World Regional Studies COMP
People
Chapter 15: Geography and Heritage of China
Ci Xi- the widow of the former emperor. She rejected the 100 Days of Reform.
Chiang Kai-Shek- de was a energetic young officer in the Nationalist Army, until he was appointed to command the Nationalist Army by Sun Yatsen.
Mao Zedong- during the 1920s and the 1930s, he emerged as the leader of the Chinese Communist Party.
Shi Huangdi- means “First Emperor”. The ruler of the Qin who conquered his neighbors.
Li Bo- a Tang poet. He is one of China’s best-known writers.
Kubilai Khan- the grandson of Genghiz Khan. He had extended Mongol rule over all of China.
Lao Zi- a philosopher who studied human society. He founded Daoism.
Han Feizi- he was the most famous Legalist writer. He wrote Han Feizi.
Dr. Sun Yatsen- He served as president of the new Republic of China for a short time. He setup the 3 Principles of the People.
Chapter 16: China Today
Karl Marx- a German philosopher who predicted that industrial class would concur the ruling class.
Deng Xiaoping- successor of Mao. Turned away from some of Mao’s ways.
Jiang Qing- Mao’s widow. On one side of the Gang of 4. Favored radical policies of Cultural Revolution.
Lei Feng- he is a comic character. He is the ideal military fighter. He truly is propaganda literature.
Lao She- he is a modern writer. He used novels to criticize society and call for change. He exampled this in his Novel Rickshaw Boy.
Jiang Zemin- he is the general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (1989- ) and president of China (1993- ).
Chapter 18: Geography and Heritage of Japan
Prince Shotoku- He was of the Imperial Family. In 607, he sent a group of Chinese nobles to China to learn about the Chinese court, government, art, literature, science and philosophy. When the nobles came home, they shared their new knowledge with Japan.
Fujiwara- A very powerful and wealthy family that ruled over Japan for over 200 years. There still was an emperor, but he was just a figurehead.
Minamoto Yoritomo- In 1192, he was the strongest military figure in Japan. The emperor gave him the title shogun, or chief general of the army. Under him and his successors, a feudal class system emerged.
Hideyoshi- He was a military general. During the 1500s, he was the most successful in trying to reunite Japan. By 1590, he had converted his rivals into his subordinates and brought all of Japan under his control.
Tokugawa Ieyasu- He was Hideyoshi’s successor. In 1600, he claimed the title of shogun and setup Tokugawa shogunate. Tokugawa shogunate lasted till 1868. During that time they setup a peaceful, orderly society under a system of centralized feudalism.
Emperor Hirohito- Emperor of Japan during WWII. He reigned for 62 years and died in 1989. He reigned over Japan during some of its worst and best times.
Matthew Perry- In 1853, he commanded a fleet, sent by The U.S., to Japan to try to end Japan’s policy of isolation. The Japanese knew they were no match for Perry’s cannons and steam-powered warships, so they signed the Treaty of Kanagawa with the U.S.
Chapter 19: Japan Today
Douglas MacArthur- An American general who commanded the occupation forces in Japan after WWII. He introduced sweeping reforms to destroy Japanese militarism and build a democratic government and society.
Chapter 3: Geography and Early History of Africa
Mary & Luis Leakey- In the 1950s, they headed the team of scientists that found 2 million year old bones at Olduvai Gorge in the Great Rift Valley. Their findings have led some scientists to suggest that Africa was the first home of people.
Kastha- King of the Kush. In 750 B.C., he conquered the Nile Valley. Not long after, the Assyrians conquered him.
Ezana- King of Axum. He conquered the Kush in 330 A.D. He was one of the first Kings to convert to Christianity.
Chapter 4: Heritage of Africa
Mansa Musa- An outstanding ruler of the Empire of Mali. He ruled for 30 years from about 1307 A.D. to his death in 1337 A.D. He conquered such lands as Taghaza. He used his power to ensure peace and order. He adopted the religion of Islam and made a pilgrimage to Mecca.
Sunni Ali- Emperor of Songhai. For 35 years he lead his armies across West Africa to restore order and trade. He captured Timbuktu and other trading centers.
Askia Muhammad- The successor of Sunni Ali. Like Mansa Musa, he followed the teachings of Islam and made a pilgrimage to Mecca. He helped the Empire reach its peak of power.
