History vocabulary helps students distinguish evidence from assertion, cause from consequence, and what happened from how later people explain it. In SEC G3 History, writing a long answer is not enough: students must interpret sources, explain contextual circumstances and make reasoned judgements. This article supplies 200 clearly defined History terms, arranged around source-based questions, European colonialism in Southeast Asia, the two World Wars, the Cold War and decolonisation.

The 2027 Singapore-Cambridge SEC G3 History subject code is K330 (earlier reference code 2174). Paper 1 covers the extension of European control in Southeast Asia and challenges to European dominance from the 1870s to 1942. Paper 2 covers developments after World War II, notably the Cold War and decolonisation in Southeast Asia from the 1940s to 1991. This is an independent eduKate study glossary—not a SEAB-prescribed list of 200 compulsory words.

Quick answers:

• For source-based questions, ask who produced the source, when, for whom, why and what it can actually establish.
• To evaluate reliability, examine both what the source says and what its origin and context mean for the specific question.
• In essays, rank causes or impacts using evidence and a clear criterion, not merely “one reason was”.
• For colonial history, pay attention to who exercised power and how local communities experienced change.
• For Cold War history, distinguish ideology, policy, crises and the local agency of Southeast Asian actors.

1–10: Historical thinking and time

1. chronology — Arrangement of events in time order.
2. periodisation — Dividing the past into meaningful periods.
3. turning point — Event that significantly changes a historical direction.
4. continuity — Something that stays similar across time.
5. change — A difference that develops over time.
6. causation — How one or more factors produce an event.
7. consequence — An outcome following an event or choice.
8. significance — The importance assigned to an event or development.
9. context — The circumstances surrounding an event or source.
10. historical interpretation — A reasoned account of the past based on evidence.

Apply it: Explain how two different historians might use this word differently while referring to the same event.

11–20: Types of historical sources

11. primary source — Evidence created during the period or by participants.
12. secondary source — A later account using evidence about the past.
13. archive — A collection preserving historical records.
14. memoir — An account written from a person’s remembered experience.
15. diary — A record of experiences written as they occur.
16. photograph — An image that records a selected view of an occasion.
17. speech — Words delivered publicly for a particular purpose.
18. cartoon — An illustration often using symbolism or satire.
19. newspaper report — Journalistic account produced for readers at a particular time.
20. government document — An official record produced by a public authority.

Apply it: Find a relevant source or event and write a cause–evidence–effect sentence.

21–30: Evaluating source evidence

21. provenance — Information about a source’s origin.
22. authorship — Identity or role of a source’s creator.
23. purpose — Why a source was made.
24. audience — People a source sought to reach.
25. message — An idea the creator intended to convey.
26. tone — Attitude or feeling expressed.
27. bias — A perspective or preference that may shape presentation.
28. reliability — How dependable evidence is for a specific question.
29. utility — How helpful a source is for a particular inquiry.
30. corroboration — Support for an account found in other evidence.

Apply it: Describe one limitation of a source or an interpretation using correct historical context.

31–40: Source-based reasoning

31. inference — Conclusion drawn from clues in a source.
32. cross-reference — Comparing evidence across multiple sources.
33. comparison — Examining similarities and differences.
34. contradiction — An apparent incompatibility between accounts.
35. consistency — Agreement among details or claims.
36. assertion — A statement presented as true.
37. support — Evidence used to strengthen a claim.
38. challenge — Evidence or reasoning that questions a claim.
39. limitation — A boundary on what evidence can establish.
40. judgement — A conclusion made after weighing evidence.

Apply it: Compare two terms and explain why replacing one with the other could mislead a reader.

41–50: Imperial expansion and colonialism

41. imperialism — Extension of political or economic influence beyond one’s state.
42. colonialism — Control and exploitation of territory by an outside power.
43. colony — Territory under another state’s authority.
44. protectorate — Territory retaining some local structures under external control.
45. sphere of influence — Region where a power exercises strong influence.
46. intervention — Outside involvement in another state’s affairs.
47. annexation — Formal incorporation of territory into another state.
48. sovereignty — Ultimate authority over a territory.
49. expansionism — Policy seeking increased territory or influence.
50. metropole — The dominant state controlling overseas colonies.

Apply it: Explain how two different historians might use this word differently while referring to the same event.

51–60: Colonial administration

51. direct rule — Administration by officials from the ruling power.
52. indirect rule — Administration through local rulers under external supervision.
53. bureaucracy — Government system run through appointed officials and procedures.
54. resident — A colonial official advising or influencing a local ruler.
55. federation — Union of territories under shared political structures.
56. treaty — Formal agreement between political authorities.
57. jurisdiction — Legal authority over a territory or matter.
58. governance — Process of exercising political authority.
59. centralisation — Concentration of decision-making authority.
60. local elite — Influential group within a community or territory.

