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, October 26, 2025
organized labour
Organized labour, association and activities of workers in a trade or industry for the purpose of obtaining or assuring improvements...
marketing
Marketing, the sum of activities involved in directing the flow of goods and services from producers to consumers. For a...
tactics
Tactics, in warfare, the art and science of fighting battles on land, on sea, and in the air. It is concerned with the approach...
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...
international payment and exchange
International payment and exchange, respectively, any payment made by one country to another and the market in which national...
Politics, Law & Government Quizzes
12th-Grade Vocabulary Quiz
Can you accurately match definitions to their words? Take this quiz to find out. Words in this quiz are at a 12th-grade level....
13-Letter Word Quiz
Thirteen words, thirteen letters each. It’s your lucky day.
13 True-or-False Questions from Britannica’s Easiest Science Quizzes
Sometimes we here at Britannica hear that our quizzes are too hard. Not true! Here are 13 true-and-false questions from our...
1960s TV Show Debuts Quiz
How well do you know TV from the 1960s? This quiz will show you a year; pick the TV show that premiered in the United States...
2000s Music Quiz
For many of us, music from 2000 to 2009 is very nostalgic. How well can you match the artist to the popular song? Take this...
2010s Music Quiz
Match the popular song to its artist.
27 True-or-False Questions from Britannica’s Most Difficult Science Quizzes
How much do you know about Mars? How about energy? Think it’ll be easier if you have to pick only true or false? Find out...
36 Questions from Britannica’s Most Popular Science Quizzes
How well do you know astronomy? How about quantum mechanics? This quiz will take you through 36 of the hardest questions...
39 of the Most Challenging World Capitals Across History
Paris, Bujumbura, Pierre, and Nuuk all have something in common: they are all capital cities. And there are thousands more....
41 Questions from Britannica’s Most Popular World History Quizzes
This quiz collects 41 of the toughest questions from Britannica’s most popular quizzes on world history. If you want to ace...
Politics, Law & Government Videos
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Politics, Law & Government Subcategories
Businesspeople & EntrepreneursThis general category includes a selection of more specific topics.
Articles
- Indra NooyiAmerican business executive
- Melinda GatesAmerican businesswoman and philanthropist
- Jeff BezosAmerican entrepreneur
Economics & Economic SystemsEconomic 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
- insurance
- economics
- Sidney and Beatrice WebbBritish economists
International RelationsInternational 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
- intelligenceinternational relations
- economic development
- Julius Rosenberg and Ethel RosenbergAmerican spies
MilitaryThis general category includes a selection of more specific topics.
Articles
- conscriptionmilitary service
- Harlem HellfightersUnited States army regiment
- knightcavalryman
Politics & Political SystemsThis general category includes a selection of more specific topics.
Articles
World LeadersThis general category includes a selection of more specific topics.
Articles
- Adolf Hitlerdictator of Germany
- AugustusRoman emperor
- John Quincy Adams6th president of the United States
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