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Vocabulary List:

1. Bourgeoisie that class of persons in a capitalist society that controls the means of production and appropriates profit from the labor of proletariat, e.g., The bourgeoisie is a class of idle, exploitative pigs! 2. Proletariat That class of persons in a capitalist society without control or access to the means of production and therefore forced to sell their labor power and live at the mercy of the bourgeoisie, e.g., The proletariat masses fought hard for unemployment insurance. 3. Guerilla asymmetrical war tactic based on surprise, mobility, local support, and ideological fervor, e.g, Guerilla warfare is the only way to defeat a stronger foe. 4. Reactionary a person in violent opposition to a revolution who wishes to reinstate the old traditional way of doing things, e.g., Lavr Kornilov was a reactionary and a member of the White Army. 5. Revolutionary one who works toward radical change in society and politics, often through violent methods, e.g., The revolutionary was arrested for hatching a plot to assassinate Tsar Alexander III. 6. Peasant A person engaged in subsistence or low-technology agriculture, usually uneducated, who is often impoverished and without political power, e.g., The peasant familys wheat crop failed and therefore they starved. 7. Faction a tight-knit group of like-minded people in opposition to another, usually larger, group e.g., The Bolsheviks were a faction of the Russian Social Democratic Party. 8. Left Wing The section of the political spectrum which tends toward equality among citizens and the power of scientific thought, e.g., The idea to give poor people more government benefits by taxing the wealthy came from the left wing of the Democratic Party. 9. Right Wing The section of the political spectrum which tends toward distinction between citizens, and the power of religious or traditional ideas, e.g., The bill to outlaw abortion even in cases of rape or incest was written by a right wing senator from Alabama. 10. Socialism The political philosophy that believes people cannot be truly equal unless they are economically equal and cannot be truly free unless they are free from economic insecurity, e.g., Socialism has given us all health care and allowed us to choose from a variety of modular home designs. 11. Autocracy Government whose final decisions are made entirely by one person, who has no responsibility to anyone or anything else besides God, e.g., The worst abuses of autocracy were finally ended with the abdication of the Tsar. 12. Nationalism The belief that people of a particular ethnicity ought to have their own government and territory and that foreigners are either inferior, unwelcome, or both, e.g., The rabid nationalism of some Americans ensures that they do not want Mexican immigrants in the country, either legally or illegally. 13. Imperialism The systematic conquest of one country or group by another country or group for economic or political gain, e.g., The Chinese people were chafing under the imperialism of the European powers and wanted it to end.

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