Tippu Tib- During the late 1800s, he setup an empire on the eastern Congo. The empire was built on the ivory and slave trade.
Mungo Park- A Scottish Explorer. In 1795, he set out to find the source of Niger River. He was a hero in Europe. Never found the source.
Shaka Zulu- King of the Zulu Nation. He setup a powerful empire northeast of the Orange River. He was very important to the Zulus.
Paul Kruger-
David Livingstone- He was a British doctor and missionary in Africa. He was accredited with discovering the huge waterfalls of the Zambezi River. He named them Victoria Falls after Queen Victoria
Leopold the 2nd- He was the King of Belgium. He started the scramble for the colonies in Central and West Africa when he gained control of the Congo basin.
Menelik the 2nd- He was an Ethiopian emperor. To help him to acquire European technology, he hired Europeans to train and arm his forces. This method worked and they defeated the Italian army at the Battle of Adowa.
Jomo Kenyatta- he asked the question “ What right did the Europeans have to walk in and take over African lands?” In Kenya, he stood up against British and demanded political and economical reforms.
Chapter 5: Africa in Transition
Leopold Sedar Senghor- He was a Senegalese poet. During the 1930s, he took the lead in the négritude movement.
Kwame Nkrumah- He organized strikes and boycotts to protest British rule in Ghana.
Mobutu Sese Seko- He was a military strong man. He seized power of the Congo in 1965 and renamed it Zaire. In 1997, forces led by nationalist Laurent Kabila overthrew Mobutu’s government and renamed it D.R. of Congo.
Julius Nyerere- He setup a system of choice within a single party in Tanzania. Ex. Voters could choose from two or more candidates from the same party.
Felix Hoouphouet-Boigny- He was President of the Côte d’Ivoire for 33 years. He ruled with a strong hand and during much of that time, the economy grew.
Nnamdi Azikiwe- He was the head of the Nationalist party in Nigeria. He called for regional parties to unite and form a national party. He helped Nigerian’s gain greater rights and finally independence.
Ibrahim Babangida- In the early 1900s, his military government agreed to hold elections under much pressure for a democratic government.
Robert Mugabe- He became Zimbabwe’s first prime minister in 1980. He has helped lead the black nationalist movement in the 1970s that ended white minority rule and secured the country’s formal independence from the U.K.
Chapter 6: Africa in the World Today
Nelson Mandela- He was a major South African leader. He spent 27 years in prison for opposing the social policies of the white government. In 1994, he was elected the first black president of South Africa.
Albert J. Luthuli- He was a major South African leader that urged nonviolent resistance against apartheid. He won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1960.
Desmond Tutu- He was a black South African leader and archbishop. Like Albert J. Luthuli, he strongly opposed apartheid, but rejected violence. He won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984.
F.W. de Klerk- He was South Africa’s president in 1989. He took steps to help end white-minority rule in South Africa.
Kane Kwei- He was a famous carpenter artist in Africa. His most famous work is the coffin boat.
Chapter 8: Heritage of South Asia
Siddharta Gautama- He was also known as Buddha. He another name for him was the Enlightened One.
Chandragupta Maurya- Founded the Maurya dynasty in 321 B.C. They ruled India for 140 years.
Asoka- Chandragupta’s grandson. He was his successor. He ruled from about 269 B.C. to 232 B.C.
Akbar the Great- Ruler of the Mughal Empire during the golden age.
Kalidasa- The best known poet and playwright during the Gupta Empire. Most famous for his play Skakuntala.
Robert Clive- He was an administrator of the East India Company. He was credited of getting the French out of India.
Chapter 9: South Asia in Transition
Mohandas Gandhi- He was a key figure in the Indian struggle for Independence. Look and Main Ideas for more Info.
Jawaharial Nehru- Became India’s Prime Minister in 1947 when parliament divided India and Pakistan.
Indira Gandhi- Nehru’s daughter and successor. She restored democratic rule in South Asia. She was killed by her own guards.
Rajiv Gandhi- He was Indira’s son and was elected to replace her when she died. He was murder while campaigning for reelection.
Chapter 25: Geography and Early History of the Middle East
King Hammurabi- King of the Babylonians. Setup the famous “Eye for and Eye” laws.
Zoroaster- He was the founder of the ancient Persian religion Zoroastrianism.
Solomon- One of the two greatest Kings of Israel. He taxed the people very heavily.