Apply it: Find a relevant source or event and write a cause–evidence–effect sentence.

61–70: British Malaya in historical study

61. Straits Settlements — Colonial group of British-governed ports in Southeast Asia.
62. Perak — Malay state central to the 1874 British intervention case.
63. Pangkor Engagement — 1874 agreement associated with introducing British residency in Perak.
64. Residential System — Colonial arrangement using British Residents to influence state administration.
65. Larut Wars — Conflicts linked to tin mining and rivalry in nineteenth-century Perak.
66. succession dispute — Disagreement over who should inherit leadership.
67. Federated Malay States — Federation established in 1895 under British influence.
68. Unfederated Malay States — Malay states outside the 1895 federation.
69. tin industry — Extraction and trade of tin ore.
70. rubber plantation — Estate cultivating rubber trees for export.

Apply it: Describe one limitation of a source or an interpretation using correct historical context.

71–80: Dutch Indonesia and French Vietnam

71. Dutch East Indies — Colonial name used for territories governed by the Netherlands in Indonesia.
72. Java — Major Indonesian island and colonial administrative centre.
73. Outer Islands — Indonesian territories beyond Java in colonial discussions.
74. cash crop — Crop grown mainly for sale.
75. extractive industry — Activity removing natural resources for use or sale.
76. French Indochina — Colonial grouping that included Vietnam and neighbouring territories.
77. Tonkin — Historical region of northern Vietnam.
78. Annam — Historical region of central Vietnam.
79. Cochinchina — Historical designation used for southern Vietnam.
80. state monopoly — Exclusive state control over a product or trade.

Apply it: Compare two terms and explain why replacing one with the other could mislead a reader.

81–90: Colonial economic and social changes

81. export economy — Economic activity oriented towards selling abroad.
82. commodity — Raw material or basic good traded in markets.
83. migration — Movement of people between places.
84. plural society — Society containing several distinct population communities.
85. township — A developed settlement or town area.
86. landowning class — Group controlling significant property in land.
87. landless peasantry — Rural workers lacking ownership of farmland.
88. Western-educated elite — Group whose schooling exposed them to European education.
89. infrastructure — Facilities such as roads, railways and ports.
90. commercial agriculture — Farming mainly for the market.

Apply it: Explain how two different historians might use this word differently while referring to the same event.

91–100: Nationalism and resistance

91. nationalism — Belief in political identity and rights of a nation.
92. self-determination — Principle that people should decide their political future.
93. anti-colonial movement — Organised opposition to colonial rule.
94. petition — Formal written request to an authority.
95. boycott — Collective refusal to use a product or institution.
96. protest — Public expression of opposition.
97. reform — Attempted improvement within existing arrangements.
98. rebellion — Organised challenge to established authority.
99. mobilisation — Organising people and resources for a cause.
100. political consciousness — Awareness of political conditions and possibilities.

Apply it: Find a relevant source or event and write a cause–evidence–effect sentence.

101–110: Peace settlement after World War I

101. armistice — Agreement to stop fighting.
102. peace treaty — Formal agreement ending or settling conflict.
103. Treaty of Versailles — 1919 peace treaty imposing obligations on Germany.
104. reparations — Payments demanded for damage or losses after war.
105. War Guilt Clause — Treaty provision assigning responsibility for war to Germany and its allies.
106. demilitarisation — Reduction or removal of military forces in a defined area.
107. territorial reduction — Loss of a state’s land.
108. nation-state — State linked to a claimed national community.
109. balance of power — Distribution of strength intended to prevent domination.
110. collective security — Promise of countries to respond collectively to aggression.

Apply it: Describe one limitation of a source or an interpretation using correct historical context.

111–120: League of Nations and diplomacy

111. League of Nations — International organisation created after World War I to promote peace.
112. disarmament — Reduction of weapons or armed forces.
113. sanction — Penalty meant to influence a state’s behaviour.
114. diplomacy — Management of international relations through negotiation.
115. appeasement — Making concessions to a threatening power to avoid conflict.
116. Abyssinian Crisis — 1935–36 dispute surrounding Italy’s invasion of Ethiopia.
117. remilitarisation — Restoration of military forces in a territory.
118. Anschluss — 1938 annexation of Austria by Nazi Germany.
119. Munich Agreement — 1938 deal ceding Sudeten territory to Germany.
120. non-aggression pact — Agreement in which parties pledge not to attack one another.

