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Defense Intelligence Agency
Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), the primary gatherer and producer of military intelligence in the United States.......
Defense of Rights, Associations for the
Associations for the Defense of Rights, patriotic league formed in Anatolia and in Thrace in 1918, after the defeat......
Defense Threat Reduction Agency
Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA), agency within the United States Department of Defense charged with protecting......
Defense, U.S. Department of
U.S. Department of Defense (DoD), executive division of the U.S. federal government responsible for ensuring national......
deficit financing
deficit financing, practice in which a government spends more money than it receives as revenue, the difference......
Delian League
Delian League, confederacy of ancient Greek states under the leadership of Athens, with headquarters at Delos,......
deliberative democracy
deliberative democracy, school of thought in political theory that claims that political decisions should be the......
deme
deme, in ancient Greece, country district or village, as distinct from a polis, or city-state. Dēmos also meant......
Democratic Action
Democratic Action (AD), social-democratic political party of Venezuela. Democratic Action was founded in 1936–37......
Democratic Alliance
Democratic Alliance (DA), South African political party formed in 2000 through the merger of the Democratic Party,......
democratic centralism
democratic centralism, decision-making practice and disciplinary policy adopted by the Communist Party of the Soviet......
Democratic Centralist
Democratic Centralist, in the history of the Soviet Union, member of an opposition group within the Communist Party......
Democratic Constitutional Rally
Democratic Constitutional Rally (RCD), Tunisian political party that led the movement for independence from France......
democratic deficit
democratic deficit, an insufficient level of democracy in political institutions and procedures in comparison with......
Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine
Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP), one of several organizations associated with the Palestine......
Democratic Left
Democratic Left (DL), short-lived socialist party, organized in both Northern Ireland and the Irish republic, that......
Democratic National Committee
The Democratic National Committee (DNC) is the official governing body of the U.S. Democratic Party. Its activities......
Democratic National Convention
Democratic National Convention (DNC), quadrennial meeting of the U.S. Democratic Party, at which delegates select......
Democratic Party
Democratic Party, in the United States, one of the two major political parties, the other being the Republican......
Democratic Party
Democratic Party (DP), South African political party established in 1989 by the merger of the Progressive Federal......
Democratic Party of Japan
Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ), centrist Japanese political party that was founded in 1996 to challenge the long-dominant......
Democratic Party of Korea
Democratic Party of Korea (DP), centrist-liberal political party in South Korea. The party supports greater human......
democratic peace
democratic peace, the proposition that democratic states never (or almost never) wage war on one another. The concept......
Democratic Progressive Party
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), political party in Taiwan (the Republic of China [ROC]). It was formed in September......
democratic socialism
democratic socialism, political ideology that supports the establishment of a democratically run and decentralized......
Democratic Socialist Party
Democratic Socialist Party, former Japanese political party that was formed in 1960 by moderate socialists who......
Democratic Unionist Party
Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), unionist political party in Northern Ireland. The DUP was cofounded by Ian Paisley,......
Democratic-Republican Party
Democratic-Republican Party, first opposition political party in the United States. Organized in 1792 as the Republican......
democratization
democratization, process through which a political regime becomes democratic. The explosive spread of democracy......
Democrats of the Left
Democrats of the Left, former Italian political party and historically western Europe’s largest communist party.......
dependency
dependency, in international relations, a weak state dominated by or under the jurisdiction of a more powerful......
dependency theory
dependency theory, an approach to understanding economic underdevelopment that emphasizes the putative constraints......
descamisado
descamisado, (Spanish: “shirtless one”), in Argentine history, during the regime of Juan Perón (ruled 1946–55,......
Destour
Destour, Tunisian political party, especially active in the 1920s and ’30s in arousing Tunisian national consciousness......
deterrence
deterrence, military strategy under which one power uses the threat of reprisal effectively to preclude an attack......
Deuteronomic Reform
Deuteronomic Reform, great religious reformation instituted in the reign of King Josiah of Judah (c. 640–609 bc).......
development theory
development theory, cluster of research and theories on economic and political development. The use of the term......
devolution
devolution, the transfer of power from a central government to subnational (e.g., state, regional, or local) authorities.......
DGI
DGI, the secret intelligence agency of Cuba. The agency was established with the help of the Soviet KGB in 1961,......
DGSE
DGSE, (“External Documentation and Counterespionage Service”), secret intelligence and counterintelligence service......
dialectical materialism
dialectical materialism, a philosophical approach to reality derived from the writings of Karl Marx and Friedrich......
dictator
dictator, in modern political systems, a single person who possesses absolute political power within a country......
dictator, Roman
Roman dictator, in the Roman Republic, a temporary magistrate with extraordinary powers, nominated by one of two......
dictatorship
dictatorship, form of government in which one person or a small group possesses absolute power without effective......
dictatorship of the proletariat
dictatorship of the proletariat, in Marxism, rule by the proletariat—the economic and social class consisting of......
Digger
Digger, any of a group of agrarian communists who flourished in England in 1649–50 and were led by Gerrard Winstanley......
digital activism
digital activism, form of activism that uses the Internet and digital media as key platforms for mass mobilization......
diplomatic immunity
diplomatic immunity, in international law, the immunities enjoyed by foreign states or international organizations......
diplomatic recognition
diplomatic recognition, term that may refer either to the procedure by which a new state is formally accepted by......
direct democracy
direct democracy, forms of direct participation of citizens in democratic decision making, in contrast to indirect......
direct primary
direct primary, in the United States, a form of election in which voters directly choose a political party’s candidates......
directors of the Federal Bureau of Investigation
Since its inception in 1908 the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has had fewer than 15 directors. This......
disarmament
disarmament, in international relations, any of four distinct conceptions: (1) the penal destruction or reduction......
divan
divan, in Islamic societies, a “register,” or logbook, and later a “finance department,” “government bureau,” or......
