320 i Glossary
fundamentalism A return to traditional religious
beliefs and practices.
Geneva Conference A 1954 conference that divided
Vietnam at the seventeenth parallel.
genocide The systematic killing of an entire ethnic
group.
geocentric theory The belief held by many before
the Scientifi c Revolution that the earth is the
center of the universe.
glasnost The 1985 policy of Mikhail Gorbachev
that allowed openness of expression of ideas in
the Soviet Union.
Glorious Revolution The bloodless overthrow of
English King James I and the placement of Wil-
liam and Mary on the English throne.
gold standard A monetary system in which cur-
rency is backed up by a specifi c amount of gold.
Gothic architecture Architecture of twelfth-cen-
tury Europe, featuring stained-glass windows,
fl ying buttresses, tall spires, and pointed arches.
Gran Colombia The temporary union of the
northern portion of South America after the
independence movements led by Simón Bolívar;
ended in 1830.
Great Depression The severe worldwide economic
downturn that began in the late 1920s and con-
tinued into the 1930s throughout many regions
of the world.
Great Leap Forward The disastrous economic
policy introduced by Mao Zedong that proposed
the implementation of small-scale industrial proj-
ects on individual peasant communes.
Green Revolution A program of improved irriga-
tion methods and the introduction of high-yield
seeds and fertilizers and pesticides to improve
agricultural production; the Green Revolution
was especially successful in Asia but also was used
in Latin America.
griots Storytellers of sub-Saharan Africa who car-
ried on oral traditions and histories.
guano Bird droppings used as fertilizer; a major
trade item of Peru in the late nineteenth century.
guest workers Workers from North Africa and Asia
who migrated to Europe during the late twentieth
century in search of employment; some guest
workers settled in Europe permanently.
Guomindang China’s Nationalist political party
founded by Sun Yat-sen in 1912 and based on
democratic principles; in 1925, the party was
taken over by Jiang Jieshi, who made it into a
more authoritarian party.
Hadith A collection of the sayings and deeds of
Muhammad.
hajj The pilgrimage to the Ka’aba in Mecca required
once of every Muslim who was not limited by
health or fi nancial restrictions.
harem A household of wives and concubines in the
Middle East, Africa, or Asia.
heliocentric theory The concept that the sun is the
center of the universe.
Hellenistic Age The era (c. 323–30 b.c.e.) in which
Greek culture blended with Persian and other
Eastern infl uences spread throughout the former
empire of Alexander the Great.
Helsinki Accords A 1975 political and human
rights agreement signed in Helsinki, Finland,
by Western European countries and the Soviet
Union.
hieroglyphics A system of picture writing used in
Egypt.
hijrah The fl ight of Muhammad from Mecca to
Medina; the fi rst year in the Muslim calendar.
Holocaust The Nazi program during World War
II that killed 6 million Jews and other groups
considered undesirable.
imperialism The establishment of colonial empires.
import substitution industrialization An eco-
nomic system that attempts to strengthen a
country’s industrial power by restricting foreign
imports.
Inca The ruler of the Quechua people of the west
coast of South America; the term is also applied
to the Quechua people as a whole.
indentured servitude The practice of contract-
ing with a master to provide labor for a specifi ed
period of years in exchange for passage and living
expenses.
Indian National Congress Political party that
became the leader of the Indian nationalist
movement.
Indo -Europeans A group of seminomadic peoples
who, around 2000 b.c.e., began to migrate from
central Asia to India, Europe, and the Middle
East.
indulgence A document whose purchase was said
to grant the bearer the forgiveness of sins.