Apply it: Compare two terms and explain why replacing one with the other could mislead a reader.

121–130: Political systems and Nazi Germany

121. democracy — System where political authority is based on popular participation.
122. dictatorship — Rule concentrated in one leader or group with limited opposition.
123. authoritarianism — Political system restricting competition and civil freedoms.
124. totalitarianism — Regime seeking extensive control over public and private life.
125. Weimar Republic — German state established after World War I.
126. Nazi Party — German National Socialist party led by Adolf Hitler.
127. propaganda — Information designed to shape public attitudes politically.
128. censorship — Suppression or restriction of information.
129. one-party rule — System allowing only one ruling political party.
130. persecution — Systematic mistreatment of people because of identity or beliefs.

Apply it: Explain how two different historians might use this word differently while referring to the same event.

131–140: Economic crises and militarist Japan

131. hyperinflation — Extremely rapid and damaging price increases.
132. unemployment — Condition of wanting paid work but having none.
133. Great Depression — Severe global economic crisis beginning in 1929.
134. militarism — Dominance of military priorities in politics.
135. military junta — Political regime controlled by military leaders.
136. political assassination — Killing of a person for political reasons.
137. industrial control — Direction of production by state or military authorities.
138. expansionist policy — Strategy seeking control beyond existing borders.
139. Manchuria — Northeast Asian region occupied by Japan from 1931.
140. Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere — Wartime Japanese project presented as regional cooperation while extending Japanese dominance.

Apply it: Find a relevant source or event and write a cause–evidence–effect sentence.

141–150: World War II origins and expansion

141. aggression — Use or threat of force against another territory.
142. invasion — Entry of armed forces into another territory.
143. alliance — Agreement by states to cooperate.
144. Axis Powers — Wartime alliance centred on Germany, Italy and Japan.
145. Allied Powers — States fighting against the Axis in World War II.
146. Rhineland — German region remilitarised in 1936.
147. Sudetenland — Border region of Czechoslovakia taken by Germany in 1938.
148. Poland — European state invaded by Germany in September 1939.
149. Pearl Harbor — US naval base attacked by Japan in December 1941.
150. theatre of war — Geographical region where a military conflict is fought.

Apply it: Describe one limitation of a source or an interpretation using correct historical context.

151–160: End of World War II

151. D-Day — June 1944 Allied landing in Normandy.
152. island hopping — Allied Pacific strategy targeting selected islands.
153. strategic bombing — Air attacks intended to damage an opponent’s capacity or will.
154. atomic bomb — Weapon releasing energy from nuclear reactions.
155. two-front war — Military conflict fought on two major fronts.
156. overextension — Holding commitments beyond available resources.
157. surrender — Agreement to stop resisting an opposing force.
158. occupation — Control of territory by foreign military forces.
159. demobilisation — Disbanding and returning military personnel to civilian life.
160. war aftermath — Consequences that continue after fighting ends.

Apply it: Compare two terms and explain why replacing one with the other could mislead a reader.

161–170: The origins of the Cold War

161. Cold War — Prolonged US–Soviet rivalry without direct full-scale war between them.
162. superpower — State wielding exceptional global influence.
163. ideology — System of political or social beliefs.
164. capitalism — Economic system involving private ownership and markets.
165. communism — Political and economic ideology associated with collective ownership.
166. sphere of influence politics — Efforts to control decisions of other states in a region.
167. containment — US strategy for restricting the spread of Soviet influence.
168. Iron Curtain — Metaphor for the division of Cold War Europe.
169. Truman Doctrine — 1947 US commitment to support states resisting communist pressures.
170. Marshall Plan — US economic recovery assistance for postwar Europe.

Apply it: Explain how two different historians might use this word differently while referring to the same event.

171–180: Cold War confrontation and blocs

171. Berlin Blockade — 1948–49 Soviet restriction of land access to West Berlin.
172. Berlin Airlift — Western supply operation to West Berlin during the blockade.
173. NATO — North Atlantic Treaty Organization created in 1949.
174. Warsaw Pact — 1955 military alliance of the Soviet bloc.
175. arms race — Competition to develop larger or more advanced weapons.
176. nuclear deterrence — Preventing attack through threat of nuclear retaliation.
177. proxy war — Conflict involving local forces supported by rival outside powers.
178. Korean War — 1950–53 war on the Korean peninsula.
179. Cuban Missile Crisis — 1962 confrontation over Soviet missiles in Cuba.
180. détente — Period of reduced international tension.

