AQA GCSE History key terms

An artistic approach that uses distortion and exaggeration to convey feelings rather than simply reproduce appearances.

The forced removal of people from a country or territory.

Political views or movements seeking fundamental change and rejecting the existing political system; in Weimar Germany, the Nazis and Communists opposed parliamentary democracy.

A group organised around a powerful individual, competing for influence, offices or rewards.

An explanation for why something happened, such as war, religion or government action.

A framework worn beneath a skirt to hold it out in a fashionable shape.

The authority of the national government of the United States, as distinct from state, territorial or local government.

The national government of the United States, whose laws and enforcement powers can challenge discrimination by state and local authorities.

A military tactic in which troops pretend to flee, encouraging their opponents to leave a strong defensive position before turning to attack them.

The movement for equality between women and men, including equal legal rights, opportunities and treatment.

A system in which land was held from a lord in return for obligations such as service and payments.

A ruler or lord to whom other lords owed loyalty and obligations. Overlordship did not necessarily mean direct government of every territory.

A hierarchy of landholding in which people held land from a superior lord in return for obligations, including loyalty, payments and military service.

An estate held from a lord in return for services or other obligations.

A person around whom supporters unite; Mary served this role for opponents who wanted a Catholic monarch.

The Nazi term for the systematic murder of Europe’s Jews.

A gap cleared of buildings or other combustible material to prevent a fire spreading.

A vessel deliberately set alight and directed towards enemy ships to burn them or disrupt their formation.

The conflict in which Scots resisted English domination, including the campaigns of William Wallace and Robert Bruce. It remained unresolved when Edward I died in 1307.

A programme setting state-directed economic production targets for a five-year period.

People who whipped themselves as an act of religious repentance, hoping to gain God's forgiveness and end the plague.

A young woman associated with the 1920s who challenged traditional expectations through her appearance and behaviour, including short hair, shorter skirts, smoking and public dancing.

The departure of leading Gaelic Irish chiefs and their followers from Ireland in 1607, after which the Crown confiscated extensive lands in Ulster.

A stock comic character excessively concerned with fashionable clothes and appearance, whose attempts at wit often fail.

A medical procedure imposed without consent to prevent someone from having children.

The seizure of property by a lender when its owner cannot repay the loan secured against it.

Money invested by people or businesses from other countries to finance economic activity.