Glossary h 323northwest passage A passage through the North
American continent that was sought by early
explorers to North America as a route to trade
with the East.
No theater The classical Japanese drama with
music and dances performed on a simple stage by
elaborately dressed actors.
Opium War (1839–1842) War between Great
Britain and China began with the Qing dynasty’s
refusal to allow continued opium importation
into China; British victory resulted in the Treaty
of Nanking.
oracle bones Animal bones or shells used by Chi-
nese priests to receive messages from the gods.
Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries
(OPEC) Organization formed in 1960 by oil-
producing countries to regulate oil supplies and
prices.
ozone depletion The thinning of the layer of the
gas ozone high in the earth’s atmosphere; ozone
serves as a protection against the sun’s ultraviolet
rays.
Pan-Slavic movement A Russian attempt to unite
all Slavic nations into a commonwealth relation-
ship under the infl uence of Russia.
parallel descent In Incan society, descent through
both the father and mother.
parliament A representative assembly.
parliamentary monarchy A government with a
king or queen whose power is limited by the
power of a parliament.
pastoralism The practice of herding.
patriarchal Pertaining to a social system in which
the father is the head of the family.
Pax Romana The Roman Peace; the period of
prosperity and stability throughout the Roman
Empire in the fi rst two centuries c.e.
peninsulares In the Spanish colonies, those who
were born in Europe.
People of the Book A term applied by Islamic
governments to Muslims, Christians, and Jews in
reference to the fact that all three religions had a
holy book.
perestroika A restructuring of the Soviet economy
to allow some local decision making.
Persian Gulf War The 1991 war between Iraq and
a U.S.-led coalition to liberate Kuwait from an
Iraqi invasion.
perspective An artistic technique commonly used
in Renaissance painting that gave a three-dimen-
sional appearance to works of art.
pharaoh An Egyptian monarch.
philosophes French Enlightenment social
philosophers.
pogrom Violence against Jews in tsarist Russia.
polis A Greek city-state.
polytheism The belief in many gods.
Pope The head of the Roman Catholic Church.
Potsdam Conference A 1945 meeting of the lead-
ers of Great Britain, the United States, and the
Soviet Union in which it was agreed that the
Soviet Union would be given control of eastern
Europe and that Germany would be divided into
zones of occupation.
Prague Spring A 1968 program of reform to soften
socialism in Czechoslovakia; it resulted in the
Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia.
predestination The belief of Protestant reformer
John Calvin that God had chosen some people for
heaven and others for hell.
proletariat In Marxist theory, the class of workers
in an industrial society.
Protestant Reformation A religious movement
begun by Martin Luther in 1517 that attempted
to reform the beliefs and practices of the Roman
Catholic Church; it resulted in the formation of
new Christian denominations.
purdah The Hindu custom of secluding women.
purges Joseph Stalin’s policy of exiling or killing
millions of his opponents in the Soviet Union.
Quechua Andean society also known as the Inca.
quipus A system of knotted cords of different sizes
and colors used by the Incas for keeping records.
Quran The holy book of Islam.
radicalism Western European political philosophy
during the nineteenth century; advocated democ-
racy and reforms favoring lower classes.
Ramadan The holy month of Islam which com-
memorates the appearance of the angel Gabriel
to Muhammad; fasting is required during this
month.
Reconquista (Reconquest) The recapture of Mus-
lim-held lands in Spain by Christian forces; it was
completed in 1492.
Red Guard A militia of young Chinese people
organized to carry out Mao Zedong’s Cultural
Revolution.http://www.ebook3000.com