Glossary

Islamization : Islamization is the imposition of Islamic legal,

political, economic and social system by the government.

Metapolitics : n. theoretical political study. metapolitical, a.

metapolitician, n.

viceroy : A viceroy is a royal official who governs a country

or province in the name of and as representative of the
monarch. The term derives from the Latin prefix vice-,
meaning "in the place of" and French roi, meaning king.

Oligarchy : Greek word meaning the rule of the few. It is

considered as a bad form of government since the few will
always rule, as motivated by their own interests. OR
Oligarchy is a form of government where most or all political
power effectively rests with a small segment of society
(typically the most powerful, whether by wealth, family,
military strength, ruthlessness, or political influence). The
word oligarchy is from the Greek words for "few" (oligo) and
"rule" (arkhos). Some political theorists have argued that all
governments are inevitably oligarchies no matter the supposed
political system.

Abdication : Formal renunciation of crown, power or office

by a sovereign or a ruler.

Swaraj : Swaraj(Self-Rule) was meant that India should be

ruled by Indians not by the Britains. It was an objective to
get the Britain leave the Indian subcontinent and establish a
government led by the Indians. In other words it was meant
independence for India.
Apartheid : A South African word meaning "no
government". It relates to policy of racial
segregation(separation of Whites and non-Whites) practiced
mainly in South Africa.

Armistice : A temporary cessation(termination) of fighting

pending formal negotiations for peace.

Asylum : Refuge or protection requested by or granted to a

foreign national in another country.

Autonomy : Right of Self-government; power to manage

internal affairs in a restricted sense as applied to a State in
a federal order.

Balance of Power : This is an International states’ relation

policy. The policy of preservation of equilibrium (balance) of
strength or power among countries or groups with a view of
preventing them from becoming too powerful for the safety of
others is called Balance of Power.

Blue Book : It denotes documents issued by the British

Parliament as well as report of Commissions and Committees.
They are bound in blue paper covers.

Bolshevism : The political doctrine of Bolsheviks (in Russian,

Bolsheviki means majority within the party). It is the doctrine
of Proletarian (lower class) Dictatorship as advocated in
Russia by the Bolsheviks led by V.I. Lenin.
Law : The Law is the body of rules and principles,
governing the affairs of a community and enforced by a
political authority; a legal system.

Diplomacy : Diplomacy is the art and practice of

conducting negotiations between representatives of groups or
nations.

Constitution : A constitution is a system, often codified in a

written document, which establishes the rules and principles
by which an organization is governed. In the case of countries
this term refers specifically to a national constitution, which
defines the fundamental political principles and establishes the
power and duties of each government.

Socialism : A political and economic doctrine aiming at

socialisation of the factors of production and state control
over the processes of distribution. Competition is to be
replaced by co-operation and rewards of labour are to be
apportioned equitably. Marxian socialists believe that such an
order is born out of a public upsurge culminating into a
revolution. Others maintain that socialism is possible through
democratic methods. OR Socialism refers to a broad array of
doctrines.As an economic system, socialism is usually
associated with state or collective ownership of the means of
production. This control, according to socialists, may be
either direct, exercised through popular collectives such as
workers' councils, or it may be indirect, exercised on behalf
of the people by the state.

Secular : Secularity and secular are derived from the Latin

word saeculum, an expression of time meaning one generation
or century.
Democracy : A political order wherein the government is run
by the elected representatives of the people. The ancient
Greek philosophers defined democracy as a rule by the people.
In the modern times, however, the classic definition of
democracy by Abraham Lincoln (American President) as
"government of the people, by the people, for the people" is
universally acceptable.

State : A state is a set of institutions that possess the

authority to make the rules that govern a society, having
internal and external sovereignty over a definite territory.

Autocracy : An autocracy is a form of government where

the political power is held by a single individual. The term
autocrat is derived from the Greek word autokratôr (lit.
"self-ruler", "ruler of one's self"). Compare with oligarchy
(rule by a minority, by a small group) and democracy (rule by
the majority, by the people).

