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, December 08, 2024

Why Are Two Political Parties Dominant in the U.S.?
Find out how Democrats and Republicans came to dominate U.S. politics.
Why Are U.S. Elections Held on Tuesdays?
Blame 19th-century farmers.
8 Questions About Democracy Answered
Important questions asked and answered, briefly.
political system
Political system, the set of formal legal institutions that constitute a “government” or a “state.” This is the definition...
political philosophy
Political philosophy, branch of philosophy that is concerned, at the most abstract level, with the concepts and arguments...
industrial relations
Industrial relations, the behaviour of workers in organizations in which they earn their living. Scholars of industrial relations...
democracy
Democracy, literally, rule by the people. The term is derived from the Greek dēmokratia, which was coined from dēmos (“people”)...

Politics, Law & Government Quizzes

Republican or Democrat?
Think you’re a political junkie? Prove it by acing our Democrat or Republican quiz.
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...
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...
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
Women’s History: Leaders Quiz
Women have been political leaders for centuries. Test what you know about their accomplishments with this quiz.
U.S. Constitutional History Quiz
Who is considered the father of the U.S. Constitution? Which English philosopher greatly influenced the Constitution? Find...
Global Governance Quiz
Intergovernmental cooperation is essential to resolve issues of global importance. That cooperation is often made possible...
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...
U.S. Presidential Code Names Quiz
Every U.S. president is assigned a code name by the Secret Service. This quiz will show you a code name along with two presidents’...
43 Questions About Politics (Mostly in the United States) Compiled from Britannica’s Quizzes
This quiz gathers together questions from Britannica’s quizzes about politics, law, and government. It includes a lot of...
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Politics, Law & Government Subcategories

subcategory placeholder Banking & Business
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J.P. Morgan Businesspeople & Entrepreneurs
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Writers Guild of America 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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Find out what types of artillery were used during the American Civil War 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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