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POLITICAL DICTIONARY The Letter A
abdication
voluntary
resignation from office by a queen or king. The most famous abdication
in recent history came in 1936, when Britain's Edward VIII abdicated
the throne because the British establishment would not permit him to
marry Wallis Simpson, an American divorcee.
abrogation
the repeal of a law, treaty, or contract, either by mutual agreement or unilaterally.
absolutism
theory
of absolute government. Power can be vested in an individual (as a
dictator), an office (as a monarchy), a party, or a government
administration. The government is not restricted legally by any other
government agency. Thus absolute government can lead to absolute power
vested in one individual-e.g., a dictatorship.
academic freedom
the
right of a professor at a university to pursue his research and publish
his findings, whether popular or controversial, without political or
any other kind of presure being put on him or her.
accord
a
diplomatic agreement that does not have the same binding force as a
treaty, but is often treated as such, e.g. the Camp David accord signed
between Israel and Egypt at Camp David in 1978; the accord between
Israel and Jordan in 1994. The term can also refer to any agreement
reached by two conflicting parties.
accountability
the
extent to which people are held responsible for their word and actions.
For example, an employee is accountable to his boss; a congresspersons
to his constituents, and a U.S. president to the people as a whole.
acculturation
the process by which people adapt to or adopt a culture that is not their own.
Achilles' heel
a
defect, weakness, or point of vulnerability. Based on the Greek myth of
Achilles, a warrior in ancient Greece. While being dipped in the waters
of immortality, he was held by his heel thus making this the one part
of his body that was mortal. He was eventually killed in the Trojan War
by a wound in the heel.
acid test
a
crucial test of the value of something or someone. A politician might
face the acid test of his popularity in an election. The term is also
used in accounting as a measure of a company's abilities to pay
immediate liabilities.
act of state
the actions of a government for which no individual can be held accountable.
activism
getting
involved in political affairs, by such actions as running for political
office, taking part in demonstrations, getting support for issues.
Often used to refer to the activities of grass-roots protest movements,
as in animal rights activists, etc.
adjournment
the suspension of business for a specified time.
adjudication
the hearing and deciding of a legal case in a court of law.
administration
the
management of institutional or governmental affairs; a term for the
government itself and its policy-makers; as in the Clinton
administration; the period in which a government holds office; as in
the Persian Gulf war took place during President Bush's administration.
adversary system
the
system of law in which a case is argued by two opposing sides: a
prosecutor who tries to prove that the defendant is guilty and a
defender, who argues for the defendant's innocence. The case is then
decided by an impartial judge or a jury. The U.S. and Great Britain
operate under the adversary system.
aegis
any
power or influence that protects or shields, as when nations take part
in peackeeping operations under the aegis of the United Nations, or
humanitarian missions under the aegis of the Red Cross.
affidavit
a declaration in writing signed and sworn to under oath.
affirmative action
the
giving of preferential treatment to women and minorities in business
and education to redress the effects of past discrimination.
Affirmative action began in the 1960s; it has benefited hundreds of
thousands of minorities and helped in the creation of an
African-American middle-class. The number of women in professional and
managerial jobs has also increased considerably as a result of
affirmative action. However, during the 1990s affirmative action has
become a contentious issue. While the bulk of minorities and civil
rights leaders still support it, many conservatives claim that it
amounts to "reverse discrimination." Supreme Court decisions in 1995
limited the scope of affirmative action programs in business and
education. In 1997, California banned preferential treatment for
minorities or women in state hiring practices.
affluence
wealth or riches.
affluent
wealthy;
an affluent society is one in which there is an abundance of material
or consumer goods. The term affluent society was popularized by
economist John Kenneth Galbraith in 1964, and it is often used to
describe the U.S. and other flourishing Western societies.
agenda
things
to be done. Often used to describe political platforms, as in the
Republican (or Democratic) agenda, meaning the policies each party
hopes to pursue and enact.
aggregate demand
the
total demand for goods and services in an economy, incuding demands for
consumer goods and investment goods, the demands of local and central
government, and of other countries for exports.
aggregate supply
the
total supply of goods and services in an economy, including imports and
exports, that is available to meet aggregate demand.
aggression
applied
to belligerent actions by one state against another; as in Iraq
committed an act of aggression when it invaded Kuwait in 1990.
agitation
in
a political sense, refers to keeping an issue or a debate constantly
before the public; as in there was considerable agitation for political
reform in China in the late 1980s. Usually used to refer to opposition
to the status quo (in communist countries, those who campaigned for
human rights would often be referred to as agitators by the
government.)