Monarchy : Monarchy, (from the Greek monos, "one," and

archein, "to rule")is a form of government that has a monarch
as Head of State. A distinguishing characteristic of most
monarchies is that the Head of State usually reigns for life;
in a republic, the Head of State (often called the president)
is normally elected for a certain amount of time. There are
currently 29 extant monarchies in the world.

Glorious Revolution : The term Glorious Revolution refers

to the generally popular overthrow of James II of England in
1688 by a conspiracy between some Parliamentarians and the
Dutch stadtholder William III of Orange-Nassau (William of
Orange). The revolution was the last successful invasion of
England.The Revolution is closely tied in with the events of
the Nine Years War on the continent of Europe.

Commonwealth : The English noun Commonwealth dates

originally from the fifteenth century. The original phrase
"common wealth" or "the common weal" comes from the old
meaning of 'wealth' which is 'well-being'. The term literally
meant "common well-being". Thus commonwealth originally
meant a state governed for the common good as opposed to a
authoritarian state governed for the benefit of a given class
of owners, including even despots. When capitalised,
"Commonwealth" normally refers to the 53 member
Commonwealth of Nations - formerly the "British
Commonwealth" - a loose confederation of nations formerly
members of the British Empire (with one exception:
Mozambique).

Agent Provocateur : A person employed and smuggled into the

territory of the adversary to organize subversion while
outwardly posing as an adherent; it also relates to a person
employed to detect suspected offenders by tempting them to
overt action.

Allegiance : Loyalty or duty of a subject to the sovereign

or the government.

Ambassador : A diplomatic envoy of the highest order sent

by one Sovereign or State on mission to another Sovereign or
State.

Anarchy : Greek word meaning "no government". It

relates to conditions in a country equivalent to absence of
government or with a government, powerless to maintain
order. The doctrine that advocates conditions of anarchy is
called anarchism.

Mobilizing : Mobilize means: 1: To make mobile or capable

of movement. 2: To assemble, prepare, or put into operation
for or as if for war. 3: To assemble, marshal, or coordinate
for a purpose.

Amnesty : General Pardon shown to the convicts on

special occasions or an exemption from prosecution or
punishment granted to political and other offenders.

Appeasement, Policy of : The act of gratifying one’s

adversary with concessions even by sacrificing principles. This
policy has topical reference to the British policy of appeasing
Hitler by granting him territorial concessions during the period
1935-38.

Aristocracy : A word of Greek origin meaning government by

the best men. In modern times, however, it refers to the
government by a superior class, superior in birth and position.

Bamboo Curtain : First used by British's war-time Prime

Minister, Mr. Winston Churchill in an address in 1946, the
term denotes the Soviet Union's efforts to seal off itself and
its East European satellites from normal contacts with the
non-communist countries.

Iron Curtain : First used by British's war-time Prime

Minister, Mr. Winston Churchill in an address in 1946, the
term denotes the Soviet Union's efforts to seal off itself and
its East European satellites from normal contacts with the
non-communist countries.(also known as Bamboo Curtain)
Bicameral system : A form of government in which Legislative
Assembly comprises two chambers, as the ‘Upper House’ and
‘Lower House’. In England Upper house is known as ‘House of
the Commons’ and Lower is ‘House of Lords’. In Pakistan
Upper house is known as ‘Senate’ and lower house is known as
‘National Assembly’.

Black Panthers : A terrorist organization of the American

Negroes whoes members wear black jackets, carry firearms
and resist white excesses by resaorting to racial violence.

Big Five : The five big participants in the II World War

against the Axis powers(this was name of alliance see Axis
power). They are U.S.A., U.S.S.R., U.K., France and China.
These nations continue to have a dominant voice in the United
Nation. The first powers are called the Big Four.

Axis Powers : The Axis Powers were those nations opposed

to the Allies during the Second World War. The three major
Axis Powers, Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy, and Imperial
Japan, referred to themselves as the "Rome-Berlin-Tokyo
Axis" and were part of an alliance. At their zenith, the Axis
Powers ruled empires that dominated large parts of Europe,
Asia, Africa and the Pacific Ocean, but the Second World
War ended with their total defeat.

