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, January 18, 2021
What Is an Injunction?
What they do, what they’re for, and how you go about getting one.
Demystified / Politics, Law & Government

The Surprisingly Disorderly History of the U.S. Presidential Succession Order
Who takes over and when?
#WTFact / Politics, Law & Government

How Does the U.S. Government Define the Difference Between a Protest and a Riot?
How does the U.S. government define the difference between a protest and a riot? A protest is “a[n]…organized public demonstration...
Companion / Politics, Law & Government

Democracy
Democracy, literally, rule by the people. The term is derived from the Greek dēmokratiā, which was coined from dēmos (“people”)...
Encyclopedia / Politics, Law & Government

Fascism
Fascism, political ideology and mass movement that dominated many parts of central, southern, and eastern Europe between...
Encyclopedia / Politics, Law & Government

International payment and exchange
International payment and exchange, respectively, any payment made by one country to another and the market in which national...
Encyclopedia / Politics, Law & Government
Insurance
Insurance, a system under which the insurer, for a consideration usually agreed upon in advance, promises to reimburse the...
Encyclopedia / Politics, Law & Government

Politics, Law & Government Quizzes
Politics, Law & Government Videos
Politics, Law & Government Subcategories

This general category includes a selection of more specific topics.
Articles
-
Bank
finance
- Business finance
- International trade

This general category includes a selection of more specific topics.
Articles
-
Saad al-Hariri
prime minister of Lebanon
-
Viola Desmond
Canadian businesswoman and civil libertarian
-
Howard Hughes
American manufacturer, aviator, and motion-picture...

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

International relations, 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
-
United Nations
international organization
-
European Union
European organization
- International Monetary Fund

This general category includes a selection of more specific topics.
Articles
-
Canon law
religion
-
Land reform
agricultural economics
- Procedural law

This general category includes a selection of more specific topics.
Articles
-
Navy
military force
- Military aircraft
-
Intelligence
military science

This general category includes a selection of more specific topics.
Articles
-
International relations
politics
-
Election
political science
-
Intelligence
international relations

This general category includes a selection of more specific topics.
Articles
-
Mao Zedong
Chinese leader
-
Woodrow Wilson
president of United States
-
Peter I
emperor of Russia