History key terms

Ideas seeking fundamental changes to existing political institutions or the distribution of power.

Having someone chosen to speak and make decisions on behalf of a group, usually through elected representatives in a legislature.

Competition between states for power, influence and security.

A situation in which competing political forces prevent meaningful progress or agreement.

A tax charged on individuals rather than on the value of their property or income.

A Greek historian, born around 200 BC, whose Histories explained the rise of Roman power. He wrote after the Second Punic War and researched its events.

The practice of having more than one spouse at the same time.

Belief in and worship of many gods.

A container holding sweet-smelling substances, carried to protect against supposed disease-causing bad air.

The sacred boundary of the Roman city, which did not necessarily coincide with its defensive walls.

A ceremonial procession; at the City Dionysia it formed part of the public worship of Dionysus.

The demands issued by the Pilgrimage of Grace rebels, including restoration of monasteries, obedience to the Pope, dismissal of Cromwell and repeal of the Statute of Uses.

A broad alliance of Indigenous peoples’ resistance to British forts, policies and colonial expansion, with its main phase in 1763–64.

The chief religious official responsible for supervising religious rules and advising on correct observance.

Roman priests responsible for overseeing religious rules and ceremonies.

A campaign planned by Martin Luther King Jr. and continued by Ralph Abernathy and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference in 1968, bringing poor people from different communities together to demand action against poverty.

A compulsory local tax used to finance assistance for the poor.

Money, goods or other assistance provided to people in poverty.

The head of the western Christian Church, based in Rome.

A fabricated Catholic conspiracy publicised by Titus Oates in 1678, alleging plans to kill Charles II and place his Catholic brother James on the throne.

The principle that settlers in a territory should decide whether slavery would be permitted there.

The presence of people with different origins, languages or cultural traditions within a population.

The armed wing of the Pan Africanist Congress, which used violent attacks in its attempt to overthrow the apartheid government.

Carrying or dragging boats overland between waterways or around obstacles such as rapids.

A covered porch or walkway supported by columns, which could provide space for royal receptions.

The art of making images of particular people, usually showing their appearance and distinguishing features.

The way a person or group is represented through selected details, language and contrasts.

A group assembled by a law-enforcement officer to help pursue suspects or enforce the law.

Latin for ‘after death’; in this succession dispute, an earlier promise naming who should become king after the reigning king died.

An interpretation examining responsibility, fears and misunderstandings on both sides rather than blaming only the USA or USSR; it does not necessarily assign equal blame.