Bilateral agreement : Bilateral means mutual or two-

sided, therefore bilateral agreement means an agreement
signed by two countries by equal willingness.
Blitzkrieg : A German word meaning lightning war, a
violent, lightning attack indented to bring about a speedy,
sweeping victory.

Bourgeoisie : French name given initially to citizens of

French towns and subsequently to middle classes everywhere,
generally belonging to the mercantile and trading communities.
The word used in the Marxian terminology denotes the modern
capitalists.

Bureaucracy : Form of the government wherein the paid

officials exercise the controlling influence. These days, the
class of officials is also known as bureaucracy.

Cabinet system : A parliamentary process by which a

council of ministers, loosely known as the Cabinet, is made
responsible for the government of a country. In a
parliamentary democracy, the majority party elects a leader
who chooses his colleagues to form his council of Ministers.
The Cabinet must enjoy the majority support of the
Parliament, failing which it has to resign.

Casting Vote : The Vote of the chairman that decides

between the two parties of equal strength.

Caucus : American term for a meeting of party managers to

devise strategy and select a candidate for election. The term
also denotes a powerful faction or a dominate group within a
party.

Charge'd Affaires : The senior most diplomat after the Head

of the Mission who temporarily conducts the affairs of the
Mission during the absences of the Head of the Mission.
Chauvinism : Aggressive partriotism with contempt towards
other nation.

Coalition : A combination or association of two parties

with the purpose of forming a composite government. In times
of war, a coalition of the party in power and the opposition is
formed to forge unity of action.

Co-existence : Simultaneous Existence (and toleration) of

conflicting creeds, ideologies and systems. Co-existence may
be national or international and political, economic or religious.

Collective responsibility : In a parliamentary democracy, the

fact of the Cabinet being jointly answerable to the
legislature. Thus every member of the Cabinet (designated as
Minister) is responsible for the action of the Cabinet, as the
Cabinet as a whole is responsible for the action of the
Minister.

Cominform : Communist information Bureau, formed in 1947

by Russia and her satellites. It expelled Yugoslavia in 1948
for insisting on autonomy. The Bureau was liquidated in 1956
to reconcile Marshal Tito, President of Yugoslavia.

Comintern : The Third International, formed in 1919 at

Moscow to spread Marxian socialism in the world. Stalin
dissolved this organization in 1943 as a friendly gesture
towards the Allies.

Confederation : Alliance of countries for specific

purposes but States continue to retain their individual
independence.
Cold War : The extremely aggressive propaganda campaign
waged between two power blocs and having potentialities of
culminating into a shooting war any time. This campaign may
be accompanied by a mad struggle for power and prestige.

Constituent assembly : A constituent assembly is a body

elected with the purpose of drafting, and in some cases,
adopting a constitution. OR Body of elected representatives
who have assembled to fram a constitution for country.

Coup d’etat : Sudden change of government, forcibly

effected by a ruler, the Army or a political party.

Counsul : An official accredited by a State to protect the

commercial interests of her nationals in a foreign country.

Contraband : Goods and war material which are forbidden

under the international law to be supplied by the neutral
State to the belligerents.

De facto recognition : Recognition accorded to a country in

fact, whether valid in a law or not.

Demagogy : The art of provoking and appealing to the

prejudices of the people by false, unscrupulous orators.

Dialectical Materialism : The doctrine developed by Marx and

Engels and based largely on the logic of dialectic propounded
by the German philosopher Hegel. According to him, progress
results from the interaction of two conflicting half-truths;
one concept (thesis) yoking its opposite (antithesis) and the
two interacting to form new concept (synthesis). According to
Marx, historical change is the result of the conflict between
the classes. The workers' struggle is seen as thesis, the
capital's antagonism as antithesis and the resulting
compromise as synthesis.

Dictatorship : A political order wherein supreme power are

vested in an official or a part leader-turned-ruler.

Affidavit : A written statment, confirmed by oath, for

use as evidence in legal proceedings.