agitprop
originally
set up as the Department of Agitation and Propaganda by the Central
Committee of the Communist Party of the USSR. Later usage came to be
more general, involving activities that encouraged acceptance of
left-wing ideology.
agrarian
relating to land or agriculture.
ahistorical
unrelated to history.
aide-de-camp
an officer who serves as confidential assistant and secretary to a higher ranking officer, such as a general.
alien
a visitor or resident in a nation of which he or she is not a citizen.
allegiance
joining
together in pursuit of mutual interests; as, the alliance of the U.S.,
Britain, and the Soviet Union defeated the Nazis in World War II.
alliance
joining
together in pursuit of mutual interests; as, the alliance of the U.S.,
Britain, and the Soviet Union defeated the Nazis in World War II. The
term can also refer to domestic politics, as an alliance of liberal
interest groups is fighting to preserve afirmative action policies
against conservative opposition.
altruism
unselfish concern for the welfare of others.
ambassador
the highest ranking diplomatic officer, who acts as personal representative of one state to another.
amendment
a
change in a document made by adding, substituting or omitting a certain
part. The U.S. constitution has 26 amendments, adopted after the
original ratification of the constitution. Amendment can also refer to
a change in a bill while it is being considered in a legislature.
amnesty
an
act by which the state pardons political or other offenders, usually as
a group. In 1977, for example, President Carter granted an amnesty to
all Vietnam draft evaders. Amnesties are often used as a gesture of
political reconciliation. In 1990, the ruling Sandinistas in Nicaragua
declared an anmesty for over a thousand political prisoners as a
prelude to a general election. Amnesties also sometimes occur after a
change of government or regime.
anarchism
a
doctrine that advocates the abolition of organized authority.
Anarchists believe that all government is corrupt and evil. Anarchism
was a force in nineteenth century Russia, associated with Prince Peter
Kropotkin (1842-1921) and Mikhail Bakunin (1814-76). Types of anarchism
range from pacifism to violent revolution. American President William
McKinley was assassinated by anarchists in 1901. However, anarchism has
in general not been a prominent force in American political history.
("Anarchism- a doctrine that advocates the abolition of organized
authority. Anarchists believe that not only is all government corrupt
and evil, but also that any institution based on hierarchy or power is
equally corrupt (e.g., religion, the family, etc.) While most often
anti-capitalist, there are pro-capitalist strains. Anarchist theory was
developed in 19th century Europe, largely by the Russians Prince Peter
Kropotkin (1842-1921) and Mikhail Bakunin (1841-76) and the Frenchman
Pierre-Joseph Proudhon. (1809-1865).
anarchy
the absence of government; disorder, chaos in a society.
annexation
the
act by which one state takes possession of another state or territory,
usually a smaller one, without the consent of the party being taken
over. For example, in 1938 German troops invaded Austria and annexed
it. The citizens of Austria thereby became subjects of Germany.
anthropology
the study of humankind; often used to refer only to the study of primitive peoples.
Anti-ballistic Missile Treaty (ABM)
a
landmark arms control agreement signed in 1972 by the Soviet Union and
the U.S., this treaty limited antiballistic missiles to two sites of
100 antiballistic missile launchers in each country. In 1974 this was
reduced to one site.
anti-clericalism
opposition
to the influence of organized religion in state affairs. The term was
applied particularly to the influence of the Catholic religion in
political affairs.
anti-communism
opposition
to communism. Anti-communism was the defining mark of U.S. foreign
policy during the Cold War, which sought to check Soviet expansion
around the globe. In domestic politics, being seen as "tough on
communism" was often a litmus test for American politicians; anything
less was to court electoral disaster. Anti-communism reached an extreme
during the McCarthy era, in the early 1950s, when Senator Joseph
McCarthy led an unscrupulous witchhunt to root out alleged communist
sympathizers in U.S. government service.
anti-Semitism
hostility
towards Jews. Anti-semitism is as old as Christian civilization. Jews
were despised because, according to Christian belief, they had rejected
Christ and continued to practice a religion that was not the true one.
