History key terms

The centralised Parliamentarian army formed in 1645, led by Thomas Fairfax, which became both an effective fighting force and a powerful political force.

A mid-nineteenth-century union of skilled workers whose subscriptions funded support for members facing sickness, injury or unemployment.

An artistic movement that examined contemporary life critically and unsentimentally, including social inequality and the consequences of war.

The name given to Spain’s colonial territory centred on Mexico after the conquest of the Aztec Empire.

A short filmed report of news events, shown in cinemas before the main feature film.

Gorbachev’s approach to international relations, which favoured cooperation and reduced confrontation rather than maintaining Soviet control through military force.

The late-nineteenth-century growth of trade unions among low-paid and unskilled workers, using collective organisation and strikes to improve conditions.

An image of a modern, independent woman associated with paid work, new fashions and greater freedom in the 1920s.

The National Health Service, launched in 1948 to make healthcare available to everyone, largely free at the point of use.

Work serving a particular market or requiring particular skills, rather than competing directly across the wider labour market.

The purge of 30 June–2 July 1934 in which the Nazis murdered SA leaders and other political rivals, strengthening Hitler’s position and his alliance with the army.

The Greek goddess or personification of victory.

The demands approved by Parliament in June 1642 for greater control over government, military forces and religious reform, which Charles I rejected.

The constitutional amendment ratified in 1920 that prohibited denying voting rights on grounds of sex in the United States. Other barriers to voting remained.

The foreign-policy approach announced by Nixon in 1969: the USA would support its allies, but they should provide the main manpower for their own conventional defence.

The Soviet secret police organisation that enforced state control and repression during Stalin’s rule.

The hereditary elite of major landowners, including earls and barons, whose wealth, local influence and military resources gave them political power.

The ‘Sad Night’: the Spanish retreat from Tenochtitlan on the night of 30 June 1520, during which many Spaniards and their allies were killed.

A way of life involving movement from place to place rather than permanent settlement; many Plains bands moved seasonally to follow buffalo herds.

A way of life involving movement from place to place rather than permanent settlement, often following seasonal food supplies.

The exposed ground between opposing armies’ front-line trenches.

The unelected assembly selected by the army and its supporters to govern in 1653. It was also known as Barebone’s Parliament or the Parliament of Saints.

An agreement in which countries promise not to attack one another.

Military service that does not involve fighting, such as medical or other support duties.

A Protestant who did not conform to the worship or organisation of the established Church of England.

Refusal to follow expected behaviour or cultural standards; under Nazism, this did not necessarily involve an organised attempt to overthrow the regime.

A punishment served outside prison, often involving supervision, unpaid work or restrictions.

The refusal to import goods from another country; colonists used non-importation of British goods to challenge British policies.

The failure of a member of the clergy to live in the parish or other place where their Church office required them to serve.

Peaceful action that directly challenges injustice, such as sit-ins, marches and boycotts.