David- One of the two greatest Kings of Israel. He was a skilled military general and unified Israel.
Chapter 26: Heritage of the Middle East
Muhammad- The “Prophet” who started the Muslim religion. Read more about in Main Ideas.
Ibn Sina- A Muslim physician. He was known in the west as Avicenna. Wrote many books.
Saladin- He was the new leaders of the Muslims during the late 1100s. Muslims and Christians alike came to respect him.
Abbas the Great- The Safavid Empire reached its peak during his reign. He ruled from 1587 to 1629.
Suleiman- The Ottoman Empire reached it’s peak during his reign. He ruled from 1520 – 1566.
Mustafa Kemal (Ataturk)- He was a famous military general who conquered parts of the Middle East. He later became the president of Turkey.
Muhammad Ali- He was an Albanian soldier. In 1805, he became governor of Egypt.
Reza Khan- An army officer supported by some nationalists who seized power in Iran. They were demanding reform.
Theodor Herzl- An Austrian Jew. He setup an organization to promote Zionism.
Chapter 27: The Middle East in Transition
Ayatollah Khomeini- Ayatollah means “sign of Allah”. He was an Islamic fundamentalist who lead the Islamic Revolution in Iran.
Ali Akbar Rafsanjani- Khomeini’s successor. He renewed ties with western nations.
Gamal Adbal Nasser- President of Egypt during much on the 1950s. He promoted Arab socialism. He increased the economic power of the government.
Muhammad Reza Pahlavi- Shah (king) of Iran from 1941 to 1979. His downfall was due to the Islamic Revolution of 1979.
Anwar Sadat- Nasser’s successor. He moved away from Arab Socialism. He cont’d to have the government play a major role in the economy.
Hosni Mubarak- a military leader and current president of Egypt.
Khatami- Current President of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Chapter 28: The Middle East in the World Today
Saddam Hussein- Authoritarian president of Iraq since 1979 who has led his country into two devastating wars.
Chapter 20: Geography and Early History of Latin America
Quetzalcoatl- One of the Chief Aztec Gods. It was believe that he brought maize (corn) to the earth.
Hernado Cortés- He was a conquistador. Destroyed the Aztec Empire. Spanish did not have many men, but they had horses (Aztec’s had never seen horses before).
Moctezuma- Aztec Emperor. He was the emperor during the time of Hernado Cortés taking over the Aztecs.
Fransico Pizarro- He was a conquistador. He took over the Incan Empire. Incans had just came out of a horrible civil war, and were weak. They were an easy defeat.
Atahualpa- Incan Emperor. He was Emperor during the time of Francisco Pizarro destroying the Incans. He still retained his power after the Incan civil war.
Chapter 21: Heritage of Latin America
Ferdinand Magellan- famous explorer from Spain. He renamed the South Sea to the Pacific Ocean. He died fighting local people in the Philippines. His crew was the first to sail around the world.
Bartolomé de las Casas- One of the few Spanish settlers who spoke out against the Encomienda system. He wrote a book and several papers about how horrible the system was.
Vasco Núñez de Balboa- A Spanish explorer. He led and expedition over the mountains and jungles of Panama in 1513. Reached what he called the South Sea. Today it is known as the Pacific Ocean.
Pedro Cabral- A Portuguese explorer. He landed in 1500 on the east coast of South America, or present day Brazil.
Toussaint L’Ouverture- One of Haiti’s most respectable leaders. He was a self educated former slave.
Simon Bolivar- Major leader in the independence wars in South America. Gained the title “The Liberator”. Was a Creole.
Jose de San Martin- He was a Creole. He liberated Argentina and Chile.
Miguel Hidalgo- Mexican priest and revolutionary. He fought against the oppression of the Spanish colonial government.
King John- King of Portugal in 1807. He and 15,00 members of his court fled from Napoleon for 14 years.
Pedro- King John’s son and ruler of Brazil. He started the independence movement in Brazil.
Augustin de Iturbide- The leader of the Independence movement in Mexico.
Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna- He was a General. He seized power of Mexico six times in over 23 years.
Juan Manuel de Rosas- He was the head of the army in Argentina. He seized power in 1835 and rulled for 17 years.
Maximilliam- An Australian duke. He was appointed by Napoleon III to emperor of Mexico. He ruled for 3 years.