History key terms

An employment arrangement requiring workers to belong to a particular trade union.

The process in which liquid blood forms a thicker, solid mass.

A Senate procedure for ending debate and allowing a bill to move towards a vote.

Local armed groups, notably active in western England in 1645, which sought to protect their communities from the burdens imposed by both Civil War armies.

A reformed Benedictine order associated with the monastery of Cluny in France and introduced into England under Norman rule.

The Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, a British organisation launched in 1958 that campaigns against nuclear weapons.

An alliance of countries acting together. In the 2003 invasion of Iraq, the coalition was led by the United States.

A force made up of contingents supplied by different rulers or leaders, whose interests may not always agree.

A government formed by two or more political parties working together.

The Convention for a Democratic South Africa: multiparty negotiations beginning in December 1991 to agree a transition from apartheid to democracy.

The use of force or threats to make people comply with a decision or policy.

An establishment selling coffee where customers could meet, exchange news, discuss ideas and conduct business.

Cutting small pieces of precious metal from the edges of coins, reducing the metal remaining in them.

A rivalry involving political hostility, military competition and struggles for influence between the USA and USSR, without a direct war between the two superpowers.

Actively cooperating with an occupying power or helping it carry out its policies.

Negotiation between employers and workers’ representatives, usually trade unions, over pay and working conditions.

An arrangement in which countries agree that an attack on one member will be treated as an attack on all, and that they will assist its defence.

A farm on which peasants worked together under state direction, rather than independently deciding how to farm their own holdings.

Farming in which land and resources are managed collectively rather than by individual private farmers.

A community’s understanding of who its members are and which qualities, values and achievements distinguish them from others.

A system in which members of a group shared responsibility for keeping order and could face penalties for failing to fulfil their duties.

The principle that countries should act together against an aggressor to protect the peace and security of all members.

The organisation of individual farms into larger units under collective or state control.

A Roman settlement with a privileged legal status, often established for retired soldiers.

Control of a territory and its people by a foreign power.

The establishment of settlements and control by people from another country, often involving the appropriation of land already inhabited by others.

A covered walkway supported by a row of columns.

A territory controlled by another country.

A policy or practice excluding people from employment or services because of their colour or racial background.

The coordinated use of different military forces and weapons, such as infantry, artillery, tanks and aircraft.