| A | B |
|---|
| property | Something of value that is owned by a person. |
| Protestant | Member of Christian relgious sect which formed during the Protestant Reformation. Protestants reject the authority of the Roman Catholic Church. |
| raw materials | Various materials found in nature used in manufacturing such as wood, coal, and oil. |
| religion | A person's beliefs concerning the existence and worship of a god or gods, and divine involvement in the universe and human life. |
| rigid social class system | A social class system where there is no mobility. A person remains in the same class their entire life. |
| Roman Catholic | A branch of Christianity based in Rome. The original Christian church. |
| russification | A policy in Russia to make all of the peoples under their control conform to Russian culture and language. It was used in both the Russian Empire and later, in the Soviet Union. |
| self-determination | Refers to a number of distinct human rights. These include the right to equality under the law, the right to a nationality, the right to freely leave and return to a person's country of origin, the right to freedom from persecution because of race, religion, or gender, and a host of others. |
| serfs | Farmers who were tied to the land during European feudalism. They were not slaves because they could not be bought or sold, but they could not readily leave the manor either. Serfs were given land to farm in exchange for service to their lord. This service usually involved working the lord's fields, maintaining roads and the manor, and providing military service in times of war. Serfs paid taxes to their lord in the form of crops. This is also how the paid the fee to use the manor's mill or other services. |
| social class | A group of people within a society who share the same social, political, and economic status. |
| social rights | Rights such as freedom of expression, education |
| Soviet Union (U.S.S.R.) | Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) Formed in 1922 from most of the former Russian Empire. The Soviet Union was controlled by the Communist Party headquarter in Moscow, Russia. The Soviet Union was a world superpower along with the United States, and was one of the two major antagonist during the Cold War. |
| starvation | The process of dying due to lack of food. |
| subservient | To serve under another person. Unequal. |
| suffrage | The right to vote in elections. |
| terrorism | The use of violence for political purpose. |
| totalitarian state | A state or country completely controlled by a single power, such as a monarch or dictator. |
| tribalism | Feelings of loyalty to individual tribes, and the cause of much war and strife in modern Africa. |
| United Nations | An international body composed of many countries that seeks to promote peace, prosperity, and cooperation around the world. It was formed in 1945 at the end of World War II. |
| Universal Declaration of Human Rights | A document published by the United Nations in 1948 stating that all people had certain basic rights including life, liberty, equality, justice and self determination. Source Document: Universal Declaration of Human Rights |
| Untouchables | Members of Hindu society thought to have been removed from the Caste System, with no hope of returning to it, due to their misdeeds in previous lives. Work that is deemed unclean for all other Hindus is reserved for these Outcasts. After winning its independence from Great Britain in 1947, India adopted a national constitution which stated that "Untouchability is abolished and its practice in any form is forbidden." Since that time many Caste reforms have been enacted to diminish discriminatory practices in India. Today, the Caste System still exists in practice, despite the many laws designed to legally abolish it. |
| volence | The use of force to injure someone or to damage something. |
| voting | The act of choosing something or someone. |
| World War I | (1914 – 1918) European war in which an alliance including Great Britain, France, Russia, Italy, and the United States defeated the alliance of Germany, Austria-Hungary, Turkey, and Bulgaria. |
| World War II | (1939 – 1945) A war fought in Europe, Africa and Asia between the Allied Powers of Great Britain, France, the Soviet Union, and the United States against the Axis Powers of Germany, Italy, and Japan. |