Dixiecrat
Dixiecrat, member of a right-wing Democratic splinter group in the 1948 U.S. presidential election organized by......
dominion
dominion, the status, prior to 1939, of each of the British Commonwealth countries of Canada, Australia, New Zealand,......
domino theory
domino theory, theory adopted in U.S. foreign policy after World War II according to which the “fall” of a noncommunist......
Donald Trump’s very busy calendar
Campaigning for president of the United States is a full-time job. There are speeches to deliver, debates to prepare......
Donoughmore Commission
Donoughmore Commission, committee sent by the British government to Ceylon in 1927 to examine the Ceylonese constitution......
Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell
Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell (DADT), byname for the former official U.S. policy (1993–2011) regarding the service of homosexuals......
Drang nach Osten
Drang nach Osten, (German: “Drive to the East”), German policy or disposition to colonize the Slavic lands east......
Dravidian Progressive Federation
Dravidian Progressive Federation (DMK), regional political party in India, principally in the southeastern state......
Drug Enforcement Administration
Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Agency of the U.S. Department of Justice charged with enforcing laws that......
Duma
Duma, elected legislative body that, along with the State Council, constituted the imperial Russian legislature......
durbar
durbar, in India, a court or audience chamber, and also any formal assembly of notables called together by a governmental......
département
département, largest unit of local government in France and in some former French colonies. The départements were......
détente
détente, period of the easing of Cold War tensions between the U.S. and the Soviet Union from 1967 to 1979. The......
Dār al-Islam
Dār al-Islam, in Islamic political ideology, the region in which Islam has ascendance; traditionally it has been......
e-democracy
e-democracy, the use of information and communication technologies to enhance and in some accounts replace representative......
e-government
e-government, the use of information and communication technologies, particularly the Internet, in government.......
EAM-ELAS
EAM-ELAS, communist-sponsored resistance organization (formed September 1941) and its military wing (formed December......
East Timor and Indonesia Action Network
East Timor and Indonesia Action Network (ETAN), American grassroots organization founded in 1991 that committed......
Eastern Question
Eastern Question, diplomatic problem posed in the 19th and early 20th centuries by the disintegration of the Ottoman......
Ecclesia
Ecclesia, (“gathering of those summoned”), in ancient Greece, assembly of citizens in a city-state. Its roots lay......
Economic Freedom Fighters
Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), South African political party formed in 2013 by former African National Congress......
economic regionalism
economic regionalism, institutional arrangements designed to facilitate the free flow of goods and services and......
economic sanctions
economic sanctions, restrictions, including those on trade, travel, and access to financial assets, imposed by......
economic statecraft
economic statecraft, the use of economic means to pursue foreign policy goals. Foreign aid, trade, and policies......
Economist, The
The Economist, weekly magazine of news and opinion published in London and generally regarded as one of the world’s......
Edinburgh Review, The, or The Critical Journal
The Edinburgh Review, or The Critical Journal, Scottish magazine that was published from 1802 to 1929, and which......
Education, U.S. Department of
U.S. Department of Education, executive division of the U.S. federal government responsible for carrying out government......
egalitarianism
egalitarianism, the belief in human equality, especially political, social, and economic equality. Egalitarianism......
Eight Elections That Changed History
The amazing thing about studying history is the way in which it can remind us that chaos isn’t always a bug but......
Eighth Route Army
Eighth Route Army, larger of the two major Chinese communist forces that fought the Japanese from 1937 to 1945.......
Eleanor Roosevelt on Franklin Delano Roosevelt
Eleanor Roosevelt (1884–1962) was many things: an American first lady, a United Nations diplomat, a globe-trotting......
election
election, the formal process of selecting a person for public office or of accepting or rejecting a political proposition......
Election Commission of India
Election Commission of India (ECI), constitutionally mandated body that was established in 1950 to foster the democratic......
Electoral College
Electoral College, the system by which the president and vice president of the United States are chosen. It was......
Electoral Commission
Electoral Commission, in U.S. history, commission created by Congress in 1877 to resolve the disputed presidential......
electoral system
electoral system, Method and rules of counting votes to determine the outcome of elections. Winners may be determined......
electronic voting
electronic voting, a form of computer-mediated voting in which voters make their selections with the aid of a computer.......
elite theory
elite theory, in political science, theoretical perspective according to which (1) a community’s affairs are best......
Emancipation Manifesto
Emancipation Manifesto, (March 3 [Feb. 19, Old Style], 1861), manifesto issued by the Russian emperor Alexander......
Emblems of Australia
Australia has a federal form of government, with a central government and six constituent states—New South Wales,......
emergency powers
emergency powers, extraordinary powers invoked as a means of resolving a crisis or protecting a political regime.......
EMILY’s List
EMILY’s List, American political program and donor network dedicated to identifying and helping to elect to political......
Emperors and Empresses Regnant of Japan
Traditionally, the ruler and absolute monarch of Japan was the emperor or empress, even if that person did not......
empire
empire, major political unit in which the metropolis, or single sovereign authority, exercises control over territory......

Politics & Political Systems Encyclopedia Articles By Title