Legislative Assembly : A Legislative Assembly in British

constitutional thought is the second-to-top or third-to-top
tier of a government led by a Governor-General, Governor or
a Lieutenant-Governor, inferior to an Executive Council and
equal to or inferior to a Legislative Council.Politicians elected
to a Legislative Assembly are usually referred to as a Member
of the Legislative Assembly (MLA).

Despotism : Despotism is a form of government by a single

authority, either an individual (ie. autocracy) or tightly knit
group (ie. oligarchy), which rules with absolute political power.
On its classical form, a despotism is a state where one single
man wields all the power and authority, and everyone else is
considered as his slave.

The Nine Years War : The Nine Years War can also refer
to a conflict in Ireland, 1594–1603; see Nine Years War.The
war was fought to resist French expansionism along the Rhine,
as well as, on the part of England, to safeguard the results
of the Glorious Revolution from a possible French-backed
restoration of James II of England.
Anarchism : As political doctrine, anarchism does not mean
disorder or absence of normalcy. According to this doctrine,
the State or government is evil and should be abolished and
replaced by free association of groups with no laws or
restrictions. The instinctive desire on the part of the people
to act together for their mutual benefit will ensure order in
such a State.

Balfour Declaration : The policy statement of the British

Foreign Secretary, Mr. A. J. Balfour in 1917, pledging
British support for the establishment of a Jewish State on
the Palestinian land is called Balfour Declaration.

Ballot : Secret voting or the votes so recorded.

Buffer State : The word "buffer" means a shock-absorbing

object, interposed between two bodies about to come into
contact. A Buffer State is therefore, a small neutral State
between two large States (generally not on good terms)
helping in minimising the chances of hostilities.

By-election : A mid-term to a seat rendered vacant by

death, resignation or the unseating of member.

Communism : A socio-economic theory, based on Marxian

doctrines and ultimately aiming at a classless society in which
the principle “from each according to his abilities, to each
according to his needs” will be consistently applied. In the
economic field all resources of the nation will be communally
owned and production and distribution will be state-directed.
Socialism is the transitional phase leading ultimately to the
goal of communism.
Concordat : An agreement between the Pope, in his
spiritual capacity, and a State, as the temporal authority,
regulating points of conflict between the Church and the
State.

Cut motion : A motion or resolution, moved by a legislator,

calling for a token cut (as small as a rupee) but occasioning
discussion on the performance and budgetary demands of a
Ministry or department.

Sovereignty : It is the supreme and ultimate power of a

State to impose its will upon all persons, associations and
things within its jurisdiction. Freedom from external control is
an essential element of sovereignty. OR Sovereignty is the
exclusive right to exercise supreme political (e.g. legislative,
judicial, and/or executive) authority over a geographic region,
group of people, or oneself.

Adjourment Motion : A motion moved by a member in the

legislature to adjourn consideration of the business in hand
and instead discuss a matter of urgent public importance of
which he simultaneously gives a notice.

Nomenclature : 1: Nomenclature is a system of names

used in an art or a science. 2: Nomenclature is also a
procedure of assigning names to the kinds and groups of
organisms listed in a taxonomic classification.

Legitimize : Legitimize means to make something legally

right or to justify something in legal terms.
Delegitimize : Delegitimize means to make something legally
wrong or to revoke the legal or legitimate status of
something.

Blockade : Closing of ports and coasts of a country (in

war) to prevent ships from reaching or leaving it. The
measure is generally against neutral ships trading with the
enemy.

Condominium : Joint rule over a country by two or more

other States. The Sudan was jointly administred by Britain
and Egypt from 1899 to 1955.

Envoy : A diplomatic emissary accredited to a country and

holding a status below that of an Ambassador.

Espionage : A well-planned and well-directed system of

spying laid by a government or its agency in a foreign country.

Fascism : A narrow political creed developed in Italy by

Mussolini. A reaction against socialism and democratic
equalitarianism, it meant end of parliamentary government,
concentration of power in the autocrat, anti-Semitism,
aggressive nationalism and denial of collective bargaining to
the labour and of right to declare lockouts to the
management.

