World History

Cards (24)

• 1
  Front

  Which river valley civilization developed the earliest known writing system, cuneiform?

  Back

  Mesopotamia (Sumer), located between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers in modern-day Iraq.

• 2
  Front

  What monumental administrative achievement is the Code of Hammurabi known for?

  Back

  It is one of the earliest and most complete written legal codes, created by Babylonian king Hammurabi around 1754 BCE, establishing laws and punishments for society.

• 3
  Front

  What political system did ancient Athens develop that became a foundational model for later governments?

  Back

  Democracy, allowing eligible male citizens to participate directly in governance and decision-making.

• 4
  Front

  At its height, the Roman Empire stretched across how many continents, and which ones?

  Back

  Three continents: Europe, Africa, and Asia (modern-day Middle East/Anatolia).

• 5
  Front

  What was the primary cause of the Western Roman Empire's fall in 476 CE?

  Back

  A combination of factors including Germanic invasions, internal political instability, economic troubles, and military overextension led to its collapse.

• 6
  Front

  What is the Silk Road, and during which classical empire did it become most prominent?

  Back

  The Silk Road was a network of trade routes connecting China to the Mediterranean. It flourished notably during the Han Dynasty (206 BCE–220 CE) and later under the Mongol Empire.

• 7
  Front

  What event in 1054 CE is known as the Great Schism?

  Back

  The split of Christianity into the Roman Catholic Church (West) and the Eastern Orthodox Church, primarily over theological and political differences.

• 8
  Front

  What were the Crusades, and approximately when did they occur?

  Back

  A series of religious wars (1096–1291 CE) launched by European Christians to capture the Holy Land from Muslim rulers.

• 9
  Front

  What devastating pandemic struck Europe in the mid-14th century, killing roughly one-third of its population?

  Back

  The Black Death (Bubonic Plague), which peaked between 1347 and 1351 CE.

• 10
  Front

  In which country did the Renaissance begin, and approximately when?

  Back

  The Renaissance began in Italy, particularly in city-states like Florence, during the 14th century and flourished through the 17th century.

• 11
  Front

  What intellectual movement central to the Renaissance emphasized human potential, classical learning, and secular subjects?

  Back

  Humanism, which shifted focus from purely religious themes to human experience, reason, and the study of ancient Greek and Roman texts.

• 12
  Front

  How did Gutenberg's printing press (c. 1440) impact the spread of knowledge in Europe?

  Back

  It enabled the mass production of books, dramatically increasing literacy, spreading Renaissance ideas, and later accelerating the Protestant Reformation.

• 13
  Front

  What was the significance of Columbus's 1492 voyage for world history?

  Back

  It initiated sustained contact between Europe and the Americas, leading to colonization, the Columbian Exchange, and a major reshaping of global trade and populations.

• 14
  Front

  What is the Columbian Exchange?

  Back

  The widespread transfer of plants, animals, diseases, and cultures between the Americas and the Old World following Columbus's voyages, beginning in 1492.

• 15
  Front

  What document did Martin Luther post in 1517 that sparked the Protestant Reformation?

  Back

  The Ninety-Five Theses, which challenged Catholic Church practices, especially the sale of indulgences.

• 16
  Front

  What were the main ideological principles of the Enlightenment that influenced political revolutions?

  Back

  Reason, individual rights, social contract, separation of powers, and skepticism of traditional authority, as advanced by thinkers like Locke, Voltaire, and Rousseau.

• 17
  Front

  What event in 1789 is commonly used to mark the beginning of the French Revolution?

  Back

  The storming of the Bastille on July 14, 1789, a royal fortress and prison symbolizing royal tyranny.

• 18
  Front

  Where did the Industrial Revolution begin, and what key energy source powered it?

  Back

  It began in Britain in the late 18th century and was primarily powered by coal, which fueled steam engines used in factories and transportation.

• 19
  Front

  What was the main political ideology that emerged from the Industrial Revolution as a response to poor working conditions and class inequality?

  Back

  Socialism (and later Marxism), which advocated for collective or government ownership of production to reduce exploitation of the working class.

• 20
  Front

  What was the immediate trigger of World War I in 1914?

  Back

  The assassination of Austro-Hungarian Archduke Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo on June 28, 1914, by Gavrilo Princip.

• 21
  Front

  What policy of aggressive territorial expansion, combined with appeasement by Britain and France, enabled Hitler's rise and contributed to World War II?

  Back

  Nazi Germany's expansionist foreign policy and the policy of appeasement, exemplified by the 1938 Munich Agreement allowing Germany to annex the Sudetenland.

• 22
  Front

  What event prompted the United States to enter World War II?

  Back

  The Japanese attack on the American naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on December 7, 1941.

• 23
  Front

  What international organization was founded in 1945 to promote peace and cooperation after World War II?

  Back

  The United Nations (UN), established on October 24, 1945, replacing the failed League of Nations.

• 24
  Front

  What is globalization, and what key late-20th-century development significantly accelerated it?

  Back

  Globalization is the increasing interconnection of economies, cultures, and governments worldwide. The rise of the internet and digital communication in the 1990s significantly accelerated this process.