History key terms

The coordinated use of different types of troops, such as archers, infantry and cavalry, so that their strengths support one another.

An organisation established in January 1949 to coordinate economic cooperation among communist countries and provide an alternative to Marshall Aid.

An organisation established in September 1947 through which Stalin coordinated communist parties and strengthened Soviet political control.

The Roman assembly organised into centuries, in which wealthier groups had greater voting influence.

The Roman popular assembly organised by curiae, or divisions of the citizen body, which elected Priscus in the traditional account.

The tribal assembly, to which the election of plebeian tribunes was transferred in 471 BC.

An economy in which the state directs production, resources and labour rather than leaving these mainly to private businesses.

The person with overall command of a country’s armed forces.

An event or action that honours and preserves the memory of a person or historical event.

Competition over trade, markets and wealth.

An appointment giving someone the rank and authority of an army officer. Before 1871, commissions in many British regiments could be purchased.

Royal officials responsible for organising recruitment and inspecting potential soldiers and their equipment.

A product bought and sold in trade, such as tobacco.

Land over which members of a community had customary rights, such as grazing animals or collecting wood.

An arrangement through which member countries reduce barriers to trade and enable closer economic cooperation.

The idea that a policy should benefit the kingdom as a whole. The Crown and Flemish weavers used this argument to defend privileges for immigrant cloth workers.

The republican government established in England in 1649 after the execution of Charles I.

Accommodation in which several households share facilities, such as a kitchen and bathroom; in Soviet communal flats, a family might occupy just one room.

A large agricultural organisation that combined farming communities and organised collective production. During the early 1960s, communes remained, but more decisions passed to smaller production teams.

The ways information is transmitted, including military messages and reporting that informs the public about war.

A trench connecting different trench lines, allowing soldiers, messages and supplies to move between them with some protection.

An ideology aiming for collective ownership and a classless society. In the USSR, it was associated with state planning, state ownership and Communist Party rule.

A supporter of communism, which aims for a classless society with common ownership of the means of production; Germany’s Communist Party was the KPD.

An organisation bringing people together around shared needs, interests or identities.

Policing that builds relationships with local people so that officers and communities can work together to prevent crime and address local problems.

Unpaid work carried out by an offender for the benefit of the community as part of a sentence.

Alexander’s elite Macedonian cavalry, which he personally led in battle.

Alexander’s close associates and leading officers, who formed an important part of the Macedonian ruling elite.

A site sufficiently similar in purpose, period or circumstances to make a historical comparison meaningful.

A broken bone associated with an open wound, allowing germs to enter and increasing the danger of infection.