History key terms

Landowners below the titled nobility in social rank, many of whom held important positions in local government.

The position of a place within a wider area, described through its relationship to settlements, regions and other geographical features.

The East German state formed in October 1949 from the Soviet occupation zone of Germany.

Making a territory German through measures such as German settlement, the removal of local people and the suppression of their culture.

The Nazi-controlled organisation that replaced independent trade unions in 1933 and brought workers under state supervision.

The understanding that microorganisms can cause disease.

A Spaniard shipwrecked in 1511 who learnt a Maya language and became an interpreter for Cortés in 1519.

The Nazi Secret State Police, which investigated suspected opponents and could arrange imprisonment without trial.

An enclosed district in which Jews were forcibly confined, often in overcrowded conditions with severe shortages of food.

A religious revival associated with the Paiute prophet Wovoka, promising renewal, the return of the buffalo and ancestors, and the restoration of Native American life.

The 1944 American law that supported military veterans through benefits including education funding and access to home loans.

The rapid growth of cheap gin drinking, especially among poorer Londoners in the early eighteenth century, which created serious health and social problems.

A Lakota/Dakota ceremony in which a family distributed possessions to others to mark an honour or important occasion, expressing generosity and strengthening community relationships.

Gorbachev’s policy of greater openness, allowing more public discussion and criticism of government policies and past abuses.

The Soviet censorship organisation, known as the Main Administration for Literary and Publishing Affairs, which controlled publication and access to information.

The Nazi process of bringing government institutions and other organisations into line with Nazi authority.

An idealised representation of Elizabeth I as a glorious queen, associated with the character representing her in Edmund Spenser’s poem The Faerie Queene.

The overthrow of James II in 1688 and his replacement by William III and Mary II in 1689. It strengthened Parliament’s role in determining who could rule.

A male religious leader in pre-Christian Viking society; a local magnate could perform this role at major sacrifices.

A description of a period considered especially successful in culture, prosperity or other achievements; it does not mean that everyone benefited.

A rapid movement of people into an area following the discovery of gold, usually driven by hopes of becoming wealthy.

A worker who emptied cesspits.

The Soviet State Committee for Planning, which converted national economic objectives into detailed production targets.

The people who direct the state and make decisions about how a country is governed.

Money owed by the government to its lenders, including borrowing used to pay for war.

A power-sharing government formed after the 1994 election, bringing the ANC, National Party and Inkatha Freedom Party into the cabinet.

An official responsible for governing a territory on behalf of a ruler.

The senior official responsible for overseeing British government in India; Warren Hastings became the first Governor-General of Bengal.

Combining Greek and Egyptian cultural traditions, including forms of kingship and religious expression.

The compulsory seizure of grain from peasants by the state.