A guide to the language of history
History glossary
Understand the people, places and ideas behind the stories. Find a term, read its meaning, then explore it in context.
433–468 of 797 terms
Nationalism
the belief that a people with shared identity should have political power, often in their own nation-state.
Natives Land Act
the 1913 law that restricted African land ownership and occupation to limited reserved areas.
NATO
a military alliance founded by the United States, Canada, and western European states during the Cold War.
Nazi Germany
Germany under Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party from 1933 to 1945.
Nazism
the racist, antisemitic, authoritarian ideology of Hitler’s National Socialist movement.
Near East
a historical term for the eastern Mediterranean and western Asia, including Mesopotamia, Anatolia, the Levant, and Egypt.
Neolithic
the later Stone Age period when farming, settled villages, and polished stone tools spread.
New Kingdom
Egypt's great imperial age, when pharaohs projected power into Nubia and the Levant.
Nguyễn dynasty
Vietnam's last imperial dynasty, ruling from 1802 until the monarchy ended in 1945.
Nicene Creed
a statement of orthodox Christian belief associated with the Council of Nicaea and later expansion.
Night of the Long Knives
Hitler's June-July 1934 purge of SA leaders and other real or imagined rivals.
Nika riots
the 532 uprising in Constantinople that nearly overthrew Justinian before being violently suppressed.
Nile
the great river of northeast Africa whose floods supported ancient Egyptian farming and settlement.
nirvana
release from craving, suffering and the cycle of rebirth.
NKVD
the Soviet internal affairs and security agency that carried out much of Stalin's repression.
nomadic
describing communities that moved with herds, seasons or resources rather than living permanently in one settlement.
non-alignment
a Cold War position of refusing formal alignment with either the United States-led or Soviet-led bloc.
nonviolent protest
protest that avoids physical attacks, even when protesters face violence.
Norman
a member of the French-speaking elite that developed in Normandy from Scandinavian settler roots.
Norman Conquest
the conquest of England by William of Normandy in 1066.
North Vietnamese
the communist state and forces based in northern Vietnam that fought to reunify the country under communist rule.
Nubian
relating to Nubia, the Nile region south of Egypt with deep political, military, and cultural ties to Egypt.
Nuclear deterrence
the idea that nuclear weapons prevent attack because retaliation would be devastating.
Nuclear weapons
weapons that release enormous explosive energy from nuclear fission, fusion, or both.
Numidian
connected with Numidia, the North African kingdom famous in this story for skilled cavalry.
Nuremberg Laws
the 1935 Nazi racial laws that stripped Jews of citizenship and outlawed marriages and relationships with non-Jews.
Nuremberg Trials
postwar trials in Nuremberg that prosecuted major Nazi leaders and others for crimes under international law.
Odin
a major Norse god associated with wisdom, war, poetry, magic, and rulership.
Old Kingdom
the early period of unified Egyptian history famous for strong kingship and pyramid building.
Oligarchy
a political system where a small group of powerful people controls government.
Omaha Beach
the American D-Day beach where strong German defenses caused especially heavy casualties.
Operation Cobra
the late July 1944 American breakout offensive near Saint-Lô that ended the Normandy stalemate.
Operation Fortitude
the Allied deception operation that helped convince Germany the main invasion would come away from Normandy.
Operation Overlord
the Allied campaign to invade Normandy, build a beachhead, and open a western front in France.
Operation Sea Lion
Nazi Germany’s planned 1940 invasion of Britain, dependent on defeating RAF Fighter Command and gaining air superiority.
Operation Typhoon
Germany's autumn 1941 offensive to capture Moscow before winter.