During the nineteenth century anti-Semitism became racial rather than
religious. Jews were persecuted for being Jews, not for practising a
particular religion. Anti-semitism was found throughout nineteenth
century Europe, particularly in Russia, Germany, and France. Russian
anti-semitism reached a peak in the period 1905-09, with an estimated
50,000 victims. But anti-Semitism reached its peak in Nazi Germany in
the 1930s and 1940s. Jews were held to be inferior to what Nazis
described as the Aryan master race. Jews were held as the scapegoat for
all the ills suffered by the Germans. They were deprived of all their
civil rights, banned from trades and professions; their property was
confiscated. The persecution culminated in Adolf Hitler's "final
solution," which was the attempted destruction of the entire Jewish
race. Six million Jews were slaughtered in concentration camps during
World War II. This was more than one-third of the Jewish population of
the world. After the war anti-Semitism continued in Eastern Europe and
the Soviet Union, although not with anything like the intensity that it
had had in Nazi Germany. See also Holocaust.
anti-trust laws
federal
and state laws designed to restrict monopolistic business practices
that interfere with free trade. These are thought necessary to protect
the public interest (from price-fixing, for example.)
apolitical
not
concerned with politics. The term might be used to describe someone who
does not care to vote, or to a nonpartisan organization. Fast Times is
an apolitical newsmagaine, in that it is not affiliated with any
political party.
apologetics
a branch of theology that deals with the reasoned defense of Christianity.
apologist
someone
who writes or speaks in defence of a belief, faith, doctrine. If
someone wrote in defense of the Vietnam War, for example, he would be
an apologist for that war.
appeasement
giving
in to unreasonable demands or threats out of weakness or stupidity. In
political discourse appeasement has a very negative connontation. It
harks back to the buildup to World War II, when Britain and France did
nothing to check German rearmament and aggression, particularly the
Nazi occupation of the Sudetenland in Czechoslovakia in 1938. Since
World War II Western politicians of all stripes have done everything
possible to avoid having the term applied to their actions or policies
in the international arena.
appropriation
money used to pay for government-approved expenditures.
arbitrary
derived
from opinion, random choice, or chance. When people speak of an
artibrary decison they usually mean an unfair one, one that is not
based on logic, standard rules, or accepted customs.
arbitration
settlement
of labor disputes in which each side agrees to accept the decision of
an arbitrator, who is a kind of judge appointed because of his
acceptability to both sides. Sometimes the arbitrator may be a group,
or a panel, rather than an individual.
archives
the place where public records and documents are kept, and also the documents themselves.
aristocracy
a
government that is controlled by a small ruling class. Also refers to
that class itself, sometimes called simply the upper class. The
aristocracy may owe its position to wealth, social position, or
military power, or another form of influence or training. These
attributes are usually inherited.
armistice
ending of hostilities; as in the armistice of November, 1918, marked the end of World War I.
arms control
any
international agreement that limits the type and number of weapons or
armed forces. Arms control played a major role in superpower politics
during the 1970s and 1980s, and a number of nuclear arms control
agreements were signed by the United States and the Soviet Union. These
were the Anti-ballistic Missile Treaty (1972) the First Strategic Arms
Limitation Treaty (1972), the Second Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty
(1979), the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (1987), the First
Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (1991) and the Second Strategic Arms
Reduction Treaty (1993). In 1994, the U.S. had about 14,900 nuclear
weapons, down from the record number of 30,000 in 1967, and the
Russians had about 29,000. See also disarmament.
arraignment
a
court hearing in a criminal case during which the defendant is informed
of his or her rights and is required to plead guilty or not guilty.
Association of Southeast Asian Nations (
promotes
economic cooperation amongst member countries which include: Brunei,
Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand. ASEAN also
encourages cultural development, promotes peace and stability in
southeast Asia, and cooperates with other international organizations.
The headquarters is in Jakarta, Indonesia.
atavism
reversion to an earlier type; resemblance to remote ancestors.
Attorney General
the
highest legal officer in the United States, who heads the Justice
Department, and is chief legal advisor to the president. Each state
also has an attorney general.
austerity
severity
or harshness. Often used to describe economic conditions; as, the
Polish people are undergoing a period of austerity as the economy makes
a transition from communism to capitalism.
autarchy
political
self-rule; complete independence, particularly economic
self-sufficiency, in which through government controls a nation's
economy (or a group of nations) is isolated from the rest of the world.
During the Cold War the Soviet bloc practised economic autarchy,
trading only within itself.
authoritarian
a
form of government in which a large amount of authority is invested in
the state, at the expense of individual rights. Often power in
authoritarian systems is centered on a small group of autocratic
leaders Usually used in a negative sense.
autocracy
a
government in which almost all power rests with the ruler. The Soviet
Union under Stalin, Iraq under Saddam Hussein, are examples of
autocracies.
automation
in
industry, the performing of routine tasks by machines that were
formerly done by humans; any manufacturing system in which many of the
processes are performed automatically or controlled by machinery.
autonomy
a
limited form of self-government. In the U.S. states have a certain
autonomy, which allows them to make their own laws regarding local
matters. In international affairs, the Palestinians have been promised
autonomy in Gaza, formerly occupied by Israel. Autonomy does not
usually extend to control over foreign affairs.
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