| A | B |
|---|
| coup d'etat | overthrow of the government |
| covenant | binding agreement |
| Creole | an American-born descedent of Spanish settlers |
| crusades | holy wars |
| cultural bias | preference for or hostile feeling toward another culture |
| cultural diffusion | spread of ideas, customs and technology from one group of people to another |
| cultural diversity | variety of cultures |
| culture | way of life of a society |
| cuneiform | wedge-shaped writing of the ancient Sumerians |
| customs | accepted practices followed by people of a group or region |
| Cyrillic alphabet | Old Slavic alphabet |
| czar (tsar) | title of the rule of the Russian Empire |
| daimyo | warrior lord below the shogun in feudal Japan |
| decentralization | distribution of the power of government to several other authorities |
| deforestation | destruction of forest land |
| diety | a god or goddess |
| delta | triangular area of marshland formed by deposits of silt at the mouth of a river |
| democracy | government in which the people hold the ruling power |
| desertification | process by which fertile land becomes desert |
| detente | easing of tension between US and Soviet Union in the 1970s |
| developed countries | countries with a high level of economic and industrial development |
| developing countries | countries with a relatively low level of economic and industrial development |
| dharma | Hindu belief in individual religious and moral duty |
| dialects | languages spoken in a particular region |
| diaspora | scattering of people |
| dictator | ruler who has complete control over a government |
| dissident | someone who speaks out against the government |
| diversity | variety |
| divine right | belief that a ruler's authority comes directly from God |
| drought | a long period with little or no rainfall |
| dynastic cycle | rise and fall of Chinese dynasties according to the Mandate of Heaven |
| dynasty | ruling family |
| economic | the production, development and management of a country's wealth |
