Politics, Law & Government
The world today is divided territorially into more than 190 countries, each of which possesses a national government that claims to exercise sovereignty and seeks to compel obedience to its will by its citizens. Governments can be classified in any number of ways. For example, they might be classified by the number of rulers, thus distinguishing government by one (as in a monarchy or a tyranny) from government by the few (in an aristocracy or oligarchy) and from government by the many (as in a democracy). Governments can also be classified by mode of succession; for example, ascension to governmental leadership may follow the rules of hereditary succession, or it may be determined through elections or by force. Governments also vary in terms of the laws and rules of conduct that each political entity follows.
Browse Subcategories
Featured content, May 05, 2024
Why Are U.S. Elections Held on Tuesdays?
Blame 19th-century farmers.
6 of the First Women to Become Heads of State
How six women became leaders, from Iceland to the Philippines.
Why Doesn’t Arizona Observe Daylight Saving Time?
Arizona already has enough sun.
The Surprisingly Disorderly History of the U.S. Presidential Succession Order
Who takes over and when?
economics
Economics, social science that seeks to analyze and describe the production, distribution, and consumption of wealth. In...
diplomacy
Diplomacy, the established method of influencing the decisions and behaviour of foreign governments and peoples through dialogue,...
Barack Obama
Barack Obama is the 44th president of the United States (2009–17) and the first African American to hold the office. Before...
property law
Property law, principles, policies, and rules by which disputes over property are to be resolved and by which property transactions...
Politics, Law & Government Quizzes
Politics, Law & Government Videos
Politics, Law & Government Subcategories
Businesspeople & Entrepreneurs
This general category includes a selection of more specific topics.
Articles
-
J.P. Morgan
American financier
-
Nawaz Sharif
prime minister of Pakistan
-
Donald Trump
president of United States
Economics & Economic Systems
Economic system, any of the ways in which humankind has arranged for its material provisioning. One would think that there would be a great variety of such systems, corresponding to the many cultural arrangements that have characterized human society.
Articles
-
social security
government program
- insurance
- economics
International Relations
International relations is the study of the relations of states with each other and with international organizations and certain subnational entities (e.g., bureaucracies, political parties, and interest groups). It is related to a number of other academic disciplines, including political science, geography, history, economics, law, sociology, psychology, and philosophy.
Articles
-
World Bank
international organization
-
International Monetary Fund
UN agency
- human rights
Law, Crime & Punishment
This general category includes a selection of more specific topics.
Articles
-
canon law
religion
- international law
-
land reform
agricultural economics
Military
This general category includes a selection of more specific topics.
Articles
- artillery
-
Wehrmacht
armed forces of the Third Reich
-
Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell
United States policy
Politics & Political Systems
This general category includes a selection of more specific topics.
Articles
-
United Nations
international organization
-
League of Nations
international organization
-
presidency of the United States of America
United States government
World Leaders
This general category includes a selection of more specific topics.
Articles
-
Alexander Hamilton
United States statesman
-
Adolf Hitler
dictator of Germany
-
Augustus
Roman emperor