Grade 10 History – Core Vocabulary

Essential Grade 10 History terms covering global events, Ethiopian developments, and key concepts from capitalism to indigenous mechanisms.

Absolutism

A system of government in which a ruler holds unlimited political power.

Alliance

A formal agreement between nations to cooperate for specific purposes, often military or economic.

Apartheid

The former South African policy of strict racial segregation and white minority rule (1948-1994).

Appeasement

A diplomatic policy of conceding to aggression in order to avoid conflict, notably used by Britain and France toward Hitler in the 1930s.

Arms Race

Competitive buildup of military weapons and forces by rival states, especially the USA and USSR during the Cold War.

Balfour Declaration (1917)

British statement supporting the establishment of a “national home for the Jewish people” in Palestine.

Berlin Conference (1884-85)

Meeting where European powers set rules for colonising Africa, launching the ‘Scramble for Africa.’

Bolsheviks

Radical Marxist faction led by Vladimir Lenin that seized power in Russia in October 1917.

Bourgeoisie

In Marxist theory, the capitalist class who own the means of production.

Capitalism

An economic system based on private ownership and the pursuit of profit through free markets.

Cold War

Period of tension (c. 1945-1991) between the USA and USSR marked by ideological rivalry, proxy wars and arms race.

Colonialism

Policy by which a country establishes control over foreign territories for economic and strategic gain.

Containment

US strategy to stop the spread of communism after World War II.

Coup d’état

A sudden, illegal overthrow of a government, usually by a small group or the military.

Decolonization

Process in which colonies gained independence from European powers after World War II.

Detente

Period of relaxed Cold War tensions between the superpowers in the 1970s.

Diaspora

Scattering of a people from their original homeland, e.g., Jewish or African diasporas.

Domino Theory

US belief that if one nation fell to communism, neighbouring states would follow.

Embargo

Official ban on trade with a particular country.

Empire

Large political unit where a dominant state rules territories outside its borders.

Enlightenment

18th-century European intellectual movement stressing reason, science and individual rights.

Fascism

Authoritarian, ultra-nationalist ideology led by dictators such as Mussolini in Italy (1922-45).

Federalism (Ethiopia)

System granting regional states self-rule within a united Ethiopian federation (1995 Constitution).

Genocide

Intentional destruction of a national, ethnic, racial or religious group, e.g., Holocaust, Rwanda 1994.

Glasnost

Gorbachev’s policy of “openness” in the USSR encouraging transparency and free expression (1980s).

Guerilla Warfare

Irregular fighting by small mobile groups using hit-and-run tactics.

Gulṭ & Rist

Traditional Ethiopian land-tenure systems: Gulṭ (tribute rights) and Rist (lineage ownership).

Hydro-politics

Politics surrounding the control and use of shared water resources, e.g., Nile Basin disputes.

Imperialism

Policy of extending a nation’s power by acquiring colonies or dominating other nations.

Indigenous Knowledge

Local, traditional understanding developed over generations, used for survival and problem-solving.

Industrial Revolution

18th-19th c. transition to machine production and factory systems, first in Britain.

Iron Curtain

Winston Churchill’s term for the division between Soviet-controlled Eastern Europe and the West.

Jaarsummaa

Oromo elder-led mediation process for resolving conflicts peacefully.

Junker

Prussian landowning nobility influential in German unification under Bismarck.

League of Nations

International organization (1919-46) aimed at maintaining peace; precursor to the UN.

Marshall Plan

US economic aid program (1947) to rebuild war-torn Western Europe and deter communism.

Meret La-Arrashu

Ethiopian student slogan “Land to the Tiller,” demanding agrarian reform (1960s–70s).

Militarism

Policy of glorifying military power and keeping a standing army prepared for war.

Nationalism

Belief that people sharing culture and history should have an independent nation-state.

NATO

North Atlantic Treaty Organization (1949): defensive alliance of Western states during the Cold War.

Non-Aligned Movement (NAM)

Group of states (from 1961) that stayed independent of US-Soviet blocs.

Pan-Africanism

Movement promoting unity and solidarity of Africans worldwide, leading to OAU (1963).

Partition of Africa

Late 19th-century division of African territory among European powers.

Perestroika

Gorbachev’s “restructuring” reforms aimed at reviving the Soviet economy (1980s).

Proletariat

Industrial working class who sell their labour; central to Marxist theory.

Referendum

Direct popular vote on a specific political question, e.g., Eritrean independence (1993).

Resettlement (Ethiopia)

1980s Derg policy moving drought-affected peasants to new areas; controversial programme.

Scramble for Africa

Rapid European colonization of Africa (c. 1880-1914) formalized at Berlin Conference.

Separation of Powers

Division of government authority among legislative, executive, judicial branches.

Siinqee

Oromo women’s cultural institution and ritual stick symbolising rights and conflict mediation.

Sovereignty

Supreme authority of a state to govern itself without external interference.

Total War

Conflict requiring mobilization of all a nation’s resources and targeting civilian as well as military sectors.

Trench Warfare

Static battle style of WWI with opposing armies in fortified ditches.

Truman Doctrine

US promise (1947) to support nations resisting communism, first applied in Greece & Turkey.

United Nations

International organization founded 1945 to maintain peace, foster cooperation, and uphold human rights.

Veto Power

Right of the five UN Security Council permanent members to block resolutions.

Warsaw Pact

Military alliance (1955-91) of Soviet Union and Eastern Bloc states countering NATO.

World Bank

UN financial institution providing development loans to member states.

Zollverein

German customs union (1834) that promoted economic unity prior to political unification.