Apply it: Find a relevant source or event and write a cause–evidence–effect sentence.

181–190: Decolonisation in Southeast Asia

181. decolonisation — Process of ending colonial government.
182. independence — Condition of political self-rule.
183. anticolonial nationalism — Movements seeking to end foreign rule.
184. postcolonial state — State operating after formal colonial control ends.
185. political negotiation — Discussion aimed at reaching political agreement.
186. armed struggle — Use of force in pursuit of political objectives.
187. guerrilla warfare — Fighting by smaller irregular forces using mobile tactics.
188. constitutional transition — Change to a new political system under legal rules.
189. national unity — Sense of shared political belonging.
190. state-building — Developing institutions and governance of a state.

Apply it: Describe one limitation of a source or an interpretation using correct historical context.

191–200: Writing historical explanations and essays

191. factor — A condition contributing to an outcome.
192. trigger — An event initiating a sequence of developments.
193. long-term cause — Underlying condition operating over time.
194. short-term cause — More immediate condition leading to an event.
195. agency — Capacity of people or groups to make choices.
196. structural condition — Broader system shaping what actions are possible.
197. counterargument — Reasoned alternative to a historical claim.
198. qualification — Statement limiting an overgeneralised claim.
199. synthesis — Combination of evidence to reach an overall account.
200. reasoned conclusion — Final position supported by evidence and explanation.

Apply it: Compare two terms and explain why replacing one with the other could mislead a reader.

The three skills behind a strong G3 History answer

1. Knowledge: put a claim into its historical setting

A statement such as “the British intervened in Perak because of instability” is incomplete without specifying what sort of instability, who faced it and why it mattered to British officials. The K330 syllabus considers the Larut Wars, succession disputes, European competition, resources and trade. The student should distinguish background conditions from immediate triggers and explain how these factors interacted. A list of names and dates is not an explanation. The best reasoning connects actors, interests, constraints, decisions and consequences.

2. Source work: provenance is not an automatic reliability verdict

Suppose a colonial administrator wrote in a public report that a policy would improve trade and stability. The report is valuable evidence of the administrator’s stated justification. But that statement, by itself, cannot prove the policy benefited every local resident. A student should ask what audience the report was intended for, what incentives the official may have had, and which other evidence could test its claims. The source may be useful for one inquiry and insufficient for another.

3. Judgement: compare significance using an explicit standard

When evaluating whether economic motives were the most significant reason for colonial expansion, students might compare resources and markets with rivalry among European powers and political instability in the territory concerned. A reasoned conclusion says which factor mattered most under the specified conditions and why, rather than simply repeating “economic motives were important”. It is possible for several factors to be jointly necessary, and for their relative importance to change over time.

What different source-based command words require

Infer asks students to work out an idea from information in a source, then justify it. Compare asks them to identify a meaningful similarity or difference with evidence from both sources. Reliability asks whether a source can be depended on for a particular claim, considering its content and context. Usefulness asks how far the source helps answer an inquiry, including both what it provides and what it cannot provide. Surprise may invite consideration of expectations based on contextual knowledge and other sources. These are not magic templates; the exact question wording and evidence must guide the answer.

A short invented source-comparison example

Imagine Source A is a 1930s government speech praising rapid industrial development. Source B is a worker’s later account of worsening conditions. They appear contradictory, but they may have different purposes, audiences and experiences. A careful response can note that state policy may have increased industrial output while particular workers faced difficult conditions. The sources need not be treated as simply true versus false; they can illuminate different aspects of the same period. Where claims genuinely clash, corroborating evidence becomes important.

Colonial Southeast Asia: vocabulary that clarifies power

Imperialism covers efforts to extend control or influence, while colonialism describes a form of rule involving an outside power governing a territory. Direct rule and indirect rule describe different administrative relationships; they do not tell us automatically how much local participation people experienced. When reading about Malaya, distinguish the official roles of Residents, local rulers and the legal or economic powers held by each. The term plural society should be connected to historical patterns of migration, work, education and settlement rather than a vague statement that people had different backgrounds.

The official K330 syllabus covers British Malaya as a compulsory study area, and allows the study of either Dutch Indonesia or French Vietnam for specified comparative work. Students should know the examples selected by their school and avoid assuming every case has identical motives or outcomes. What explains a shift in Perak may not be sufficient to explain an unrelated colonial decision elsewhere.

From World War I to the Second World War

The 1919 Treaty of Versailles reshaped postwar relations through territorial losses, military restrictions and reparations imposed on Germany. Collective security was an attempt to make international peace depend on countries acting together against aggression. The League of Nations faced practical and political constraints, which became particularly visible in the 1930s. To explain why collective security failed in a particular crisis, do more than state “the League was weak”: identify the available mechanisms, the actions of member states and what powers or resources were missing.

