Baron de Montesquieu
French enlightenment thinker; wrote "The Spirit of the Laws" talking of his ideas of government like checks and balances and the threes national branches
Fulgencio Batista
Cuban president; responsible for some reforms before leaving office first time, then came back a second time, overthrew the government and became dictator until Fidel Castro kicked him out
Bay of Pigs
unsuccessful invasion of Cuba in 1961 sponsored by the U.S.; attempt to overthrow Castro
David Ben-Gurion
first prime minister of Israel
Berlin Wall
put up in 1961, torn down in 1990
Sir Henry Bessemer
invented more cost-effective way of making steel
Bhagavad Gita
Hindu holy book where the god Krishna teaches selflessness, religious duties and devotion
Bill of Exchange
document purchased from bank allowing someone to travel without carrying large amounts of money, like the modern check
Black Hand
Serbian nationalist/terrorist group responsible for Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand's assassination; leads to WWI
Blitzkrieg
German for "lightning war" and army tactic (self-explanatory)
Block Printing
characters are carved into wooden block. block is inked and pressed onto paper
Blut and Eisen
"Blood and Iron" policy by Otto von Bismarck to unify all Germany under Prussian control and expand (VERY successful)
Simon Bolivar
L. American revolutionary responsible for riding Spain out of S. America; most important figure for Latin American independence
Bolshevik
early communists during Russian revolution of 1917
Bourgeoisie
middle class