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- Machiavelli, Niccolo : (1469-1527) Italian historian, statesman, and political philosopher of the Renaissance. His greatest work is The Prince, a book of political advice to rulers in which he describes the methods that a prince should use to acquire and maintain political power. This book was used to defend policies of despotism and tyranny. Machiavelli wrote that a ruler should take any action to remain in power, or that “the ends justifies the means.”
- Magellan, Ferdinand : (1480?-1521) Spanish explorer who was the first to circumnavigate the globe.
- Magna Carta : A document granting rights to both the Church in England and the Nobility signed by King John in 1215. This is considered to be the beginnings of British democracy.
- Mali : One of the west African Trading Kingdoms. They were rich in gold and established a vast trading network across the Sahara desert. Greatest ruler was Mansa Musa, who converted to Islam and made a famous pilgrimage.
- Mandate of Heaven : Divine right of rule in China.
- Mandela, Nelson : (1918 - )A black South African leader who protested the policy of Apartheid and spent over thirty years in prison before becoming the first black president of South Africa.
- manorialism : Economic portion of feudalism where all aspects of life were centered on the lord’s manor including peasant villages, a church, farm land, a mill, and the lord's castle or manor house.
- Mansa Musa : Emperor of the kingdom of Mali in Africa. He made a famous pilgrimage to Mecca and established trade routes to the Middle East.
- Mao Zedong : (1893-1976) Leader of the Communist Party in China that overthrew Jiang Jieshi and the Nationalists. Established China as the People’s Republic of China and ruled from 1949 until 1976.
- Marco Polo : (1254-1324) Italian explorer and author. He made numerous trips to China and returned to Europe to write of his journeys. He is responsible for much of the knowledge exchanged between Europe and China during this time period.
- market economy : An economy based on free trade and supply and demand.
- Marshall Plan : Economic aid from the United States used to rebuild Europe after World War II. Named after United States Secretary of State George Marshall.
- Marx, Karl : (1818-1883), German political philosopher and writer. Coauthor with Friedrich Engels of The Communist Manifesto which described the new philosophy of scientific socialism, which is the basis for modern communism.
- mass production : The manufacturing of products on a large scale, usually through the use of machines.
- massacre : The killing of large numbers of people
- matriarchal : A society or political/social system in which women hold the power.
- Mayans : A Mesoamerican civilization of Central America and southern Mexico. Achievements include mathematics, architecture, and a 365 day a year calendar. They flourished between the 4th and 12th centuries C.E..
- Mecca : A city in Saudi Arabia where Muslims must make a pilgrimage at least once in their life.
- Meiji Restoration : The restoration of the Emperor Meiji to power in Japan, overthrowing the Tokugawa Shogunate in 1868.
- mercantilism : The policy of building a nation's wealth by exporting more goods than it imports. Colonies are instrumental in this policy as they supply their parent nations with raw materials that are used to produce finished goods, and then exported back to the colonies. Colonies not only served as a source for the raw materials, but also as an exclusive market for the parent country.
- merchant : A person who sells goods or services. A member of the middle class in most societies.
- Mesoamerican : A region of Central America, Mexico, and South America where several pre-Columbian civilizations lived including the Maya, Inca, and Aztecs.
- messiah : According to the Hebrew Bible, an anointed king who will lead the Jews back to the land of Israel and establish justice in the world. According to the Christians, the Messiah was Jesus Christ.
- Mestizos : In colonial Latin America, Spanish/Native America who were denied basic political, economic, and social rights due to their mixed heritage.
- Michelangelo : (1475-1564) An Italian sculptor, painter, poet, engineer, and architect. Famous works include the mural on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, and the sculpture of the biblical character David.
- Middle Ages : Time period in European history between the fall of Rome in 476 C.E. and the beginning of the Italian Renaissance in the early 15th century.
- middle class : Social and economic class usually composed of merchants, artisans, and business people. In some societies, the richest class, but without a title of nobility. The middle class is usually the backbone of society as they are generally more moderate in their economic, social, and political habits.
- Middle East : Geo-Political designation of the area stretching from the eastern Mediterranean Sea to the western side of the Indian subcontinent. Consists of countries such as Israel, Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt.
- Middle Kingdom (China) : Term that ancient China used to refer to themselves. The believed they were the center of the Earth, or the Middle Kingdom.
- migration : The mass movement of people from one area to another.
- militarism : Political policy that is dominated by the military and the competitive buildup of arms.
- military : The armed forces of a nation.
- minority : A small group of people from a larger group.
- missionary : A person who spreads the teachings of a religion.
- modernization : To change something to make it conform to modern standards
- Mohammed : Prophet of Allah; founder of Islam.
- Moksha : In Hinduism, it is the release from the cycle of reincarnation through unification with Brahma.
- Mona Lisa : A famous Renaissance painting by Leonardo Da Vinci.
- monarchy : A political system in which a country is ruled by a monarch.
- monotheism : The belief in one god or goddess.
- Moses : He is considered a founder of Judaism due to his role in the liberation of the Hebrews from Egypt, and his delivery of the Ten Commandments from Mount Sinai sometime around 2000 BCE.
- mosque : A domed Islamic religious building.
- mulattoes : In colonial Latin America, Spanish/African who were denied basic political, economic, and social rights due to their mixed heritage.
- musket : Handheld weapon that uses small balls of lead as projectiles and gunpowder as the blasting agent.
- Mussolini, Benito : (1883-1945) Italian leader. He founded the Italian Fascist Party, and sided with Hitler and Germany in World War II. In 1945 he was overthrown and assassinated by the Italian Resistance
