G
- Galilei, Galileo : (1564-1642) Italian astronomer. One of the founders of Europe's scientific revolution, one of his main contributions is the application of the telescope to astronomy. He was able to prove Copernicus’ heliocentric model correct.
- Gandhi, Mohandas : (1869-1948) Nationalist leader in India, who called for a non violent revolution to gain his country’s freedom from the British Empire.
- Ganges River : Located in India, this river is considered sacred to Hindus and is used for spiritual cleansing, funeral rites, and other Hindu rituals.
- Garibaldi, Guiseppe : (1807-1882?) Military leader whose Red Shirt army liberated most of southern Italy, before conquering the northern section. He was instrumental in the unification of Italy.
- Gautama, Siddhartha : (563?-483?BCE), Indian philosopher and the founder of Buddhism. Siddhartha was born into the Brahmin caste, and by all account led a luxurious lifestyle. However, he was troubled by the human misery that he saw around him everyday. Upon reflection, he deduced that desire was the root caused of all suffering. Also known as the Buddha.
- Genghis Khan : (1167?-1227) One of the Mongol’s greatest leaders and founder of the Mongol Empire.
- genocide : The killing of all the people from a ethnic group, religious group, or people from a specific nation.
- gentry : Members of the upper class in some social class systems.
- Ghana : One of the west African Trading Kingdoms. They were rich in gold and established a vast trading network across the Sahara desert.
- ghetto : Term given to poor areas of town where Jews were sent during World War II.
- Glasnost : A policy of Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev which called for more openness with the nations of West, and a relaxing of restraints on Soviet citizenry.
- Glorious Revolution : Political revolution in Great Britain in 1688 that put William and Mary on the throne, while limiting the power of the monarchy and making Parliament supreme. This event marks the beginning of a constitutional monarchy in England.
- Gold Coast : Name given to the parts of the west coast of Africa by European imperialist due to the amount of gold found in the region.
- golden age : A time in a culture of high achievement in arts, literature, and science. Generally occurs in times of peace.
- Gorbachev, Mikhail : (1931- ), leader of the Soviet Union from 1985 to 1991. His policies of Perestroika and Glasnost, which aimed at revitalizing the Soviet Union contributed to the downfall of communism.
- government : a person or body of people who have the power to make and enforce laws for a country or area.
- Great Depression : (1929-1939) The dramatic decline in the world’s economy due to the United State’s stock market crash of 1929, the overproduction of goods from World War I, and decline in the need for raw materials from non industrialized nations. Results in millions of people losing their jobs as banks and businesses closed around the world. Many people were reduced to homelessness, and had to rely on government sponsored soup kitchens to eat. World trade also declined as many countries imposed protective tariffs in an attempt to restore their economies.
- Great Leap Forward : The economic program designed to increase farm and industrial output though the creation of communes. Communes are similar to Soviet collectives in that groups of people live and work together on government owned farms and in government owned industry.
- Great Purge : The widespread arrests and executions of over a million people by Josef Stalin between 1936 and 1938. Stalin was attempting to eliminate all opposition to his rule of the Soviet Union.
- Greco-Roman : The cultural mixing of both ancient Greek and Roman traditions.
- Greek column : Fluted column used in many of their buildings, and copied throughout the world today.
- Green Revolution : Throughout the 20th century, scientists worked on improving agriculture, especially in areas with high populations. Some of the technologies developed included better irrigation systems so farmers could get water to their crops. New machinery was built to handle larger production and to take the burden of agriculture work off of humans. New chemical fertilizers and pesticides were created to increase food production, and new varieties of grains and livestock were developed also for greater production. The Green Revolution has had only limited success. The high costs associated with many of these new technologies have kept the small farmer from taking advantage of them.
- greenhouse gas : A gas such as carbon dioxide, ozone, or water vapor that are a factoring the warming of the Earth’s atmosphere.
- guild : An association of merchants or craftspeople in medieval Europe, formed to make regulations and set standards for a particular trade or craft.
- Gupta Dynasty : (320-550 C.E.)Ruling family in India during its golden age. Responsible for many achievements.
- Gutenberg, Johannes : (1400?-1468) German printer and European pioneer in the use of movable type.