Students studying authoritarian Germany and militarist Japan should distinguish economic distress, political opportunity, propaganda, coercion and military influence. These are interacting factors, not interchangeable definitions. Historical explanation should never convert the study of a regime’s rise into endorsement of its policies or disregard for those harmed by persecution and war.

What changed after World War II?

World War II ended through many interacting developments, including Allied resources and military strategy and the weaknesses of Axis powers. Overextension means commitments becoming too large for available resources. Two-front war describes fighting on different major fronts, which can strain strategy and supply. The syllabus requires evaluation of reasons for the war’s end rather than a list of victories in isolation.

The Cold War involved rivalry between the United States and Soviet Union. But “Cold War” does not mean no violence occurred. Local conflicts and proxy wars caused grave human harm, while the superpowers generally avoided direct full-scale warfare against each other. To understand the Berlin Blockade or Korean War, students should link immediate decisions to wider strategic interests and existing tensions. For Southeast Asian decolonisation, do not treat local communities as passive pieces in a global contest: nationalist movements had their own histories, ambitions and disagreements.

2027 K330 examination format

According to SEAB’s official K330 History syllabus, the examination has two papers of 1 hour 50 minutes each. Each paper is 50 marks and 50%. Section A is a compulsory source-based case study worth 30 marks, with up to six sources; Section B requires students to answer two of three essay questions, 10 marks each. Paper 1 concerns colonial and pre-1942 developments; Paper 2 centres on the post-World War II world. Candidates receive paper question booklets and type answers in a digital answer booklet. Students should practise the digital response format as well as historical reasoning.

Four-week vocabulary and source-reasoning plan

1. Week 1 — Source literacy: learn words for chronology, provenance, usefulness, inference and comparison. Take three short sources and write what each does and does not support.
2. Week 2 — Colonial Southeast Asia: use timeline cards and a regional map. Connect causes of expansion, forms of administration and social/economic outcomes, keeping the Malaya and Indonesia/Vietnam cases distinct.
3. Week 3 — World War and Cold War: connect postwar peace, authoritarianism, military escalation and the US–Soviet rivalry through specific events. Separate immediate triggers from longer-term conditions.
4. Week 4 — Unseen transfer: answer a mixed source set and two short argument prompts. After marking, identify whether the first weakness was missing context, poor sourcing, weak causal links or an unsupported judgement.

The important unit of progress is not the number of terms copied. A learner who can use corroboration correctly in a new source question has learned more than someone who can repeat its definition without comparing evidence.

Common History mistakes and repairs

• “Biased means useless”: a partisan source may still reveal attitudes, goals or claims in its context.
• “Different means one source is false”: distinguish conflicting facts from differing experiences or purposes.
• “After therefore because of”: chronology alone does not prove causation.
• “One cause explains everything”: compare political, economic, social and international factors.
• “Colonialism was identical everywhere”: identify the place, period, institutions and local actors.
• “Memorised essay fits any question”: respond to the exact judgement demanded.

Frequently asked questions

Is this the official list of 200 K330 terms?

No. It is an independent learning glossary designed to help students use the concepts and vocabulary of historical inquiry.

Is K330 the same as Humanities (Social Studies, History) K336?

No. They are separate SEC 2027 syllabuses. Check the correct code before selecting examination materials.

Do students need to know all historical dates?

They must know important chronology and contextual developments, but explanation and source evaluation are also crucial. Use the official syllabus to define the examinable scope.

How can a learner evaluate a biased source fairly?

Identify what it claims, examine its provenance and purpose, and test appropriate claims using context or other evidence. Ask useful for which question, and reliable for what claim.

Does History benefit from stronger English vocabulary?

Yes, especially when distinguishing degrees of certainty and organising cause-and-effect arguments. Historical accuracy still takes priority over elaborate writing.

Can Singapore or Punggol heritage help History learning?

Local heritage can develop curiosity about sources, places and change. Do not assume a local exhibit is evidence for a different historical event; check its context and provenance.

Official syllabus and next reading

Confirm the 2027 code through SEAB’s G3 syllabus index and read K330’s official History content and assessment requirements. For a related skill, visit the eduKate guide to source-based reasoning, inference and reliability. These ideas transfer across Humanities, but each examination has its own format and requirements.

eduKate Punggol, November 2026. A student learning resource; not an official prescribed vocabulary list or endorsement of historical regimes discussed.