History key terms

Terraced houses joined to other houses at the sides and at the back, leaving few openings for ventilation.

A small, locally built furnace used during the Great Leap Forward to try to increase metal production using mass labour rather than specialist industrial facilities.

Small local furnaces used during the Great Leap Forward to try to produce metal, often operated by people without the expertise needed to make usable steel.

A group of microorganisms; particular types of bacteria cause particular diseases, including tuberculosis and cholera.

The scientific study of bacteria.

The animals, people and equipment carrying an army’s supplies during a march.

The enclosed courtyard below the motte, containing buildings and space for people, animals and supplies.

An entertainment in which dogs were set against a restrained bear or bull.

A government budget in which spending does not exceed income.

The relative strength of competing states, including their military forces, wealth, territory and ability to influence others.

The difference between the value of a country’s exports and imports. A favourable balance means exports are worth more than imports.

A smaller community within a tribe, usually made up of several families, with its own leadership.

The name associated with the Bangladeshi cultural and commercial identity of the Brick Lane area.

A rush by depositors to withdraw their money because they fear a bank will fail; mass withdrawals can themselves force a bank to close.

The apartheid system of separate education for black South Africans, controlled through legislation including the Bantu Education Act.

A territory designated by the apartheid government as a homeland for a particular African ethnic group, used to restrict African political rights and preserve white control over the rest of South Africa.

A Christian ceremony using water to admit a person into the Church.

A Greek and Roman label for outsiders, often used in historical accounts to suggest that they were uncivilised. It is not a neutral modern description.

Wire fitted with sharp points, used to make fences that contain livestock and protect land.

A practitioner who performed operations and other practical treatments, usually learning through apprenticeship rather than university study.

A fortified enclosure protecting the approach to a castle entrance.

Hamilcar Barca’s family and its associated supporters, including his son Hannibal and his son-in-law Hasdrubal the Fair.

Rural community health workers in China who received short medical training and provided basic treatment and preventive care while continuing agricultural work.

A powerful medieval noble who held land from the king and owed him service, including military support.

Power exercised by great nobles, based on resources such as land, wealth, followers and castles.

A rebellion by powerful nobles against a monarch’s authority or policies.

Exchanging goods directly for other goods rather than paying with a form of money.

A fortified stone farmhouse in the English–Scottish borderlands, with livestock sheltered below and living accommodation above.

The alternating raised sections and gaps along the top of a wall, associated with defence and the appearance of a castle.

A Greek victory over Persian forces in sea and land battles at the Eurymedon River in 468 BC.