J-L

  1. jihad : Effort in God’s service waged by Muslims in defense of the Islamic faith.
  2. Judaism : Judaism is the oldest known monotheistic religion still practiced in the world today. Its fundamental teachings have been influential and are the basis for more recently developed religions such as Christianity and Islam. Judaism teaches that there is one God who is the creator of all things. after the Hebrew exodus from Egypt, many Hebrews began to lose their faith in God. During this time, Moses went atop Mount Sinai and returned with two stone tablets containing laws that all Hebrews needed to follow. These laws, recorded in the Exodus 20:3-17, became known as the Ten Commandments.
  3. Justinians Code : A law code created by the Byzantine Emperor Justinian about 530 CE. It was a revision of the old Roman law system.
Vocabulary K
  1. Kaiser Wilhelm : (1859-1941) King of Prussia and Emperor of Germany whose political policies led his country into World War I. He was forced from power when Germany lost the war.
  2. karma : Actions in this life resulting from the consequences of a previous life’s actions. Associated with Hinduism and Buddhism.
  3. Khrushchev, Nikita : (1894-1971) Leader of the Soviet Union from 1953 to 1964. Khrushchev was critical of Stalin’s policies and attempted to reverse some of them. He is responsible for placing nuclear missiles in Cuba which resulted in the Cuban Missile Crisis.
  4. King Leopold : (1835-1909) King of Belgium who began imperialistic trade inside of Africa which resulted in the Scramble for Africa.
  5. Kipling, Rudyard : (1865-1936) British writer and poet. His poem The White Man’s Burden became a popular justification for European imperialism.
  6. Koch, Robert : (1843-1910) German physician who, in the 1880’s, discovered that bacteria caused tuberculosis.
  7. Korean Bridge : The term given to process in which cultural diffusion occurred between China and Japan though Korean contact with both civilizations.
  8. Korean War : A war between North Korean, which was supported by both the Soviet Union and communist China, and South Korea, which was supported by the United States and the United Nations. The war occurred between 1950 and 1953 and ended in an armistice and original borders.
  9. Kristallnacht : On November 9th, 1938, Nazis in German looted, and burned Jewish stores and Synagogues, often beating Jews in the street. Over 90 Jews were killed during Kristallnacht. Also called Night of Broken Glass.
  10. Kublai Khan : (1215-1294) Grandson of Genghis Khan and founder of the Mongol Yuan Dynasty in China.
  11. Kurds : Ethnic group that lives in parts of Iraq and Turkey. They often suffer persecution in both countries, and are currently under the protection of the United Nations in Iraq.
Vocabulary L
  1. Laissez-Faire Economics : This was an economic philosophy begun by Adam Smith in his book, Wealth of Nations, that stated that business and the economy would run best with no interference from the government. This economic system dominated most of the Industrial Revolution.
  2. Lao Tze : (570-490 BCE?) Chinese philosopher credited with originating Taoism/Daoism. His teachings were collected and published as the Tao-te Ching.
  3. Latin America : The Geopolitical designation for Central and South America and the Caribbean Islands which were settled by the Spanish.
  4. Latin American Revolutions : Political revolutions in various Latin American countries beginning in the late 18th century. These revolutions were aimed at overthrowing the European powers that controlled these nations. Many were successful, but few achieved the success of the American Revolution.
  5. latitude : Lines of equal distance measured north and south of the equator.
  6. Laws of the Twelve Tables : A system of laws. Some of the features of this system include, men being equal under the law, having the right to face their accusers, and being considered innocent until proven guilty.
  7. League of Nations : A multinational peace keeping organization which began as an idea of United States President Woodrow Wilson following the first World War. The Treaty of Versailles created a League with over 40 different countries joining. The United States was not one of them. The League of Nations was to be an international body that would settle future problems through negotiations instead of warfare. The member nations were to work cooperatively through economic and military means to enforce its decisions. However, since the United States did not join, the League never achieved its intentions. While the League did attempt to halt the aggressiveness of Hitler's Germany, their inherent weakness prevented them from stopping World War II.
  8. Lenin, Vladimir : (1870-1924) Russian revolutionary leader and political theorist. He was the first leader of the new communist government of Soviet Russia. Later, he was also the first leader of the Soviet Union, which was composed of most of the republics of the former Russian Empire.
  9. liberty : In the political sense, this usually means freedom.
  10. Little Red Book : A book circulated throughout China during the reign of Mao Zedong, which contained his political philosophy for China. It was required reading in all schools.
  11. Locke, John : (1632-1704) English philosopher and political theorist. He wrote Two Treaties on Government which explained that all men have Natural Rights, which are Life, Liberty, and Property, and that the purpose of government was to protect these rights.
  12. Long March : March the Mao Zedong and his Communist Party underwent to avoid being captured and killed by China’s Nationalist Party.
  13. longitude : The curving distance east or west of the prime meridian that stretches from the North Pole to the South Pole.
  14. Louis XIV : (1638-1715) Known as the Sun King, he was an absolute monarch that completely controlled France. One of his greatest accomplishments was the building of the palace at Versailles.
  15. Louis XVI : (1754-1793) King of France between 1774 and 1792. He was overthrown during the French Revolution and later beheaded.
  16. L'Ouverture, Toussaint : (1743?-1803) Revolutionary leader who is responsible for ousting France from Haiti during the Latin American Revolutions in the early 19th century.
  17. Luther, Martin : (1483-1546) Theologian and religious reformer who started the Reformation with his 95 Theses which protested church corruption, namely the sale of indulgences.