Civil-Disobedience : Non-cooperation towards and

disobedience of the authority of the government

Collective Security : The doctrine that all nations should

collectively ensure safety of individual nations; the security
alliances like NATO, SEATO, CENTO, AND Warsaw Pact are
described as such alliances but, in reality, they are bastions
of aggressive power.

Credentials : Credential is literally meaning of the letter of

introduction. It refers to the letter of authority and other
documents regarding the appointment of an envoy to another
country which he presents to the Head of the State of the
country, he is accredited to, before formally getting down to
his official work.

Cross Voting : The act or practice of some individuals or

groups, both ruling and in opposition, to vote against the
directions of the party they belong to. Thus some from the
ruling group vote for opposition and vice versa.

Laissez-faire : French phrase meaning "Let alone". It is

the individualist doctrine envisaging no interference by
government in politics or commerce.

Diarchy (Dyarchy) : A system of government wherein the

executive is divided into two sections one consisting of elected
representatives responsible to the legislature and the other
comprising nominated officials or others responsible to the
Head of the State.

Federal Government (Federalism) : A system of government

in which autonomous states unite and agree to surrender a
part of their authority for certain purposes but for others
they are independent. The division of power is laid down in
the Constitution. The central subjects generally include
defence, external affairs and communications whereas
subjects of local importance are given over to the federal
units.
Electorial college : Electoral College is a body of electors
chosen to elect President or Nazim.

People's republic : Peoples’ Republic is a political

organization founded and controlled by a national Communist
Party.

Fixed-term elections : A Fixed-term election is an election

that occurs on a set date, and cannot be changed by the
incumbent politician. Fixed-term elections are common for
mayors and presidents, but less common for prime ministers
and other members of a parliamentary system of government.

Parliament : 1.A national representative body having

supreme legislative powers within the state. 2.Parliament The
national legislature of various countries, especially that of the
United Kingdom, made up of the House of Lords and the
House of Commons.

Upper & Lower Houses : In Pakistan National Assembly is

lower house and Senate is upper house. The members of the
National Assembly are directly elected and executive is taken
from the lower house. Lower house is broadly representative
of the population. The upper house is representative of the
federation and has equal representation of federating units.

Achhut Community : Achhut Community is a term which refers

to all the untouchables, lower class communities and Pariahs.

Feudalism : A socio-economic order in which feudal lords

were granted absolute rights in land return for certain
services to the king including the raising and providing of
solding of solidier in time of war.

Floor Crossing : The act or practice of a person or a

political group, under democracy, to cross over to the
opposition with the intent of toppling the ministry system,
etc.

Franchise : Right of voting at public elections.

Fundamental Rights : The basic rights of an individual,

especially in a civilized society. These include freedom of
expression and religion, rights to equality, liberty and
property and right of constitutional remedies. The
fundamental rights have been embodied in most of the world's
written constitutions.

Gallup Poll : An opinion poll devised and put into vogue by

G.H.Gallup, American journalist. Trends in public opinion are
gauged and broad conclusions are deduced with the help of
this device by interviewing representative sets of people.

Genocide : Willful extermination of a racial, ethnic,

religious or a political group. This has been made an
international crime by a UN Convention of 1948. Genocide was
systematically practiced by the Nazi regime in Germany and
millions of Jews were done to death by various means. It was
practiced by Mujibur Rehman with Indian help in East
Pakistan.

Good offices : A pacific and conciliatory role played by a

third party to help compose the difference between two
groups or nations antagonist to each other.
Local elections : Rules for, and experience with, local
elections vary widely across jurisdictions. In those electoral
systems that roughly follow the Westminster model, a
terminology has evolved with roles such as Mayor or Warden
to describe the executive of a city or town or region, and
Reeve, Alderman or Councillor to describe the legislators who
deliberate decisions. However, job descriptions vary so widely
across jurisdictions that these terms do not effectively
describe the various ways in which local election campaigns
and means of election vary.

Four Freedoms : In his message to the Congress in June,

1941, President Roosevelt of the USA, pleaded for four
freedoms to form the basis of civilied society. They are
freedom of speech and expression, freedom of worship,
freedom from want and freedom from fear.

Deadlock : Completely standstill situation wherein further

negotions are impossible.

