UEE Social Studies key terms

A system in which one country controls another territory and its people, often settling citizens there and extracting resources, shaping borders, economies, and identities long after the colony gains independence.

A strong sense of loyalty and identity tied to a nation, often seeking self-rule or unity, and capable of inspiring independence movements as well as exclusionary or aggressive politics.

An original document, object, recording, or eyewitness account created during the period being studied, such as a treaty, diary, photograph, or oral testimony, used as direct evidence by historians.

The rapid shift from handcraft and farming to machine production in factories, beginning in eighteenth-century Britain, which transformed work, cities, transport, class relations, and global trade.

The process by which colonies gained political independence from imperial powers, especially after World War II, often accompanied by constitution-writing, nationalist struggle, and difficult economic and social transitions.

The prolonged geopolitical rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union and their allies after 1945, fought through arms races, alliances, propaganda, proxy wars, and economic competition rather than direct large-scale war between the superpowers.

The angular distance north or south of the equator, measured in degrees, which helps locate places and strongly influences climate, daylight hours, and seasonal patterns.

The angular distance east or west of the prime meridian, measured in degrees, used with latitude to pinpoint locations and to define time zones.

The long-term average pattern of temperature, precipitation, wind, and other weather conditions in a region, usually described over thirty years or more rather than by daily changes.

A community of living organisms interacting with each other and with their nonliving surroundings, such as soil, water, and sunlight, exchanging energy and nutrients as a functioning unit.

The growing share of a population living in towns and cities, driven by rural-to-urban migration and natural growth, and often accompanied by changes in housing, employment, and services.

The average number of people per unit of land area, commonly per square kilometre, used to compare how crowded places are and to plan services and resource use.

The wearing away and movement of soil, rock, or sediment by water, wind, ice, or gravity, a natural process that human activities such as deforestation and poor farming can greatly accelerate.

Development that meets present needs without preventing future generations from meeting theirs, balancing economic growth, environmental protection, and social equity in planning and resource use.

The movement of people from one place to another to live, temporarily or permanently, caused by push factors such as conflict or unemployment and pull factors such as jobs or safety.

The basic economic problem that human wants exceed the limited resources available, forcing individuals, firms, and governments to make choices about what to produce and consume.

The value of the next best alternative given up when a choice is made, representing what must be sacrificed to obtain something else with limited money, time, or resources.

The relationship in which sellers offer goods at various prices while buyers seek them, with market price tending toward the point where the quantity supplied equals the quantity demanded.

A sustained rise in the general price level of goods and services, which reduces the purchasing power of money and is usually measured by changes in a consumer price index.

The total market value of final goods and services produced within a country's borders in a given period, commonly used to compare the size and growth of economies.

An economic system in which prices, production, and investment are mainly decided by private buyers and sellers through exchange, with government playing a limited regulatory role compared with a command economy.

Government decisions about taxation and public spending, used to influence demand, redistribute income, and stabilize the economy during booms, recessions, or emergencies.

A market situation in which a single seller supplies a good or service with no close substitutes, giving it power to set prices and often prompting government regulation or competition law.

A tax imposed on imported goods, usually to raise government revenue or to protect domestic producers by making foreign products more expensive for local consumers.

The fundamental set of rules establishing a state's institutions, allocating powers, and limiting government authority, often also guaranteeing citizens' rights and setting procedures for amendment.

The division of government authority among legislative, executive, and judicial branches so that no single body holds all power, reducing the risk of abuse and tyranny.

The principle that everyone, including government officials, is subject to the same publicly known laws, applied fairly and impartially by independent courts rather than by arbitrary personal rule.

The right to vote in political elections, often extended gradually through struggles over property, gender, race, and age qualifications in different countries.

Constitutional arrangements allowing each branch of government to limit the powers of the others, for example through vetoes, judicial review, and legislative approval of appointments.

Entitlements considered inherent to every person regardless of nationality, sex, ethnicity, or religion, including life, liberty, security, fair trial, and freedom of expression, often protected in national and international law.

The supreme authority of a state to govern itself and make decisions within its territory without external interference, a core principle of international relations and independence.

A system in which power is constitutionally divided between a central government and regional units such as states or provinces, each having authority that cannot be removed unilaterally by the other.

The shared beliefs, values, norms, customs, language, and material objects learned and transmitted by members of a society, shaping how people interpret the world and behave.

The lifelong process through which individuals learn the norms, values, and skills of their society, primarily through family, school, peers, and media, becoming functioning members of a community.

The ranking of people into hierarchical layers based on factors such as wealth, occupation, education, or caste, producing unequal access to resources, power, and opportunities.

The tendency to judge other cultures by the standards of one's own, often assuming one's own group is superior, which can distort understanding and encourage prejudice or discrimination.

The approach of understanding beliefs and practices within their own cultural context rather than judging them by outside standards, encouraging open-minded analysis while still allowing ethical debate.

The movement of individuals or groups between social positions, upward or downward, often measured by changes in income, occupation, or education across generations.

The network of relationships based on descent, marriage, or adoption that defines family obligations, inheritance, and social identity in many societies.

Behavior that violates significant social norms, ranging from minor rule-breaking to serious crime, and whose definition and punishment vary across societies and historical periods.