AQA GCSE History key terms

A system of government in which the ruler holds supreme power rather than being accountable to an elected parliament.

Self-government within a larger state, rather than complete independence.

The rise in births in the United States between 1946 and 1964.

Unofficial or private communication between governments, used to negotiate away from public pressure.

Private negotiations and political scheming among influential advisers and politicians; in late Weimar Germany, these centred on persuading President Hindenburg to appoint their preferred Chancellor.

The scientific study of bacteria.

The difference between the value of a country’s exports and imports. A favourable balance means exports are worth more than imports.

A smaller community within a tribe, usually made up of several families, with its own leadership.

A practitioner who performed operations and other practical treatments, usually learning through apprenticeship rather than university study.

A powerful noble who held extensive lands and could influence the king’s government.

A design school founded by Walter Gropius in 1919, combining art, craftsmanship and technology with an emphasis on practical design.

The British Expeditionary Force: the professional British army sent to fight in France and Belgium in 1914.

Monks or nuns who follow the Rule of St Benedict, organising their lives around prayer, work and religious discipline.

The operation in which American and British aircraft supplied West Berlin with essentials, including food and fuel, during the Soviet blockade.

The Soviet closure of road, rail and water routes into West Berlin from 24 June 1948 to 12 May 1949, intended to pressure the Western Allies.

The three leading Allied peacemakers in 1919: Woodrow Wilson of the USA, Georges Clemenceau of France and David Lloyd George of Britain.

Weekly records listing numbers of burials and reported causes of death in London’s parishes.

A hospital in the medieval Islamic world, where patients could receive medical treatment as well as care.

A tactic of capturing limited objectives, securing the captured ground and then making further limited advances.

Laws introduced by Southern states after slavery ended to restrict African Americans' freedom, employment and behaviour.

The devastating outbreak of plague that reached Britain in 1348.

A secret Serbian nationalist organisation, formed in 1911, which supported violence to unite Serbs and helped the Sarajevo assassins.

Excluding someone from employment because they are regarded as politically unacceptable or otherwise undesirable.

A movement emphasising Black pride, self-determination and control over Black institutions; some supporters also advocated armed self-defence.

Germany’s promise in July 1914 to support Austria-Hungary unconditionally in its confrontation with Serbia.

Violent conflict between pro-slavery and anti-slavery groups in Kansas following the Kansas–Nebraska Act of 1854.

An attempt to prevent supplies reaching an enemy, particularly by using warships to control access by sea.