GCSE RS Theme D Key Terms (peace & conflict)

Peace

the absence of conflict which leads to happiness

War

fighting between nations to resolve issues between them

Forgiveness

showing mercy and pardoning someone for what they have done wrong

Justice

bringing about what is right and fair

Reconciliation

when individuals or groups restore friendly relations after a conflict or disagreement

Pacifist

a person who believes that war and violence are unjustifiable

Protest

an expression of disapproval, often in a public group

Violence

using actions that threaten or harm others

Terrorism

the unlawful use of violence, usually against innocent civilians, to achieve a political goal

Riot

an unplanned protest that descends into violence

Righteous anger

anger that has a just reason behind it

Nuclear deterrence

a strategy aimed at preventing war by maintaining the credible threat of nuclear retaliation against any attack

Nuclear weapons

weapons that work by a nuclear reaction. They devastate huge areas and kill large numbers of people

Weapons of mass destruction

weapons that can kill large numbers of people and/or cause great damage

Chemical weapons

weapons that use chemicals to poison/burn/paralyse humans and destroy the natural environment

Biological weapons

weapons that have living organisms or infective material that can lead to disease or death

Greed

can lead countries to invade others in order to control important resources e.g. oil.

Self-defence

defending way of life (eg UK fought against Nazi invasion) or fighting to defend other nations under threat

Retaliation

wars are sometimes fought in retaliation against a country that is seen to have done something very wrong, eg the US invasion of Afghanistan after the 9/11 attacks, which was seen by some as prevention of more attacks, but by others as an unwelcome act of retaliation

Just war

a war which meats internationally accepted criteria for fairness, follows traditional Christian rules for a just war, and is now accepted by all other religions.

Jihad

a personal struggle against evil while following the way of Allah, OR the collective defence of the Muslim community

Holy war

fighting for a religious cause or for God, probably controlled by a religious leader

Pacifism

the belief of people who refuse to take part in war and any other form of violence

Peacemaker

a person who works to establish peace in the world or a certain part of it

Peacemaking

the action of trying to establish peace

Absolute pacifism

the unwavering belief that all violence is inherently wrong, including self defence

Conditional pacifism

a belief that opposes war generally but allows for violence in specific, extreme, or limited circumstances

Refugee

a person who has been forced to leave their country in order to escape war, persecution, or natural disaster

Victims of war

those who are negatively affected by war