History key terms

A system in which people influence government through elected representatives in Parliament.

A system in which the government is accountable to parliament and depends on its support to remain in office.

More than half of the seats in a parliament, giving a party or cooperating group enough votes to outvote the remaining representatives.

A system in which the monarch governs within legal limits and increasingly through ministers who depend on support in Parliament.

Protection for Parliament’s proceedings and freedom of speech from interference by the monarch, courts or other outside bodies.

A grant of taxation approved by Parliament to help finance royal government.

Conditional release from prison before the end of a sentence; breaking the conditions can lead to a return to prison.

A sacred building dedicated to Athena Parthenos on the Athenian Acropolis, begun in 447 BC.

A powerful kingdom east of Rome’s territories in Syria which Antony intended to invade.

Tiny particles suspended in the air, including those released by diesel exhausts, which contribute to air pollution.

Resistance fighters who use guerrilla warfare against an occupying army, often operating behind enemy lines.

The division of a country or territory between different powers.

An official working within the Communist Party’s organisation.

Cyrus’ royal capital and residence, containing palaces, gardens and monumental buildings, and associated with his burial.

Non-violent resistance to authority, such as refusing to work or cooperate.

Breathing in other people’s tobacco smoke, which can harm the health of non-smokers as well as smokers.

Laws requiring African people to carry documents controlling where they could live and work; people without the required documents could be arrested.

An official royal grant; in Restoration theatre, it authorised a company to stage plays.

A commercially sold remedy advertised as treating or curing disease; nineteenth-century claims were often unsupported.

An attitude in which rulers claim to act for other people’s benefit while denying them an equal say in decisions.

A status introduced by the Immigration Act 1971 that gave qualifying people the right of abode in the United Kingdom.

The legal authority of a Roman father over members of his household.

A senior Church leader with authority over a major religious centre and its surrounding churches. Jerusalem’s Latin patriarch led its Latin Christian Church.

A system in which men hold most power and authority in society.

A member of Rome’s privileged hereditary aristocratic order, which dominated the government of the early Republic.

Members of Rome’s privileged aristocratic group, traditionally described as descendants of the first senators.

An American colonist who supported the movement to break away from British rule.

Pride in and loyalty to one’s country.

A person who supports artists or performers through money, protection or influence.

The granting of positions, titles or other rewards by an influential person, such as the monarch, to supporters or favourites.