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, April 15, 2024
5 Remarkably Close U.S. Presidential Elections
How much can one vote matter? A lot.
The Time Albert Einstein Was Asked to be President of Israel
Albert Einstein for president?
An Interview with Jimmy Carter: Global Challenges to the United States in a New Millennium
In a 2003 interview with Encyclopædia Britannica, Jimmy Carter spoke frankly about what he learned from founding The Carter...
What’s the Difference Between a President and a Prime Minister?
It depends on where you’re standing.
inheritance
Inheritance, the devolution of property on an heir or heirs upon the death of the owner. The term inheritance also designates...
constitutional law
Constitutional law, the body of rules, doctrines, and practices that govern the operation of political communities. In modern...
fascism
Fascism, political ideology and mass movement that dominated many parts of central, southern, and eastern Europe between...
police
Police, body of officers representing the civil authority of government. Police typically are responsible for maintaining...
Politics, Law & Government Quizzes
Politics, Law & Government Videos
Politics, Law & Government Subcategories
![subcategory placeholder](jpg/encyclopedia-placeholder9a9f.jpg)
This general category includes a selection of more specific topics.
Articles
-
European Union
European organization
- international trade
- government budget
![J.P. Morgan](jpg/john-pierpont-morgan-19029a9f.jpg)
This general category includes a selection of more specific topics.
Articles
-
Oprah Winfrey
American television personality, actress, and entrepreneur
-
Mark Zuckerberg
American computer programmer and entrepreneur
-
Viola Desmond
Canadian businesswoman and civil libertarian
![Writers Guild of America strike](jpg/writers-guild-of-america-strike-demonstration-new-york-20239a9f.jpg)
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
-
bank
finance
-
marketing
business
- government budget
![subcategory placeholder](jpg/encyclopedia-placeholder9a9f.jpg)
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
-
Paris Agreement
international treaty [2015]
-
United Nations
international organization
-
Liberal-Democratic Party of Japan
political party, Japan
![police officer: collecting fingerprints](jpg/police-officer-fingerprints9a9f.jpg)
This general category includes a selection of more specific topics.
Articles
![subcategory placeholder](jpg/encyclopedia-placeholder9a9f.jpg)
This general category includes a selection of more specific topics.
Articles
-
military intelligence
military science
-
United States Army
United States military
-
United States Navy
United States military
![voting in the 2012 U.S. presidential election](jpg/voters-ballots-california-election-20129a9f-2.jpg)
This general category includes a selection of more specific topics.
Articles
-
presidency of the United States of America
United States government
- government
- political party
![John F. Kennedy](jpg/john-f-kennedy9a9f.jpg)
This general category includes a selection of more specific topics.
Articles
-
Philip II
king of Macedonia
-
Winston Churchill
prime minister of United Kingdom
-
Frederick II
king of Prussia