Embargo : Temporary stoppage of a particular trade;

originally it related to the denial of freedom of movement to
ships.

Episcopacy : The government of Church by bishops or

government of religious leaders.

Extradition : Extradition is handing over by one government

to another of a fugitive from justice.
Guided Democracy : The 'Guided Democracy' is a political
system in which the free play of democratic practices has
been subjected to certain limitations.

Gold Standard : Gold Standard is a state of affairsin

which a country keeps the value of a defined weight of gold
at an equality with each other.

Hansard : Varbatim record of the day-to-day

proceeedings of the British Parliament. It is named after
Thomas Curson Hansard, an English printer, who began to
issue accounts of Parliamentary debates in 1803. In 1908,
the government tok over this responsibility but retained the
name given to these reports.

Hierarchy : It denotes a body, religious or secular,

organised on ranks, order or gardes.

Hot line : A direct telephone line between the White

House(USA) and the Kremlin (USSR), established in 1963,
making personal contract at the top possible between the two
countries in a time of crisis and thus avoiding accidental wars.
A similar Hot line was also established between Moscow and
Paris in November, 1966 "in order to strengthen mutual
contacts at highest level".

Impeachment : Formal accusation and prosecution by a

legislature against the Head of State or high public officials
for serious misconduct or crime against the State or
Constitution.

Imperial Preference : The system whereby some goods

from the countries within the British Empire were exempt
from the paymant of duties while others were granted tariff
concessions.

Imperialism : An urge of nation to organize economic and

political penetration in othercountries culminating in empire
building. During the last 200 years, many European nations
acquired, administered and developed less advanced territories
for purposes of trade, prestige and domination.

Lobbying : Play of influence and pressure by some

legislators over the others in the lobbies of the legislature in
connection with important legislative business.

Lynching : System of extra legal punishment inflicted on

Negroes by the Whites in the 18th century in America and
Europe. It was widely prevalent in the areas where racial
antagonism was strong and authority weak. The name is taken
from the Virginian farmer Charles Lynch who was the leader
of those who took summary vegeance on black men for
offences against the whites.

Mandate : The system of trusteeship established by the

League of Nations for the seized German and Turkish colonies
or territories. Under this system, Britain governed
Tanganyika, Palestine and Jordan and France governed Syria
as mandated territories.

Money Bills : Bills involving financial commitments on the

part of the government such as the annual budget, etc.

National Anthem : The official song of a nation which is

played on state ceremonial occasions.
Nationalism : The doctrine of social philosophy in which the
good of the nation is paramount. In its narrow sense, it may
mean excessive or aggressive zeal for the welfare and
advancement of the country, even at the cost of other
people's interests.

Naturalisation : The process by which an alien is granted

citizenship of a country.

Nazism : The political ideology of the National Socialist

German Workers Party, led by Adolf Hitler till 1945. It was
steeped in the glorification of German race (the purest
Aryans), strong nationalism, anti-Semitism and establish of a
pan-German empire. Jews and Communist were the "greatest
enemies" of Nazism.

Neutrality : An attitude (or policy) of strict impartiality

and non-alignment towards the warring nations or ideologically
antagonistic countries.

Open Door Policy : It refers to the policy of equal

commercial and industrial rights for all nations.

Ordinance : A decree or Act promulgated by the Head of

the State in a state of emergency, or when the legislature is
not in session. Such ordinances are valid only for a specific
periood after which they must be a approved by the
legislature.

Pacifism : Doctrine of elimination of war by individual and

collective action. The pacifists strongly oppose the wilful
killing of human beings and adocate obstruction of all efforts
at militarism.
Parole : A prisoner's word of honour that, if released, he
will not attempt escape, will return to custody and (in case of
a military prisoner) will not take up arms against the captors
for a specific period.

Pilgrim Fathers : The English Puritan separatists who sailed

to America in 1620 in the Mayflower and founded the
Plymouth colony, Massachusetts.

Plenipotentiary, Envoy : A diplomatic official who has been

invested with full and special powers with regard to his
assignment.

