Key Vocabulary for Historical and Political Concepts in European Contexts

askari

(noun) a native soldier, especially of eastern Africa in the service of a European power

balustrade

(noun) a row of balusters, an object or vertical member having a vaselike or turned outline, topped by a rail

Gestapo

(noun) a secret-police organization employing underhanded and terrorist methods against persons suspected of disloyalty

repentant

(adj) experiencing repentance, the action or process to feel regret or contrition, especially for misdeeds or moral shortcomings

Radical Nationalist

(noun) A person with an extreme political ideology that prioritizes the interests, culture, and sovereignty of a specific nation or ethnic group above all else

aloofness

(noun ) the quality or state of being aloof or emotionally distant

maudlin

(adj) drunk enough to be emotionally silly

Stuttgart

(noun) city on the Neckar River in southwestern Germany population

kapo

(noun) was a prisoner in a Nazi concentration camp who was assigned by the SS to supervise forced labor or carry out administrative tasks.

registration

(noun) a document certifying an act of registering

ghetto

(noun) an underprivileged district of a city or town in which members of a minority group live especially because of social, legal, or economic pressure

National Democrat

(Noun) a member or supporter of the National Democratic Party, a political group in Germany during the late 1800s and early 1900s

commandant

(noun) an officer in command

unscrupulously

(adverb) an action done without moral principles, honesty, or fairness

magnanimity

(noun) the quality of being magnanimous: loftiness of spirit enabling one to bear trouble calmly, to disdain meanness and pettiness, and to display a noble generosity

polyglot

(noun) a book containing versions of the same text in several languages especially : the Scriptures in several languages

consolation

(noun) the act or an instance of consoling: the state of being consoled

platitudes

(noun) the quality or state of being dull or insipid

sangfroid

(noun) self-possession or imperturbability especially under strain

incessant

(adjective) continuing or following without interruption

reconciliation

(noun) the action of reconciling : the state of being reconciled

redemption

(noun) the act, process, or an instance of redeeming

forgiveness

(noun) the act of forgiving

judgment

(noun) the act or process of forming an opinion or evaluation by discerning and comparing

justice

(noun) the process or result of using laws to fairly judge cases, redress wrongs, and punish crimes

suffering

(noun) the state of being in great trouble.

guilt

(noun) the fact of having committed a breach of conduct especially violating law and involving a penalty. also a feeling of deserving blame for offenses.

remorse

(noun) a gnawing distress arising from a sense of guilt for past wrongs

responsibility

(noun) the quality or state of being responsible. Or an obligation

atonement

(noun) reparation for an offense or injury