Cameroon GCE Ordinary Level History key terms

Legal authority granted by the League of Nations to a member state to administer a former German colony or Ottoman territory on its behalf, with obligations to report to the League and promote local welfare.

The United Nations system, created in 1945, under which administering powers governed dependent territories and reported on their progress toward self-government or independence.

International organization founded in 1920 after the First World War to keep peace through collective security; it supervised mandates but lacked enforcement power and collapsed with the Second World War.

World organization established in 1945 to maintain international peace and security, promote human rights and development, and supervise trust territories until they became self-governing.

Principle that aggression against one member of an international organization is treated as aggression against all, who then act together to restore peace.

System in which a state takes political control of another territory, settles or administers it, and exploits its resources and people for the benefit of the ruling power.

Arrangement in which a weaker state keeps its own ruler and internal affairs but surrenders control of foreign policy and defence to a stronger protecting power.

Formal act by which one state declares another territory part of itself, ending the separate status of that territory and extending the annexing state's sovereignty over it.

Division of a territory or region into separate political units, often by external powers, as happened to Africa during the scramble and to India at independence.

Meeting of European powers in 1884-85 that set rules for claiming African territory, including effective occupation and notification, and accelerated the scramble for colonies.

Rapid competition among European states between about 1880 and 1914 to conquer and claim African territories, driven by trade, prestige, nationalism and strategic rivalry.

Process by which colonies gained political independence from imperial powers, mainly between 1945 and 1975, through negotiation, nationalist pressure or armed struggle.

Political sentiment and movement asserting that a people sharing history, language or territory should govern themselves and be loyal to their own nation rather than a foreign ruler.

Right of a people to choose their own political status and form of government, a principle invoked to justify independence from colonial or foreign rule.

Colonial system, associated with British administration, that governed through existing local chiefs and customary institutions under the supervision of European officials.

Colonial administration in which officials of the ruling power governed the territory themselves, often replacing or subordinating traditional authorities with appointed administrators.

French colonial policy aiming to turn selected Africans into culturally French citizens by education and adoption of French language, law and customs, in exchange for limited rights.

Later French colonial doctrine that accepted local cultures and institutions while keeping ultimate authority in French hands, allowing gradual change without full cultural absorption.

Attitude among colonial rulers that they acted as guardians of supposedly backward peoples, justifying control by claiming to protect and civilise them while denying political rights.

System of strict racial segregation and white minority rule enforced by law in South Africa from 1948 until the early 1990s, widely condemned internationally.

Policy or practice of separating people by race, ethnicity or sex in schools, housing, transport and public life, often backed by law and unequal funding.

Unequal treatment of people because of race, ethnicity, religion, sex or similar characteristics, especially in access to education, employment, housing and political rights.

Movement emphasising solidarity among Africans and people of African descent and calling for cooperation or unity to end colonial rule and racial oppression.

Body founded in 1963 by independent African states to promote unity, defend sovereignty and support liberation movements; replaced in 2002 by the African Union.

Group of states formed during the Cold War that refused to join either the Western or Soviet bloc and sought independent foreign policies and anti-colonial solidarity.

Prolonged geopolitical rivalry between the United States and its allies and the Soviet Union and its allies after 1945, fought through ideology, arms races, alliances and proxy conflicts.

Direct vote of the people on a specific political question, such as union, independence or a constitution, used to decide the status of a territory.

Procedure in which voters approve or reject a proposed law, constitutional change or political decision in a direct popular vote organised by the authorities.

System of government in which power is divided between a central authority and constituent states or regions, each with its own defined powers and institutions.

State in which a single central government holds supreme authority, and local bodies exercise only powers that the centre grants and can withdraw.

Body of fundamental rules defining a state's institutions, allocating powers, and stating the rights and duties of citizens, often embodied in a written document.

The right to vote in elections and referendums, which may be restricted by property, sex, race or literacy, or extended to all adult citizens as universal suffrage.

Political system in which only one party is legally permitted to hold power, so elections do not offer genuine choice between competing parties.

Sudden, usually violent seizure of state power by a small group, often soldiers, who overthrow the existing government outside constitutional procedures.

Government in which armed forces hold political power directly, usually after a coup, suspending or controlling constitutions, parties and civilian institutions.

Irregular fighting by small, mobile groups using ambushes, sabotage and popular support to wear down a stronger conventional army rather than seeking open battle.

Armed conflict within a single state between organised groups, often government forces and rebels, over control of the state or a region's future.

Formal written agreement between states or other international actors, binding under international law, which may end a war, create an alliance or settle a boundary.