World History — Terms Glossary

48 terms in this section — every one exam-ready for UGC NET History (Code 06).

TermDefinitionPeriod / Context
Age of Enlightenment An 18th-century European intellectual movement emphasising reason, individual liberty, and scientific method over tradition and religious authority, laying philosophical groundwork for later revolutions. 17th–18th century, Europe
American Revolution The 1775–1783 war in which thirteen British North American colonies won independence, founding the United States and establishing an early model of republican, constitutional government. 1775–1783
Appeasement Policy Britain and France's 1930s diplomatic strategy of conceding to Nazi Germany's territorial demands (notably at the 1938 Munich Agreement) to avoid another major war — widely judged by historians to have instead emboldened Hitler. 1930s, mainly 1938
Archival Science The professional discipline concerned with the appraisal, acquisition, preservation, organisation, and accessibility of archival records and historical documents. Modern discipline, UGC NET Unit V
Berlin Conference An 1884–85 meeting of European powers that formalised rules for African colonisation without any African representation, accelerating the Scramble for Africa. 1884–1885
Bolshevik Revolution The October 1917 uprising in Russia led by Vladimir Lenin's Bolshevik party, overthrowing the Provisional Government and establishing the world's first Communist state. October 1917
Chartism A British working-class movement (1838–1857) demanding political reforms including universal male suffrage, named for its People's Charter petition — an early organised labour political movement. 1838–1857, Britain
Cold War The prolonged geopolitical rivalry (roughly 1947–1991) between the United States-led capitalist bloc and the Soviet-led communist bloc, marked by proxy wars, nuclear arms race, and ideological competition without direct military conflict between the two superpowers. 1947–1991
Concert of Europe The informal system of consultation among major European powers after the Congress of Vienna (1815) aimed at preserving peace and the post-Napoleonic political order. 1815–mid 19th century
Congress of Vienna A 1814–15 conference of European powers redrawing the continent's political map after Napoleon's defeat, aiming to restore monarchical stability and balance of power. 1814–1815
Cuban Missile Crisis A tense 1962 confrontation between the US and USSR over Soviet nuclear missiles placed in Cuba, widely regarded as the closest the Cold War came to direct nuclear conflict. October 1962
Decolonization The mid-20th-century process by which European colonial powers granted independence to their Asian and African colonies, dramatically reshaping the post-war world order. Mainly 1945–1970s
Détente The easing of Cold War tensions between the United States and Soviet Union during the late 1960s and 1970s, marked by arms-control agreements and increased diplomatic engagement. Late 1960s–1970s
Fascism An authoritarian, ultranationalist political ideology emphasising centralised dictatorial power, suppression of opposition, and often militarism — most notably implemented in Benito Mussolini's Italy from 1922. 1920s–1945, Italy and elsewhere
French Revolution The 1789–1799 upheaval that overthrew the Bourbon monarchy in France, ended feudal privilege, and popularised the ideals of liberty, equality, and fraternity across Europe. 1789–1799
Glorious Revolution The 1688 bloodless overthrow of England's King James II, replaced by William and Mary under Parliament-imposed constitutional limits, establishing the principle of parliamentary sovereignty over the monarchy. 1688, England
Great Depression A severe worldwide economic downturn beginning with the 1929 Wall Street crash, causing mass unemployment and political instability that historians connect to the rise of fascism in Europe. 1929–late 1930s
Industrial Revolution The transition (beginning in Britain, late 18th century) from hand production to machine manufacturing, fundamentally transforming economies, urbanisation, and social class structures worldwide. c. 1760–1840, spreading globally through the 19th century
Korean War A 1950–1953 conflict between communist North Korea (backed by China and the USSR) and South Korea (backed by the US and UN forces), ending in an armistice that left Korea divided along roughly its original border. 1950–1953
Laissez-faire An economic philosophy holding that markets function best with minimal government intervention — the dominant economic ideology accompanying the Industrial Revolution in 19th-century Britain. 18th–19th century
League of Nations An international organisation founded in 1920 after the First World War to maintain peace through collective security and diplomacy, but which lacked enforcement power and dissolved after failing to prevent the Second World War. 1920–1946
Marshall Plan A 1948 US programme providing massive economic aid to rebuild Western European economies after the Second World War, also intended to contain the spread of communism. 1948–1952
Meiji Restoration The 1868 political revolution in Japan that ended the feudal Tokugawa Shogunate and restored imperial rule, launching rapid Western-style industrial and military modernisation. 1868 onward, Japan
Museology The academic study of museums — their history, organisation, exhibition design, conservation practice, and role in preserving and presenting cultural heritage. Modern discipline, UGC NET Unit V
NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, a military alliance formed in 1949 by the United States, Canada, and Western European nations for collective defence against Soviet expansion during the Cold War. Founded 1949
Nazism The ideology of Adolf Hitler's National Socialist German Workers' Party, combining fascist authoritarianism with extreme racial nationalism and antisemitism, which governed Germany from 1933 to 1945. 1920–1945, Germany
Pan-Africanism A movement promoting solidarity and unity among people of African descent worldwide, influential in 20th-century African decolonisation and independence movements. Early-mid 20th century onward
Paris Commune A short-lived radical, socialist-leaning government that briefly controlled Paris in 1871 after France's defeat in the Franco-Prussian War, later violently suppressed — an important reference point for later socialist and Marxist movements. March–May 1871
Perestroika and Glasnost Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev's late-1980s reform policies — Perestroika (economic restructuring) and Glasnost (political openness) — widely credited by historians as accelerating the Soviet Union's 1991 collapse. Mid-late 1980s
Potassium-Argon Dating A radiometric dating method measuring the decay of radioactive potassium into argon gas in volcanic rock, used to date very old geological layers and early hominid fossil sites. Archaeological/geological dating method
Protestant Reformation A 16th-century movement, sparked by Martin Luther's 1517 Ninety-Five Theses, that challenged the Roman Catholic Church's authority and led to the founding of Protestant Christian denominations across Europe. Begins 1517, Europe
Provenance The documented history of an artefact or object's origin, ownership, and discovery context — critical for verifying authenticity and legal/ethical museum acquisition. Museology/archaeology method
Renaissance A cultural and intellectual movement in Europe (roughly 14th–17th centuries) reviving classical Greek and Roman learning, marked by advances in art, science, and humanist philosophy. c. 1300–1600 CE, Europe
Scramble for Africa The rapid colonisation and division of nearly the entire African continent among European powers in the late 19th century, formalised through the Berlin Conference. c. 1881–1914
Seriation A relative dating technique that orders artefacts (such as pottery styles) by tracking how their frequency rises and falls over time within a sequence of archaeological layers or sites. Archaeological method
Suez Crisis A 1956 conflict triggered by Egypt's nationalisation of the Suez Canal, in which Britain, France, and Israel invaded Egypt but were forced to withdraw under US and Soviet pressure — widely seen as marking the end of Britain and France's status as top-tier global powers. 1956
Thermoluminescence Dating An absolute dating technique measuring trapped electrons released as light when crystalline materials (such as fired pottery) are heated, used to date when an object was last fired or heated. Archaeological dating method
Treaty of Versailles The 1919 peace settlement formally ending the First World War, imposing heavy reparations and territorial losses on Germany and creating conditions historians link to the rise of Nazism. 1919
Truman Doctrine US President Harry Truman's 1947 policy committing American support to countries resisting communist expansion, widely seen as marking the formal start of the Cold War containment strategy. 1947
Typology An archaeological classification method that groups artefacts by shared physical form, style, or manufacturing technique, used to establish relative chronology and cultural sequences. Archaeological method
Unification of Germany The 1871 political consolidation of separate German states into a single empire under Prussian leadership, engineered chiefly by Chancellor Otto von Bismarck through diplomacy and war. 1864–1871
Unification of Italy The 19th-century movement (Risorgimento) that consolidated separate Italian states into a single kingdom by 1861, led by figures including Cavour, Garibaldi, and Mazzini. 1815–1871
United Nations An international organisation established in 1945 after the Second World War to maintain peace and security, succeeding the League of Nations with stronger enforcement mechanisms including the Security Council. Founded 1945
Utopian Socialism An early 19th-century strand of socialist thought (associated with Robert Owen, Charles Fourier, and Saint-Simon) proposing idealistic model communities, predating and distinct from later Marxist "scientific" socialism. Early-mid 19th century
Vertical and Horizontal Excavation Two archaeological excavation strategies: vertical excavation digs a small area deeply to establish a site's full stratigraphic sequence, while horizontal excavation exposes a large area at one level to reveal a site's spatial layout. Archaeological method
Vietnam War A prolonged Cold War-era conflict (1955–1975) between communist North Vietnam and US-backed South Vietnam, ending in Vietnam's reunification under communist rule and widely seen as a major Cold War proxy war. 1955–1975
Warsaw Pact A 1955 Soviet-led military alliance of Eastern European communist states, formed as the direct Cold War counterpart to NATO. Founded 1955
Zionism A late-19th and 20th-century nationalist movement advocating for a Jewish homeland, culminating in the establishment of the state of Israel in 1948. Late 19th century onward

← Back to the full glossary