Vocabulary Flashcards for GED Social Studies, pt. 1

1. Vocabulary
Flashcards for GED
Social Studies, pt. 1

2. abolitionist

3. a person who
wanted to do away
with slavery

4. absolute
monarchy

5. authoritarian
government in which all
authority is held by
a king or queen

6. acid rain

7. type of precipitation
made acidic by air
pollutants as a result
of burning fossil fuels

8. Age of
Exploration

9. the period during which
European nations sponsored
expeditions by sea to
unknown parts of the world
(1400’s to 1600’s)

10. amendment

11. addition or change
to a constitution

12. arms race

13. the competition from the
1950’s through the 1980’s
between the United States
and the Soviet Union
to develop nuclear weapons

14. Articles of
Confederation

15. the first U.S. constitution
from 1781-1789 which
established a confederation
of sovereign states

16. authoritarian

17. advocating obedience;
not allowing personal
liberty

18. authority

19. power to give orders,
take action, and
command obedience;
party having this power

20. balance of trade

21. the difference between the
total value of goods and
services exported and the
total value of goods and
services imported

22. barter system

23. economic system in
which goods and services
are exchanged between
two parties, rather than
being paid for with money

24. bias

25. a strong opinion held by
a person about a topic,
often unfairly or without
good reason

26. bicameral

27. consisting of two
legislative bodies

28. Bill of Rights

29. first ten amendments to
the U.S. Constitution,
listing the rights of
individuals

30. boycott

31. a form of protest in which
a group refuses to buy
the products of a country
or company until it makes
some demanded change

32. cabinet

33. a group of advisors
to a chief executive

34. charter

35. a document that establishes
an organization, such as a
city or a corporation, and
defines organization type
and purpose

36. civil rights

37. the rights and freedoms
democratic governments
guarantee to all citizens

38. Civil War

39. a sectional conflict
between the Northern
and Southern states, from
1861 to 1865

40. civilization

41. an advanced and highly
organized society; the
culture, society, and way of
life in a particular place
during a particular time

42. climate

43. the general weather
conditions of an area
over a long period of
time

44. Cold War

45. struggle for world power
between the U.S. and the
Soviet Union, from 1945
until the Soviet Union’s
collapse in 1989

46. collective
bargaining

47. a negotiation between
employers and labor
union leaders regarding
working conditions, pay,
and other issues

48. colonial

49. relating to a colony or
area controlled and
settled by people from
another country