Skip to content
    History A-Level

    State terror

    What State terror means in History A-Level, as defined for AQA.

    Definitions of State terror

    Exam boards and our study guides word this term in slightly different ways. Learn the version your board uses.

    Check what you remember

    Read the wording for your board, then hide it and explain State terror in your own words. Rough notes are fine. This is a self-check, with no mark or grade.

    Reference: AQA

    The regime maintained control through a pervasive Terror State, utilising the Gestapo, SS, and concentration camps to crush dissent.
    AQA · 1L The quest for political stability: Germany, 1871–1991 – only) The Nazi experiment, 1929–1949 (A-level only) (study guide)
    The use of terror and violence, notably through the MVSN and the assassination of Matteotti, to intimidate opponents.
    AQA · 2L Italy and Fascism, c1900–1945 – Mussolini and the establishment of Fascist Italy, 1922–1926 (study guide)

    Topics that use State terror

    Related terms

    Using State terror in the exam

    Check the command word and mark scheme for your exact question. After comparing your explanation with the reference, use the term in an answer on the linked topic. This practice does not predict an exam mark.

    Practise History questions

    Create a free account to answer exam-style questions on this topic and get feedback on your answers.

    Start free

    A week of Premium from your first lesson · Then the free plan continues · No card, no charge

    All History A-Level terms