romanticism A literary and artistic movement in nineteenth-century Europe; emphasized emotion
over reason.
Russification A tsarist program that required non-Russians to speak only Russian and provided
education only for those groups loyal to Russia.
Russo-Japanese War (1904 to 1905) War between Japan and Russia over Manchurian territory;
resulted in the defeat of Russia by the Japanese navy.
samurai The military class of feudal Japan.
Sandinistas A left-wing group that overthrew the dictatorship of Nicaraguan Anastacio Somoza in
1979.
sati The custom among the higher castes of Hinduism of a widow throwing herself on the burning
funeral pyre of her husband.
scholar-gentry The Chinese class of well-educated men from whom many of the bureaucrats were
chosen.
Scientific Revolution A European intellectual movement in the seventeenth century that established
the basis for modern science.
Second Industrial Revolution The phase of the Industrial Revolution beginning about 1850 that
applied the use of electricity and steel to the manufacturing process.
self-strengthening movement A late nineteenth-century movement in which the Chinese modernized
their army and encouraged Western investment in factories and railways.
separation of powers The division of powers among the legislative, executive, and judicial branches
of government.
Sepoy Rebellion (1857) Revolt of Indian soldiers against the British; caused by a military practice in
violation of the Muslim and Hindu faiths.
sepoys South Asian soldiers who served in the British army in India.
serf A peasant who is bound to the land he or she works.
service industries Occupations that provided a service rather than a manufactured or agricultural
product.
Seven Years’ War (1756 to 1763) Conflict fought in Europe and its overseas colonies; in North
America, known as the French and Indian War.
shamanism A belief in powerful natural spirits that are influenced by shamans, or priests.
shariah The body of law that governs Muslim society.
Shi’ite The branch of Islam that holds that the leader of Islam must be a descendant of Muhammad’s
family.
Shinto The traditional Japanese religion based on veneration of ancestors and spirits of nature.
shogun Military leaders under the bakufu .
shogunate The rule of the shoguns .
Silk Roads Caravan routes and sea lanes between China and the Middle East.
Six-Day War A brief war between Israel and a number of Arab states in 1967; during this conflict,
Israel took over Jerusalem, the Golan Heights, the Sinai Peninsula, and the West Bank.
slash-and-burn cultivation An agricultural method in which farmers clear fields by cutting and
burning trees, then use the ashes as fertilizer.