
Political system - Autocracy, Democracy, Oligarchy | Britannica
Dec 10, 2025 · The world today is divided territorially into more than 190 countries, in each of which a national government claims to exercise sovereignty —or the power of final …
Political system - Structure, Government, Power | Britannica
Dec 10, 2025 · Oligarchic tendencies of a lesser degree have been detected in all the great bureaucratic structures of advanced political systems. The growing complexity of modern …
Government | Definition, History, & Facts | Britannica
Jan 2, 2026 · Government, the political system by which a country or a community is administered and regulated. Read more in this article about the forms and historical development of …
Political system | Types, Components, Functions, & Facts - Britannica
Dec 10, 2025 · Political system, the set of formal legal institutions that constitute a government or a state. More broadly defined, the term comprehends actual as well as prescribed forms of …
Political system - Government, Structure, Processes | Britannica
Dec 10, 2025 · Political system - Government, Structure, Processes: The term nation-state is used so commonly and yet defined so variously that it will be necessary to indicate its usage in …
Political system - Functions, Governance, Structure | Britannica
Dec 10, 2025 · Political system - Functions, Governance, Structure: In all modern states, governmental functions have greatly expanded with the emergence of government as an …
Political system - Classification, Types, Functions | Britannica
Dec 10, 2025 · Many different schemes have been developed. There is, for example, the classical distinction between governments in terms of the number of rulers—government by one person …
Democracy | Definition, History, Meaning, Types, Examples,
Dec 29, 2025 · In 507 bce, under the leadership of Cleisthenes, the citizens of Athens began to develop a system of popular rule that would last nearly two centuries. To question 1, then, the …
United States - Federalism, Local Laws, Elections | Britannica
1 day ago · United States - Federalism, Local Laws, Elections: Because the U.S. Constitution establishes a federal system, the state governments enjoy extensive authority. The …
Totalitarianism | Definition, Characteristics, Examples, & Facts ...
Dec 6, 2025 · Totalitarianism is a form of government that attempts to assert total control over the lives of its citizens. It is characterized by strong central rule that attempts to control and direct …