Napoléon Bonaparte(1769-1821) - General and politician of France who ruled as First Consul (1779-1804) and then as Emperor (1804-1814).
Napoleonic code - French code of civil law, established by Napoléon on March 21, 1804, to reform the French legal system in accordance with the principles of the French Revolution.
Nationalism - Ideology which sustains the nation as a concept of common identity among groups of people.
NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization)(1769-1821) - An international organization for collective security established in 1949, in support of the North Atlantic Treaty signed in Washington, DC, on 4 April 1949.
Nazi-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact(1939) - A non-aggression treaty between foreign ministers Ribbentrop of Germany (Third Reich) and Molotov of Russia (Soviet Union).
Neo-platonism - Philosophy based on the teachings of Plato, which resurfaced during the Renaissance.
Neville Chamberlain(1869-1940) - British Prime Minister who maintained a policy of appeasement toward Nazi Germany.
New Economic Policy(NEP)(1921) - Lenin's system of economic reforms which restored private ownership to some parts of the economy.
New Model Army - An army of professional soliders led by trained generals; formed by Roundheads upon passage of the Self-denying Ordinance in 1645; became famous for their Puritan religious zeal (English Civil War).
New Monarchies - The states whose rulers in the 15th century began authoritarian rule using Machiavellian tactics (Northern Renaissance).
Niccolò Machiavelli(1469-1527) - Florentine political philosopher; author of The Prince(Renaissance).
Nicolaus Copernicus(1473-1543) - Astronomer and mathematician who developed the heliocentric theory of the solar system (Scientific Revolution).
Nietzsche's Superman(Übermensch) - Concept that the strong and gifted should dominate over the weak.
Night of the Long Knives(1934) - A purge ordered by Adolf Hitler of potential political rivals in the Sturmabteilung.
Nihilism - Philosophy viewing the world and human existence as without meaning or purpose.
Nikita Khrushchev - Leader of the Soviet Union after Stalin's death, from 1953 until 1964.
NKVD - An agency best known for its function as secret police of the Soviet Union; also handled other matters such as transport, fire guards, border troops, etc.
No man's land(World War I) - In trench warfare, land between two opposing trenches which provides no cover.
