theocracy A government ruled by God or by church leaders.
Tiananmen Square Beijing site of a 1989 student protest in favor of democracy; the Chinese military
killed large numbers of protestors.
Torah The first five books of the Jewish scripture.
Treaty of Brest-Litovsk The 1918 treaty ending World War I between Germany and the Soviet
Union.
Treaty of Nanking (1842) Treaty ending the Opium War that ceded Hong Kong to the British.
Treaty of Tordesillas The 1494 treaty in which the pope divided unexplored territories between
Spain and Portugal.
Treaty of Versailles The 1919 peace treaty between Germany and the Allied nations; it blamed the
war on Germany and assessed heavy reparations and large territorial losses on the part of
Germany.
triangular trade The eighteenth-century trade network between Europe, Africa, and the Americas.
tribute The payment of a tax in the form of goods and labor by subject peoples.
Truman Doctrine A 1947 statement by U.S. President Truman that pledged aid to any nation resisting
communism.
Twelve Tables The codification of Roman law during the republic.
umma The community of all Muslim believers.
United Nations The international organization founded in 1945 to establish peace and cooperation
among nations.
universal male suffrage The right of all males within a given society to vote.
untouchables The social division in Hindu society that fell in rank below the caste system; it was
occupied by those who carried out undesirable occupations such as undertaking, butchering, and
waste collection.
varna A caste in the Hindu caste system.
vassal In medieval Europe, a person who pledged military or other service to a lord in exchange for
a gift of land or other privilege.
Vedas The oral hymns to the Aryan deities, later written down, that formed the basis of the Hindu
beliefs during the Vedic Age (1500–500 BCE).
viceroyalty A political unit ruled by a viceroy that was the basis of organization of the Spanish
colonies.
Wahhabi rebellion An early nineteenth-century attempt to restore Ottoman power through a return to
traditional Islam and strict shariah law.
Warsaw Pact The 1955 agreement between the Soviet Union and the countries of eastern Europe in
response to NATO.
welfare state A nation in which the government plays an active role in providing services such as
social security to its citizens.
World Bank An agency of the United Nations that offers loans to countries to promote trade and
economic development.
World Trade Organization (WTO) An international organization begun in 1995 to promote and
organize world trade.