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democracy

(Encyclopedia)democracy [Gr.,=rule of the people], term originating in ancient Greece to designate a government where the people share in directing the activities of the state, as distinct from governments controll...

republic

(Encyclopedia)republic [Lat. res publica,=public affair], today understood to be a sovereign state ruled by representatives of a widely inclusive electorate. The term republic formerly denoted a form of government ...

Fundamental Orders

(Encyclopedia)Fundamental Orders, in U.S. history, the basic law of the Connecticut colony from 1639 to 1662, formally adopted (Jan. 14, 1639) by representatives from the towns of Hartford, Wethersfield, and Windso...

oligarchy

(Encyclopedia)oligarchy l´gärk [key] [Gr.,=rule by the few], rule by a few members of a community or group. When referring to governments, the classical definition of oligarchy, as given for example by Aris...

Soares, Mário

(Encyclopedia)Soares, Mário (Mário Alberto Nobre Lópes Soares)mä´ryoo swä´rsh [key], 1924–2017, Portuguese politician. Soares rose to prominence as a vocal critic of the regime of António Salazar and ...

Boston Latin School

(Encyclopedia)Boston Latin School, at Boston; opened 1635 as a school for boys; one of the oldest free public schools in the United States. Many famous men attended the school, including five signers of the Declara...

Lagos Escobar, Ricardo

(Encyclopedia)Lagos Escobar, Ricardo rkär´d lä´gs skbär´ [key], 1938–, Chilean political leader. A lawyer and economist, he was an academic and served as secretary-general of the Univ. of Chile un...

Rallis

(Encyclopedia)Rallis, Greek political family. Dimitrios Rallis, 1844–1921, a three-time premier, he was first in the office in May–Oct., 1897. Although he managed to arrange an armistice between Greece and Turk...

Fukuyama, Francis

(Encyclopedia)Fukuyama, Francis, 1952–, American political scientist, b. Chicago, grad. Cornell (B.A., 1974), Harvard (Ph.D., 1981). He has been a political scientist at the RAND Corporation (1979–80, 1983–89...

Figueiredo, João Baptista de Oliveira

(Encyclopedia)Figueiredo, João Baptista de Oliveira fgräd [key], 1918–99, Brazilian general and politician, president of Brazil (1979–85). He was named (1974) to head the national intelligence service a...