Polycentralism : The doctrine that all socialist countries

and all communist parties have equal rights, with none
possessing the privilage or riht to impose its particular
experience on others.

Power Politics : Political activity aimed mainly at

capturing power or retaining it in disregard to the welfare and
good of the people.

Priviliege Motion : A motion moved by a legislator to draw

attention of the House towards a matter involving breach of
privilege of the House or any of its members.

Protectorate : A dependent (in certain cases weak) State

which looks to another (strong) State for its protection and
for the conduct of its foreign relations.
Protocol : Diplomatic etiquette; original draft of terms
and treaty (between two governments) agreed to in conference
and signed by the parties.

Quorum : A fixed minimum of members (in legislature and

other elected bodies) whose presence is essential for the
proceedings to be held valid.

Referendum : The Swiss practice of referring constitutional

amendments and other important legislation of controversial
nature to the direct vote of the people. The verdict of the
people is binding on the government.

Responsible government : A system of government in which

the excutive is answerable for all its actions to the elected
legislature.

Rule of Law : A political order in which all people

irrespective of their religion,colour or profession, are equal in
the eye of law. No man will be punished bodily or in any other
manner except for a clear breach of law, established in the
odinary legal manner.

Sabotage : Wanton destruction of machinery or other

factors of production by the workers. It also means senseless
demage of public utility services or important defence
installations by paid agents of the enemy.

Sanctions : Penalty or reward imposed for disobedience or

obedience (as the case may be) attached to a law. This is
done to enforce obedience to any rule of conduct.
Secularism : The system under which there is no state
religion yet all religions and faiths enjoy equality of
treatment. In the strict literal sense, secularism denotes a
system that rejects belief in God, religion and future life.

Self-determination : The term means the right of a

nation to decide its own form of government and its political
desting.

Single transferable vote : A phenomenon in which a

member of the electioral college possesses one vote but as
many prefernces as the number of candidates. By exercising
his preference, the elector is said to have transferred his
vote to another person.

Skinheads : Close-cropped, heavy-booted white youngsters

in Britain (mostly coming from the nation's slums) who provide
an antithesis to the "hippy cult". Of late, these elements
have been terrorizing the coloured immigrants, especially the
Asians, in Britain.

Spoils system : The widely prevalent practice in the

U.S.A. to apportion important offices to the loyal members of
the party in power.

Court Martial : A Service Court for trying members of

the Armed Forces, both officers and men, in accordance with
the military law for offences or violations of the military
discipline.

Fifth Column : Body of anti-national spies who, in the time of

war, sympathise with the enemy and work for it by organising
subversion to hinder the national effort.
Fillbuster : Pirates and adventurers who either plundered
the newly established colonies or organised armed attacks into
friendly countries. In modern times, it refers to the
obstructionist activities in the legislative bodies (especially in
the U.S)

Habeas Corpus : Act of British Parliament passed in 1679.

Under the Act, if a person is kept in prison without trial the
Courts are empowered to issue a writ to the jailor to produce
the person and bring him for proper trial. It also provides
facilities to the prisoner for a speedy trial and release on
bail.

Manifesto : A pre-election declaration of policy by a

political party detailing its future programmes, if voted to
power.

Mediation : Efforts by intermediaries to help compose

differences between two antagonists.

Plebiscite : Derived from a Greek word, it denotes vote of

the entire electorate on a distinct or important issue.

Syndicalism : A doctrine of French origin which , during the

days of early 20th century, aimed at the elimination of the
captalists, and control and management of industry by the
syndicates comprising the workers.

Territorial Waters : A belt of sea surrounding the coasts

of a country over which that country has jurisdiction. The
generally accepted territorial waters limit is three miles
though some countries are know to have arbitrarily increased
this limit.

Theocracy : Domination of religion in country.

Totalitarianism : A political order in which absolute powers

are concentrated in one (the ruling) group and no rival
loyalties or parties are tolerated.

Treason : Gross violation by a subject of allegiance to the

authority of the State or active collaboration with, or
adherence to the enemy.

