Asia: History

Broadly, the extension of rule or influence by one government, nation, or society over another.

Substance derived by collecting and drying the milky juice in the unripe seed pods of the opium poppy, Papaver somniferum.

Officially United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, constitutional monarchy.

Country in southwestern Europe, on the Atlantic Ocean, bounded north and east by Spain.

Name given to the United Provinces, a federation of states in the northern Netherlands 1579-1795.

Located in the center of Europe, it borders the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, and France on the west; Switzerland and Austria on the south; the Czech Republic and Poland on the east.

Officially French Republic, republic (2005 est. pop. 60,656,000), 211,207 sq mi (547,026 sq km), W Europe....

The divine design of the empire—supposedly founded in 660 B.C. by the emperor Jimmu, a lineal descendant of the sun goddess and ancestor of the present emperor—was held as official dogma until 1945.

Federal republic, North America; Lower 48 bounded on N by Canada, on E by the Atlantic Ocean, on S by Mexico and Gulf of Mexico, and on W by the Pacific Ocean.

Series of great political upheavals in China between 1911 and 1949 which eventually led to Communist Party rule and the establishment of the People's Republic of China.

World War I ended in November 1918. At the beginning of 1919 the victorious allies met at the French Palace of Versailles, near Paris. Their aim was to decide how to treat the defeated enemy (Germany) and to redraw the map of Europe.

Formulation of a peace program, presented at the end of World War I by U.S. President Woodrow Wilson in an address before both houses of Congress on Jan. 8, 1918.

Form of political and social organization typical of Western Europe from the dissolution of Charlemagne's empire to the rise of the absolute monarchies.

The concept of feminism is not universal and has many forms (e.g., liberal, radical, womanism) and definitions. However, there are three characteristics that are shared by most, if not all, forms of feminism. First is the recognition that women are treated differently than men, and are in the subordinate role in society

Severe shortage of food affecting a large number of people.

Two wars, the First Opium War (1839-42) and the Second Opium War (1856-60), waged by Britain against China to enforce the opening of Chinese ports to trade in opium.

War between the Central European Powers (Germany, Austria-Hungary, and allies) on one side and the Triple Entente (Britain and the British Empire, France, and Russia) and their allies, including the USA.

War between Germany, Italy, and Japan (the Axis powers) on one side, and Britain, the Commonwealth, France, the USA, the USSR, and China (the Allies) on the other.

From Philip's Encyclopedia
Five-year economic plan begun by Mao Zedong in China in 1958. It aimed to double industrial production and boost agricultural output in record time. The plan mobilized tens of millions of workers. Collective farms merged into communes, but a succession of poor harvests dashed progress. After four years, the government admitted the failure of the plan.

From Philip's Encyclopedia
(1966-76) The "Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution" was initiated by Mao Zedong and his wife, Jiang Qing, to purge the Chinese Communist Party of his opponents and instil 'correct' revolutionary attitudes after dissent over the failure of the Great Leap Forward. By 1968, China was approaching civil war and the Cultural Revolution transformed into a struggle for the succession to Mao.

From The Columbia Encyclopedia redistribution of the agricultural resources of a country. Traditionally, agrarian, or land, reform is confined to the redistribution of land; in a broader sense it includes related changes in agricultural institutions, including credit, taxation, rents, and cooperatives.

Political system under which the state (rather than the individual or the private sector) has responsibility for the welfare of its citizens.

Gradual achievement of independence by former colonies of the European imperial powers, which began after World War I.

Or public charity, organized provision of educational, cultural, medical, and financial assistance to the needy.