OCR GCSE History A key terms

The case in which the US Supreme Court ruled on 17 May 1954 that racial segregation in public schools was unconstitutional because separate educational facilities were inherently unequal.

A group of neighbouring territories intended to provide protection by separating a country from possible enemies.

A written agreement specifying work to be undertaken and the obligations of those involved; it records intended work, not necessarily its completion.

Changing an existing building so that it serves a different purpose or community.

A representative of a town or city in medieval Parliament.

A fortified Anglo-Saxon town that could provide refuge for people and a secure base for troops.

The group of leading government ministers who discuss policy and coordinate government decisions.

A local Communist Party official who helped implement policies and supervise the population.

Cotton cloth, imported into Britain from South Asia, which could be plain or decorated with printed patterns.

An economic system in which businesses are mainly privately owned and operate for profit.

A political accusation used against people said to favour capitalist policies or private economic activity over socialism.

A hostile political label for people accused of steering Communist China towards capitalism.

A crop grown mainly to be sold rather than consumed by the people who grow it, such as sugar, tobacco or rice.

The nickname for the 1913 law allowing hunger-striking prisoners to be temporarily released when seriously ill and rearrested after recovering.

A raised route across water or low ground. Kenilworth’s southern causeway also acted as a dam.

An agreement or announcement to stop fighting; it does not necessarily settle the political causes of a conflict.

The restriction or suppression of information and ideas by those in authority.

A formal expression of condemnation or disapproval.

An economic system in which the state determines production targets and directs the allocation of resources, rather than leaving these decisions mainly to producers and customers.

An economic system in which the government sets production priorities and directs resources rather than leaving these decisions mainly to private businesses.

A religious foundation supported by donated property or money to pay priests to say prayers and Masses for the souls of the dead.

A priest who serves a household or institution, conducting religious services and sometimes undertaking administrative work.

A business granted a charter by a ruler or government giving it particular trading rights or other privileges.

A nineteenth-century movement campaigning for parliamentary reform, including votes for adult men, secret ballots and payment for MPs.

A system in which people are legally treated as property that can be bought, sold or inherited. In the colonies, this status was normally lifelong and passed from an enslaved mother to her children.

A destructive raid intended to weaken an enemy by burning crops, plundering settlements and terrorising the population.

A term adopted by many Mexican American activists to express pride in their identity and support for political, social and cultural rights.

Valuable metal objects used in church worship, such as silver communion cups.