Edexcel GCSE History key terms

President Carter’s January 1980 declaration that the USA would use force if necessary to protect the Persian Gulf from outside domination.

A detailed study of a particular place, group or event used to investigate wider historical developments.

A crop grown mainly to be sold rather than consumed by the people growing it.

Letters allegedly exchanged between Mary, Queen of Scots and Bothwell, presented as evidence that Mary had helped plan Darnley’s murder. Their authenticity was disputed.

A fortified residence and military base where soldiers could defend themselves and control the surrounding area.

An area required to supply resources and soldiers to a castle, governed by the castle’s commander rather than directly by an earl.

Temporary or irregular work without a dependable wage or guarantee of continued employment.

People killed, wounded or taken prisoner during military operations; the term does not mean deaths alone.

A section of a workhouse providing basic, short-term accommodation for homeless people travelling or seeking work.

A Christian who recognises the Pope’s religious authority and follows the beliefs and worship of the Roman Catholic Church.

A wealthy and powerful cattle businessman who controlled large herds or major cattle-industry operations.

A journey in which cowboys herded cattle to a market, railhead or another grazing area.

The business of breeding, raising, transporting and selling cattle, particularly for beef.

A raised route across water or wet ground. Causeways connected Tenochtitlan with the mainland.

Soldiers who fight on horseback.

The Chinese Communist Party, which ruled mainland China under Mao Zedong from 1949.

An agreement to stop fighting. It does not necessarily resolve the dispute or produce lasting peace.

Remaining unmarried and abstaining from sexual relationships.

The checking and restriction of material by authorities, including the removal or prohibition of politically or religiously unacceptable content.

A record from an official population count, containing information about people and households, including occupations.

The concentration of authority in the king’s hands rather than allowing regional nobles to exercise power independently.

A system in which the main authority is concentrated in the ruler and officials act under that ruler’s control.

An economic system in which the government decides production priorities, allocates resources and sets targets.

The First World War alliance comprising Germany, Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria and the Ottoman Empire.

Free peasants in Anglo-Saxon England who farmed land and could have obligations such as rent and military service.

An underground pit used to collect sewage.

The system through which military orders pass from senior commanders to the officers and troops who carry them out.