Edexcel GCSE History key terms

The military alliance formed in 1955 between the Soviet Union and communist states in Eastern Europe, which ended in July 1991.

A method of building walls using woven branches coated with a mixture containing mud.

A system in which the state takes responsibility for supporting people's well-being through measures such as pensions, housing and unemployment support.

The border region between England and Wales, where powerful Marcher lords had exercised extensive local authority.

Compensation paid to the family of a person who had been killed, with the amount depending on the victim's social status.

The area of fighting through Belgium and northern France during the First World War, where opposing armies developed extensive trench systems.

A newspaper founded by Claudia Jones in 1958 that gave Caribbean communities in Britain a voice and campaigned against racism and inequality.

A group of Whitechapel businessmen and residents, led by George Lusk, which organised patrols, private detective work and a reward during the 1888 murder investigations.

Organisations of white segregationists established in the South after the 1954 school desegregation ruling, which used economic, social and political pressure to resist integration.

The anti-Bolshevik armies in the Russian Civil War, whose leaders and supporters had differing political aims.

The racist belief that white people are superior to other racial groups and should dominate society.

A line or group of trees that shelters land and crops from strong winds.

A wind-powered machine that pumps underground water to the surface.

Gaining the trust and support of a population, rather than relying only on military force.

The council of leading Anglo-Saxon nobles and churchmen involved in choosing and advising the king.

The supposed use of supernatural powers, particularly harmful magic associated with the Devil, which early modern people could treat as a serious crime.

The deliberate search for people believed to practise witchcraft, involving accusations, investigations and prosecutions.

A recorded account of what a person saw, heard or otherwise knew about an event.

An institution providing accommodation and relief for people who could not support themselves.

Chinese Communist Party organisers sent into villages to mobilise peasants and carry out policies such as attacks on landlords and land redistribution.

The entry and multiplication of harmful microorganisms in a wound, which can damage tissue and prevent healing.

The holiest day in the Jewish religious calendar. Egypt and Syria launched their October 1973 attack on this day, when many Israeli soldiers were off duty.

The October 1973 war in which Egypt and Syria attacked Israeli forces in the Sinai Peninsula and the Golan Heights.

The plan negotiated in 1929 that reduced Germany’s total reparations bill and extended repayment to 1988.

The women’s section of the Communist Party, which was closed in 1930.