Troika : The unsuccessaful Russian proposal for the abolition

of the post of the UN Secretary-General and its replacement
by a three nation excecutive, called Troika, comprising a
member each from the West, Soviet Bloc and the neutral
nations respectively. All the three members were to be
invested with veto power.

Persona non grata. : A diplomatic envoy not welcome (or

not acceptable) in the host country.

Personality cult : Extreme adulation of a ruler or a political

figure by the people. Such idolization generally turns that
person's head and often helps him assume absolute powers and
turn a tyrant.

Plutocracy : A government run (or dominated) by a wealthy

class of people.

Polerization : A situation when two factions within an

organization or when two separate organizations come to
profess and practice diametrically opposite opinions and
ideologies, forming themselves into mutually-opposite forces.

Prerogative : The exclusive right or privilege enjoyed by a

person or a body.

Quisling : A traitor who helps and co-operates with the

enemy who is in occupation of his country.The term is derived
from Vidkun Quisling, an officer in the Norwegian Army, who
assisted the German invasion of Norway in 1940 and who was
installed a puppet Premier. After the war, he was tried for
treason and shot. His name has become a synonym for a
traitor.

Representative Government : A government run by the

elected representatives of the people. The elected
representatives, in fact, carry out the wishes of the electors
which are reflected in the various legislative and excutive
actions of the government.

Sphere of Influence : Territories where the will and the

influence of a superior power have a decisive role.

Statute : Laws made by the Parliament, which are said to

have been placed on the statute book. These laws are binding
on all subjects of a particular contury.

Suffrage : The right of voting in political elections.

Guerilla : Irregular warfare. Guerilla warfare consists in

attacks upon a regular army by bands of irregular troops,
usually the inhabitant of an invaded country.
Nationalization : The Policy of taking business, industries
or other projects under the control and mangement of the
State.

Inquest : A legal or judicial probe into the circumstances

leading to the death of an individual.

International law : Body of laws regulating the relations

between nations and including pacts, treaties and conventions.
It deals with such matters as the treatment of prisoners and
the wounded, contraband and blockade and the rights of
neutrals. International law is administered by the Court of
International Justice at the Hague.

Legation : A diplomatic mission in status lower than the

Embassy. The official residence of the head of this mission is
also known by this name.

Liberalism : A political order, credited with free trade,

religious liberty, abolition of slavery and extension of
franchise.

Limited Monarchy : A constitutional set-up wherein the

monarch enjoys only nominal powers and the real power rests
with the representatives of the people though the business of
the State is conducted in the name of the monarch. Such a
system exists in England.

Naxalism : Taking its name from the Naxalbari uprising of

March, 1967, it is the ultra-revolutionary Marxist movement,
violent in character.Forcible dispossession of the land-owners,
grabbing of land by the tillers and armed agrarian revolution
are the prominent features of this movement. All Naxalites
are Mao supporters.

Republic : Opposite of Monarchy. Under this system,

sovereignty rests with the people and is exercised by their
elected representatives. Head of the State is called the
President.

Proportional Representation : The fact of a member of an

electoral college commanding a number of votes in poportion to
the number of electors that he represents.

Unicameral : A legislature having only one house.

Weightage : Allowing a particular community (or group)

more representation than it can claim on the basis of its
population.

whip : An important party official, entrusted with the

responsibility of organising disciplined voting according to the
party directions and ensuring attendance of theparty members
on a specific occasion.

White Paper : A detailed policy statement issued by a

government with regard to a matter of considerable public
importance. Originally, it was the name given to the reports
of the British Government giving official version of important
of important matters of public concern

All rights reserved. : Warning by the owner of the copy

right against any infringement thereof.

Decree : Decision or a judgement having the force of law.

Will : A legal document by which a person disposes of his
assets on death.

Writ : A written order by the Supreme Court or the High

Court directing the state or a lower Court to act or abstain
from acting in a particular matter.

Attorney, Power of : A document, executed under seal

and in proper manner, appointing another person and conveying
his authority to act on his behalf in the matters specified in
the document.

Jury : A formally appointed body of persons to render

verdict on questions, submitted to them before trial, in
respect of both civil and criminal cases of importance.

Proxy : A person acting on behalf of another