Grade 8 History Caps

Industrial Revolution

A period when machines began to replace hand tools in manufacturing.

Factory

A building where goods are made using machines.

Urbanisation

The growth of cities as people move from rural areas for work.

Steam Engine

A machine that uses steam power to perform work, key invention of the Industrial Revolution.

Textile Industry

Industry focused on making cloth and fabric.

Mass Production

Making large amounts of goods quickly and cheaply.

Child Labour

When children are made to work in factories or mines.

Cotton Gin

Machine that separates cotton fibres from seeds.

Coal Mining

Extracting coal to fuel steam engines and factories.

Iron Industry

Making iron used for machines, buildings, and railways.

Transportation Revolution

Development of railways, canals, and roads.

Capitalism

Economic system where businesses are privately owned for profit.

Working Class

People who work for wages, often in factories.

Middle Class

Business owners and professionals who benefited from industrialisation.

Luddite

A worker who opposed machines taking jobs.

Industrialisation

The process of developing industries in a country or region.

Mineral Revolution

Discovery of diamonds and gold in South Africa (1867-1886).

Diamonds

Precious stones first discovered at Kimberley in 1867.

Gold

Valuable metal discovered on the Witwatersrand in 1886.

Kimberley

Famous diamond mining town in South Africa.

Witwatersrand

Gold-rich area in Johannesburg.

Migratory Labour

System where workers travel to mines and live in compounds.

Compound System

Housing system that controlled African workers at mines.

Cecil John Rhodes

British businessman who profited from diamond mining.

De Beers

Diamond company founded by Cecil John Rhodes.

Industrialisation in SA

Growth of factories and railways due to mining wealth.

Pass Laws

Laws that controlled movement of African workers.

Economic Inequality

Difference in wealth between rich mine owners and poor workers.

Railway Expansion

Transport built to move minerals from mines to ports.

Urban Growth

Cities like Johannesburg grew quickly due to mining.

African Labour

Low-paid workers who did most of the hard mining work.

Scramble for Africa

Period when European powers divided Africa among themselves (1880s-1910).

Berlin Conference

1884-1885 meeting where Europe divided Africa without Africans present.

Colonialism

When one country controls another politically and economically.

Imperialism

Expanding power through colonising other territories.

European Powers

Countries like Britain, France, Belgium, and Germany.

King Leopold II

Belgian king who ruled the Congo harshly for rubber and ivory.

Missionaries

People who spread Christianity in Africa.

Resistance

African efforts to fight European control.

Zulu Kingdom

African kingdom that resisted British invasion.

Boers

Dutch settlers in South Africa who fought British control.

African Borders

New borders drawn by Europe that split ethnic groups.

Trade Routes

Paths used to move goods like gold, ivory, and slaves.

Exploitation

Unfair use of Africa's people and resources.

Colonies

Lands controlled by foreign powers.

Legacy

Long-term effects of colonisation still seen today.

World War I

Global war mainly between Allied and Central Powers (1914-1918).

Allied Powers

Britain, France, Russia, later USA and others.

Central Powers

Germany, Austria-Hungary, Ottoman Empire, Bulgaria.

Archduke Franz Ferdinand

His assassination in 1914 started the war.

Trench Warfare

Type of fighting from deep trenches on the Western Front.

Western Front

Main battlefield between Germany and France.

No Man's Land

Area between enemy trenches.

Machine Gun

New weapon that caused heavy casualties.

Poison Gas

Chemical weapon used to harm soldiers.

Tank

Armoured vehicle first used in WWI.

Propaganda

Posters and media used to influence public opinion.

Treaty of Versailles

1919 peace treaty that ended WWI.

League of Nations

Organisation formed to maintain world peace.

Casualties

People killed or injured in war.

Armistice

Agreement to stop fighting (11 Nov 1918).

South Africa's Role

South African soldiers fought for Britain in Africa and Europe.