abdicate - to resign a throne, presidency, or position

abrogate - to abolish or annul; to put an end to; invalidate, nullify, retract, dissolve

acquisition - the act of acquiring or getting

adherent - believer, supporter

advance - to go forward

advocate - to espouse, to support, or to argue for

alleviate - to reduce in intensity; to make better

ameliorate - to make better

annexation - taking possession of a territory

ante-  before (prefix)

antebellum - prewar

apex - the top

apparatus - system, machine

archipelago - a chain of islands

armaments - weapons

ascension - rising, elevation to

assiduous - diligent, hard-working

autarky - economic self-sufficiency

autocratic - dictatorial; despotic

autonomy - self-government

battalion - an army in battle array; a large number of persons

bellicose - warlike

bourgeoisie - the middle class

boyar - Russian nobleman

bullion - gold or silver bars

capital - money available for investment (also, seat of government for a nation)

capitalism - an economic system based upon the private/individual ownership of property and the competitive pursuit of profit; involves little or no government planning/direction (typically present in democracies but may be present in dictatorships)

cataract - waterfall

caudillo - jefe, dictator (Latin America) 

cede - to yield or grant something

clerical - pertaining to the clergy

coercive - forced

commodity - a product commonly traded such as a major type of crop, mineral, or other natural resource

communism - an economic system based upon the public/state/government ownership of property and the public sharing of resources and production; involves substantial government planning/direction (typically present in dictatorships but may be present in democracies)

conscription - a draft, the forcing of all (traditionally male) able-bodied citizens to serve in the army

consensus - a shared decision or shared opinion; an agreement reached by the majority of a group 

contest - (verb) to argue/fight over

contested - fought over

convoke - to assemble, to gather

cooperative - a group of workers in which all share in the profits/losses of production equally

corporation - a business or company with a clear and continous legal structure which offers limited liability to its officers and shareholders

council - a committee

counsel - advice (noun); to advise (verb)

coup d'etat (coup)  - an overthrowing of a government

culminate - to conclude with

czar - caesar, tsar, kaiser, emperor

de facto - in fact, in actuality (as opposed to nominally or in name)

demagogue - a person, especially an orator or political leader, who gains power & popularity by arousing the emotions, passions, and prejudices of a people

democracy - a political system in which the people vote (direct democracy) or in which the people elect representatives (indirect democracy; republic)

demographic - pertaining to population

dialectic - clash

diligent - assiduous, hard-working

directorate - board of directors supervising an organization; administration

disenfranchised - politically weak or powerless

disciple - follower

dissident - opponent/critic, usually of the government

docile - obedient, tractable, easily controlled

egalitarian - characterized by a belief in the equality of all people, especially in political, economic, or social life

emissary - diplomatic representative

emulate - to imitate

endorsement - expression of support for

enfranchise - to grant the power to vote; to liberate, as from servitude

entrepot - trading center, typically for exports

evangelization - missionary activity, preaching of a religion in the hope of conversion

exacerbate - to deteriorate, to worsen

exploit - to take advantage of, to develop

faction - a political or religious group, a clique

factionalism - power struggles among rival political groups

foreshadow - to predict

franchise - suffrage, the right to vote

fraternity - brotherhood

GNP - gross national product; the total sum of goods and services made by a nation in a year - used as a measure of economic productivity

hegemony - regional dominance

heir - the next-in-line to be king/queen, descendant, person who inherits something

hierarchical - a system of persons or things arranged in a graded order of ranks

hinder - to hamper, to slow or stop

ideology - a system of beliefs or principles, usually political

impede - to stop or slow

impetus - cause, motivation

imposition - a burden placed upon a person or group

impoverished - poor

incentive - motivation for

incursion - invasion

indigenous - native to an area

indispensable - unable to do without; required

infrastructure - transportation and communication system

insubordinate - disobedient

insurgent - rebel

isthmus - a narrow strip of land bordered on two sides by water and connecting two larger bodies of land

jingoistic - ultra nationalistic, strongly patriotic, chauvinistic

junker - Prussian landowner (A.P. European History)

legislation - laws

liability - hindrance, burden, debt

loya jirga - Afghani tribal council (A.P. World History)

manumission - freedom from slavery

martial law - the imposition of military power over designated regions on an emergency basis; military rule

nationalism - love of country; patriotism

nationalize - to have the national government take over the ownership and direction of an industry or commercial property, often without compensation to the original investors/owners

nominal - in name only (as opposed to de facto or in actuality)

obsolescence - the characteristic of being obsolete or out-of-date in terms of usefulness

oligarchy - junta, rule by a few

onerous - burdensome

outset - the beginning

papal - pertaining to the papacy or office of the Pope

penal - pertaining to a prison

pejorative - having a disparaging, belittling, or derogatory effect or force

peninsula - a body of land surrounded on three sides by water

periodical - magazine or newspaper

populist - appealing to the masses, especially the working class or poor

post-   after (prefix)

precede - to come before

precipitate - to spark, to cause

precursor - something that comes before; a cause

predicated upon - built upon/dependent upon

prerogative - special privilege or right

presage - to be the forerunner of, to lead to

proletariat - lower-class urban workers, usually in a factory; sans-culottes

proliferation - the spread of

proponent - advocate, supporter

referendum - a public vote held on a particular issue, usually a proposal for a bond (a long-term public debt note to finance a project)

regent - caretaker of a government while the king/queen is ill, unavailable, or in his/her minority (a child; too young to govern)

rescind - to take back

retention - the keeping possession of

revisionist - revised, updated, and often non-traditional or modern view of something

rural - agricultural; pertaining to the countryside

sans culotte - urban lower-class worker, usually in a factory; proletarian

secular - non-religious

stipend - a payment or financial award

streamline - to make more efficient

student -  a lover of learning who outlines during his/her nightly reading, considers maps and pictures in his/her reading, actively takes notes and participates in class, and reviews his/her notes for several nights prior to a test

subdue - to put down (as in a revolt)

subjugated - made subject to/inferior to

subscriber - believer, supporter

subsidy - a government grant of money to support an industry or a group of people

subsistence - enough for survival

subvert - to weaken through manipulation, to destabilize

succeeded/succeeding - came after/following

taboo - socially inappropriate behavior

topography - the relief features such as mountains, plains, valleys, etc. shown on a map

urban - pertaining to a city

vanguard - the foremost position in an army or fleet advancing into battle; the foremost or leading position in a trend or movement

zenith - apex, apogee, highest