History key terms

A place where coins are produced.

A Russian village commune that managed communal land, commonly divided among peasant households in scattered strips.

Multiple Independently Targeted Re-entry Vehicles: several warheads carried by one missile that can strike different targets.

The dishonest taking or misuse of money entrusted to someone, especially public funds.

A failure of the justice system that results in an unjust conviction or punishment.

A person who seeks to spread their religion; British Christian missionaries in Africa also undertook activities such as exploration and campaigning against slavery.

A priest sent to sustain or spread religious belief. Catholic missionaries in Elizabethan England supported Catholic worship despite the Protestant settlement.

An 1820 settlement providing for Missouri to enter the United States as a slave state and Maine as a free state, preserving the balance between them. It prohibited slavery north of 36°30′ in the remainder of the Louisiana Territory, except Missouri. This territorial restriction was repealed in 1854 and declared unconstitutional in 1857.

Payment for public service in Athens, including the jury pay introduced by Pericles.

Small independent traders, craftsmen and other members of the lower middle class.

An economy combining state-owned enterprises with privately owned businesses.

Umkhonto we Sizwe, meaning ‘Spear of the Nation’: the armed wing of the ANC, formed in 1961.

A defensive ditch around a fortification, which could be dry or filled with water.

Fighting based on moving forces to attack selected targets rather than remaining in fixed defensive positions.

Preparing armed forces for war by assembling soldiers, equipment and transport.

The ruler of the Aztec Empire when the Spaniards arrived in Tenochtitlan in November 1519.

The name later historians gave to Edward I’s assembly of 1295, whose broad representation became a model for later parliaments.

Communist leaders such as Zhou Enlai and Deng Xiaoping who favoured practical administration and economic recovery rather than continued revolutionary disruption.

The transformation of an economy and society through developments such as industrial growth, new technology, improved transport and a more skilled workforce.

A Roman measure of capacity used for commodities such as grain; the plural is modii.

An artificial causeway built out into water; Alexander constructed one towards the island city of Tyre.

A system of government in which a king or queen is the ruler.

A religious community where monks lived, worshipped and worked.

Lanfranc’s regulations for monastic worship, responsibilities and training, issued around 1077.

A religious way of life in which monks or nuns live in communities devoted to worship and follow religious rules.

A parliamentary bill dealing exclusively with specified matters of taxation and public finance, certified as such by the Speaker of the House of Commons.

An economy in which money is used to pay for goods, services and labour, rather than relying entirely on direct exchange.

Lending money in return for repayment plus an additional charge called interest.

An exclusive right to trade in a particular product or control a particular business, which could provide its holder with valuable income.

A seasonal wind system associated with a distinct rainy season in India.