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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.
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Featured content, August 14, 2022

David Cameron. President Barack Obama and Prime Minister David Cameron of the United Kingdom talk during the G8 Summit at the Lough Erne Resort in Enniskillen, Northern Ireland, June 17, 2013
What’s the Difference Between a President and a Prime Minister?
It depends on where you’re standing.
Demystified / Politics, Law & Government
San Francisco, California/USA-1/18/20: Womens March at Civic Center marching with signs of political protest regarding equality also embracing 2020 presidential candidates and celebrating equality
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
Confidential files
6 Oddly Named U.S. Government Operations
Who on earth came up with “Operation Toenails”?
List / Politics, Law & Government
"On the threshold of office--what have we to expect of him?" chromolithograph by Joseph Keppler, September 1881. Print shows the members of the assassinated James A. Garfield's cabinet looking at the new president, Chester Arthur. Chester A. Arthur.
The Surprisingly Disorderly History of the U.S. Presidential Succession Order
Who takes over and when?
#WTFact / Politics, Law & Government
police officer: collecting fingerprints
crime
crime, the intentional commission of an act usually deemed socially harmful or dangerous and specifically defined, prohibited,...
Encyclopedia / Politics, Law & Government
League of Nations
political system
political system, the set of formal legal institutions that constitute a “government” or a “state.” This is the definition...
Encyclopedia / Politics, Law & Government
Code of Hammurabi
political philosophy
political philosophy, branch of philosophy that is concerned, at the most abstract level, with the concepts and arguments...
Encyclopedia / Politics, Law & Government
Sidney and Beatrice Webb
industrial relations
industrial relations, the behaviour of workers in organizations in which they earn their living. Scholars of industrial relations...
Encyclopedia / Politics, Law & Government

Politics, Law & Government Quizzes

U.S. Capitol Building in Washington, D.C., USA
Structures of Government: Fact or Fiction?
Parliamentary democracy. Monarchies. Feudalism. All are types of government, but do you know the differences? Sort out the...
Quiz / Politics, Law & Government
Amendments 1-10 to the Constitution of the United States constitute what is known as the Bill of Rights.
Amendments to the U.S. Constitution
Which amendment is which? Match the amendment number to its purpose.
Quiz / Politics, Law & Government
Republican and Democrat party mascots, united states, government, politics
Republican or Democrat?
Think you’re a political junkie? Prove it by acing our Democrat or Republican quiz.
Quiz / Politics, Law & Government
A 1912 poster shows Theodore Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, and William Howard Taft, all working at desks, superimposed on a map of the United States. The three were candidates in the 1912 election.
U.S. Presidential Elections Quiz
Which day of the week are U.S. presidential elections held? Who was George Washington’s running mate? Test your knowledge...
Quiz / Politics, Law & Government
High detailed Australia physical map with labeling.
Australian Government and Political System
Australia is a federation, and the duties of the federal government and the division of powers between the Commonwealth and...
Quiz / Politics, Law & Government
Election - Voters in polling station voting in 2012 Presidential Election, Ventura County, California, November 6, 2012.
Voting for the U.S. President: A Quiz
Test your knowledge of how voters voted in U.S. presidential elections across history. Quiz content provided by
Quiz / Politics, Law & Government
Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm speaking and thanking delegates at the Democratic National Convention (third session), Miami Beach, Florida, July 12, 1972.
Women’s History: Leaders Quiz
Women have been political leaders for centuries. Test what you know about their accomplishments with this quiz.
Quiz / Politics, Law & Government
President Lyndon B. Johnson (Lyndon Johnson) signs the 1964 Civil Rights Act as Martin Luther King, Jr., others look on East Room, White House, Washington, D.C., July 2, 1964.
U.S. Constitutional History Quiz
Who is considered the father of the U.S. Constitution? Which English philosopher greatly influenced the Constitution? Find...
Quiz / Politics, Law & Government
Secretariat Building at United Nations Headquarters with Members States' flags flying in the foreground, United Nations Headquarters, New York City, New York. (photo dated 2017)
Global Governance Quiz
Intergovernmental cooperation is essential to resolve issues of global importance. That cooperation is often made possible...
Quiz / Politics, Law & Government
The White House in Washington, D.C., USA. The north portico which faces Pennsylvania Avenue.
U.S. Presidential History Quiz
The phrase “New Frontier” is associated with which U.S. president? Who was “first in war, first in peace, and first in the...
Quiz / Politics, Law & Government
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Politics, Law & Government Subcategories

subcategory placeholder Banking & Business
This general category includes a selection of more specific topics.
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J.P. Morgan Businesspeople & Entrepreneurs
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Standard Oil Strike 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.
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subcategory placeholder 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.
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police officer: collecting fingerprints Law, Crime & Punishment
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subcategory placeholder Military
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voting in the 2012 U.S. presidential election Politics & Political Systems
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John F. Kennedy World Leaders
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