History glossary
martial law
A system of exceptional military authority that restricts ordinary civil rights and political activity..
- Category
- Government
- Region
- China
- Date range
- Varies
What it means
A system of exceptional military authority that restricts ordinary civil rights and political activity.
Stories using this term
The English Civil War
Civil war between king and Parliament led to regicide, a republic, and lasting constitutional change.
The Causes of the Second World War
From the flawed peace of 1919 to the invasion of Poland in 1939, this story traces the interlocking causes of the Second World War across two decades of crisis, ideology, and failed deterrence.
The Collapse of the Soviet Union
From Gorbachev’s reforms to the lowering of the Soviet flag over the Kremlin, this story traces the rapid unravelling of the USSR and the end of the Cold War.
The Rise of China
After Mao, China combined market reform with one-party rule, using exports, cities, technology, and nationalism to become one of the world's most powerful states.
The Chinese Civil War
From a broken revolutionary alliance to Communist victory and the Nationalist retreat to Taiwan, a civil war remade China and left an unresolved divide.
