| A | B |
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| Copernicus, Nicolaus | (1473-1543) Polish astronomer who wrote On the Revolutions of the Celestial Spheres. Theorized that the Earth orbited the Sun (heliocentric system) and laid the foundations of modern astronomy. |
| corporation | A company with business dealings in many different areas. |
| Counter-Reformation | The movement initiated by the Catholic Church to contain the Protestant Reformation and, if possible, end it. |
| craftsman | A person who makes quality, practical or decorative goods. |
| Crusades | European Christian military expeditions made between the 11th and 13th centuries to retake the Middle Eastern Holy Lands occupied by the Muslims. |
| cultural diffusion | The spreading of ideas through contact such as trade or war. |
| culture | The shared beliefs, customs, practices, and social behavior of a particular nation or people |
| Czar | Title of the ruler of Russia. Taken from the word Caesar, which means emperor. |
| Czar Nicholas II | (1868-1918) Czar of Russia (1894-1917). He was overthrown during the Russian Revolution of 1917. Later, he and his family were killed by the revolution’s leadership. |
| Da Gama, Vasco | (1469?-1524) Portuguese explorer who, in 1498, established an all water route to India |
| daimyo | Land owning feudal lords in Japan. |
| democracy | A system of government in which the citizens hold the legislative, judicial, and executive power, based on majority rule. |
| democratic republic | A political system in which a country is ruled by law, has representative government, and is democratic in nature. |
| Descartes, Rene | (1596-1650) French intellectual who challenged traditional ideas. He said that human reason was capable of discovering and explaining the laws of nature and man. The idea of human reason being superior to tradition led to the beginning of the Enlightenment, a time of political awakening that became revolution. |
| diaspora | The enforced spreading out of a group of people. In history, there has been both a Jewish Diaspora and an African Diaspora. |
| dictatorship | A system of government in which a country is ruled by a single person with absolute power. |
| domesticate | To tame an animal to live with, or close to humans. |
| emperor | Political ruler of a country of nation. Similar to a king. |
| Enclosure Movement | During the Industrial Revolution, it was the consolidation of many small farms into one large farm, which created a labor force as many people lost their homes. |
| Enlightenment | A movement in the 18th century that stressed the importance of reason and science in philosophy and the study of human society. Occurred in Western Europe. |
