MIDDLE AGESUnit 3

Middle Ages

• What was the Magna Carta?– Document which placed limits on the English king

by protecting the people from abuse of power

• Why did the Catholic Church launch the Crusades?– To push the Muslims out of the Holy Land

(Jerusalem)

Middle Ages

• How did the Black Death affect Europe?– Killed 1/3 of population, lowered people’s faith in

the Church, damaged European economy

RENAISSANCE & REFORMATIONUnit 4

Reformation

• What was the purpose of Martin Luther’s 95 Theses?– To expose corruptions and promote reforms &

changes in the Catholic Church

• How did the printing press change Europe?– Allowed for the spread of ideas

Renaissance

• What were the central ideas of Machiavelli’s The Prince? – For a king, it is better to be feared than loved; the

end justifies the means.

SCIENTIFIC REVOLUTIONUnit 5

Science

• What scientific theory was developed by Copernicus, Brahe, Kepler, and Galileo?– Heliocentric (sun-centered) universe

• What was the main accomplishment of Sir Francis Bacon?– Scientific Method

EUROPEAN MONARCHY- ENLIGHTENMENT

Unit 6

European Monarchy

• What happened to King Charles I as a result of the English Civil War?– He was overthrown & beheaded

• How did the English Bill of Rights affect the power of the British monarchy?– Put strict limits on monarchy & set up Parliament

European Monarchy

• How did King Louis XVI contribute to the decline in France?– He overspent money and refused to reform taxes

• According to John Locke, what are natural rights?– Life, liberty, & property

Enlightenment

• What country structured its government on the basis of Montesquieu’s ideas of separation of powers and checks & balances?– The United States

• Describe what Adam Smith meant by “laissez-faire” economics– Hands off, no govt interference

AMERICAN REVOLUTION & FRENCH REVOLUTION

Unit 7

French Rev.

• How were people executed during Robespierre’s Reign of Terror?– Guillotine

• What was the goal of the French Revolution?– To reform and have more equality and

government rights within the social classes (estates); to weaken the control of the monarchy & the wealthy, give more power to middle class

French Rev.

• Who was Napoleon Bonaparte?– A general who took over France at the end of the

French Revolution

American Rev.

• How are the American Declaration of Independence and the French Declaration of Rights of Man similar?– Both emphasize the natural rights common to ALL

people

• What document outlines the responsibilities and powers of the American federal government?– The Constitution

INDUSTRIALIZATIONUnit 8

Industrialization

• Why was child labor in factories a problem?– Factories were dangerous, unsanitary, and they

had no education

• What is an assembly line?– A faster, cheaper way of producing goods by

training workers to each specialize in one task

Industrialization• What is a monopoly?– When one person/company controls an industry

without any competition

• What industrialism problem worried Karl Marx– The gap between rich factory owners and poor

workers

• Inventions of the 19th century:– Car, electric lighting, airplane, telephone

WORLD WAR IUnit 9

WWI

• What are the MAIN causes of WWI?– Militarism, Alliances, Imperialism, Nationalism

• What was the Zimmerman Telegram?– An attempt made by Germany to get Mexico to

attack the US

WWI

• How was Germany punished at the end of WWI?– Blamed for war, lost territories, no military, paid

war reparations to winners

• What was the purpose of Wilson’s 14 points?– To end WWI and prevent future wars

WORLD WAR IIUnit 10

WWII

• What is fascism?– Extreme, violent, nationalism that celebrates the

state ahead of individuals• What is totalitarianism? What are some

examples of totalitarian leaders during WWII? – a single party dictatorship which uses secret police,

state-controlled economy, and censorship to maintain order; examples include Mussolini’s Italy, Hitler’s Germany and Stalin’s USSR

WWII

• What is propaganda?– An attempt to influence public opinion through the

use of half-truths (& lies) and scare tactics

• What is appeasement?– Giving an aggressor what he wants in order to

avoid war

WWII

• Why did Japan attack Pearl Harbor, HI?– The US had cut off trade with Japan, and angering

them

• What is genocide and what are examples of genocide from WWII?– an attempt to wipe out an entire people due to

their race, ethnicity, or religion; examples include the Holocaust

WWII

• What was D-Day?– June 6, 1944, the Allied forces invaded France to

open a western front against Germany in WWII

• What happened to the Japanese cities of Hiroshima & Nagasaki?– They were destroyed by the US atomic bomb

WWII

• What is the purpose of the UN?– To maintain peace and promote cooperation

between nations

COLD WARUnit 10

Cold War

• What was the Cold War?– A competition for power and influence between

the US and the Soviet Union

• What were the key conflicts of the Cold War?– Korean War, Berlin Blockade & Airlift, Vietnam

War, Cuban Missile Crisis

Cold War

• How did the Cold War end?– the Soviet Union collapsed due to economic and

political problems

TWENTIETH & TWENTY-FIRST CENTURIES

Unit II

20th Century

• What happened in Tiananmen Square (China) in 1989?– Pro-democracy demonstrators were brutally

attacked & suppressed by the govt & it limited even more freedoms

• Where does the AIDS epidemic pose the greatest risk today?– Africa

20th -21st Centuries• What is apartheid and where was it practiced?– Apartheid is when race is used to discriminated

(minority over majority); South Africa, whites controlled African majority

• Why are Iran & North Korea major concerns for us today?– They are both developing nuclear weapons

20th- 21st centuries

• What is the focus of the Arab-Isreali conflict today?– Land ownership claims and civil rights for

Palestinians living in Isreal

• What countries did the US invade following the 9/11 attacks?– Afghanistan and Iraq