Famous People and Groups

  1. Galileo Galilei- Italian astronomer, provided evidence to support the heliocentric theory
  1. Otto von Bismark- chancellor of Prussia, unified Germany, Leader in WWI.
  1. Fidel Castro – Communist leader of Cuba, Marxist, Raised standard of living in Cuba, Cuban Missile Crisis
  1. Hernando Cortes - Explorer who conquered the Aztecs in Mexico
  1. Kemal Ataturk- modernize and westernize Turkey
  1. Jomo Kenyatta- nationalist independence leader, became the first prime minister of Kenya
  1. Ho Chi Minh- leader of the Vietminh, declared Vietnam free after WWII, communist
  1. Pol Pot- leader of the Khmer Rouge in communist Cambodia, began a reign of terror
  1. Emperor Justinian – leader of the Byzantine empire during its height, established the Justinian Code as a set of rules to follow
  1. Simon Bolivar- nationalist independence leader of Latin America; influenced by enlightenment ideas
  1. King Louis XIV- the “Sun King”, absolute monarch of France, built Versailles
  1. Napoleon Bonaparte- brought order to the French Revolution; tried to conqueror Russia
  1. Catherine the Great- enlightened despot from Russia, sought to expand and westernize Russia
  1. Peter the Great- tried to westernize Russia; opened a “window to the West”
  1. Deng Xiaoping- Chinese leader who introduced limited capitalism (4 modernizations); Tiananmen Square Massacre
  1. Karl Marx- father of communism; wrote Communist Manifesto, Marxism
  1. Adam Smith- father of capitalism; wrote The Wealth of Nations
  1. Joseph Stalin- dictator of the Soviet Union; Russification, Great Purges, WWII leader.
  1. John Locke- enlightenment thinker; “Life Liberty and Property”
  1. Vladimir Lenin- leader of the Bolsheviks; brought communism to Russia; “Peace Bread and Land”
  1. Mohandas Gandhi – Indian nationalist who used civil disobedience to earn self –rule from Britain, Salt March
  1. Mansa Musa- emperor of Mali, ensured peace in his empire; converted to and spread Islam
  1. Niccolo Machiavelli- wrote The Prince, a guide to rulers on how to gain and maintain power, “end justifies the means”
  1. Giuseppe Garibaldi– Italian nationalist, helped push for unification, Red Shirts
  1. Emperor Hirohito- Japanese emperor who surrendered to the U.S. ending WWII
  1. Confucius- China’s most influential philosopher
  1. Zheng He- World Traveler whose goal was to promote trade and collect tribute from lesser powers across the “western seas”, cultural diffusion
  1. Ibn Battuta of Morocco- was the greatest traveler of his day to Muslim countries, spread Islam
  1. Genghis Khan – Mongol leader who expanded his territory using violence
  1. King Henry VII- English king; broke away from the Catholic Church and became Protestant.
  1. Nelson Mandela – Leader of the African National Congress, end of Apartheid, first black president
  1. Mao Zedong – Communist leader of China, Great Leap Forward, Cultural Revolution
  1. Marco Polo – European traveler who brought stories and goods from China and India, cultural diffusion
  1. Martin Luther–German Monk challenged the Catholic Church, 95 theses, Protestant Reformation
  1. Benito Mussolini– Italian Fascist leader, brought Italy into WWII, sided with Hitler
  1. Siddhartha Gautama (Budda) – religious leader of Buddhism, 4 noble truths, eight fold path, achieve nirvana
  1. Jean Rousseau – Philosopher and thinker, political power lies with the people, “man is born free”, wrote “the social contract”
  1. Mikhail Gorbachav – Last leader of the Soviet Union, Perestroika, Glasnost (political and economic reform), End of Cold War
  1. Suleiman the Magnificent – Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, increased the wealth and size of the Ottoman Empire, ruled during the golden age
  1. Adolf Hitler – Nazi leader of Germany, created WWII, appeasement, Holocaust

Famous Groups

  1. Mongols: group of great fighters and horsemen, whose empire conquered and controlled much of the continent of Asia; great leader was Genghis Khan.
  1. Bolsheviks:a 1917 Russian revolutionary group, led by Vladimir Lenin, who seized power in Russia during the October Revolution and founded the Soviet Union.
  1. OPEC:Organization of Petroleum Exporting Nations; Oil producing countries in the Middle East and other areas that maximize their profits through cooperation and by controlling the world’s oil supply.
  1. NATO: North Atlantic Treaty Organization; military alliance for a mutual defense between the United States, Canada, and Western European nations.