Terminology : Constitutional, Political, Diplomatic and Historical Terms
Ambassador—The highest diplomatic representative of one country in another.
Amnesty—A general pardon granted by a government to offenders from political or other criminal prosecution or punishment.
Apartheid—The policy of racial segregation followed by the white governments in South-Africa and Rhodesia (Zimbabwe).
Appeasement policy—Policy of a placating the hostile country and keeping at bay the forces of belligerency.
Armistice—Suspension of hostilities in order to negotiate for peace.
Autocracy—Absolute government in the hands of one person.
Attache—One attached to an ambassador’s suite, possessing special knowledge of the naval, military or commercial affairs.
Adult-Franchise—The right of vote given to all adults. This is also called adult-suffrage.
Bilateral Agreement—An agreement between two parties.
Biltzkrieg—German word meaning a lightning war; its three characteristics are;
(1) suddeness of the attack,
(2) speed of the attack,
(3) volume of the attack.
Brain drain—A tendency on the part of intellectuals to settle in foreign countries where facilities for research and work are available in greater measure than in their own country.
Bicameral System—The form of legislature which has two houses, the upper and the lower.
Bolshevism—An alternative term used for communism in Russia.
By-election—It is mid term election caused by resignation or death of a member during the regular term of a legislature.
Cabinet form of Government—A form of government in which the executive is responsible to the legislature.
Continental System—A number of decrees issued by Nepolean by which he prohibited the European countries under his control from trading with England.
Condominium—It is a type or joint rules of a territory by two countries. Sudan was under Condominium of England and Egypt till 1955.
Casting Vote—The deciding vote of the President or Chairman when the number of votes on both sides are equal.
Cold War—Conflict of ideologies resulting in international tension short of ‘shooting war’. After the end of the 2nd World War there began an era of cold war between Superpowers U.S.A. and U.S.S.R.
Coup d’ etat—Sudden overthrowing of a Government by force.
Credentials—A letter entitling the bearer to credit of confidence. Credentials are presented by newly appointed ambassadors to the heads of the States to which they are accredited.
Demarche—A move, step or manoeuvre especially in diplomatic affairs whereby complaints or representation is made to a public authority. The government of India issued demarche to Pak Mission in India protesting against the Pak Mission Staff’s objectionable activities in India following terrorist attack on Indian Parliament in Dec. 2001.
Democracy—A form of government run by the elected representatives of the people.
Detente—A term used to denote relaxation or cessation of strained relations between states.
Dictatorship—A form of Government in which all power centres in one individual.
Dollar Diplomacy—Pursued by the U.S.A., the main object being to use dollars to promote its own economic interest.
Euro-Communism—It is the name of a new movement launched by the communist leaders of West Europe.
“Floor Crossing”—When a member of a political party leves his party and joins another in the legislature, he is said to have crossed the floor. This is also termed as “defection” of legislators from their parties.
Fourth State—It applies to the press, first used by Edmund Burke.
Fascism—A form of state which subordinates all aspects of the national life to itself.
Fifth Column—It applies to those who work clandestinely against the Government of their own country; they are sympathizers of the enemy.
Four Freedoms—Declared by President Roosevelt on Jan. 6, 1941 these are—
(i) Freedom of speech, (ii) Freedom of religion,
(iii) Freedom from want, (iv) Freedom from fear.
Genocide—Wilful and systematic extermination of a racial group or minority by passing repressive measures e.g. carried out by Hitler against the Jews; also carried out by Yahaya Khan the ex-President of Pakistan against the population of Bangla Desh.
Gun-Boat Diplomacy—It means, effort to exert political pressure through show of force.
High Commissioner—It is the designation given to the highest diplomatic representative of one Commonwealth country accredited to another Commonwealth country.
Iron Curtain—A political term referring to the U.S.S.R. and her satellites where there is no free flow of news.
Leftists—Relatively more progressive and radical party or wing in politics.
Liberalism—According to Prof. McGovern, it stands for a system of government in which there is freedom for the individual and government is run by the elected representatives of the people.
Marxism—Socialist doctrine based on the theories of Karl Marx a German Jew Socialist. According to Marx, human life in all its aspects is shaped by economic conditions and the history of the world is nothing but a history of war between classes—the haves and have-nots. In the capitalist society the rich become richer and the poor become poorer.
Nationalism—It is an intense feeling of love and devotion for one’s own country; excessive nationalism is called jingoism.
Nazism—The doctrine propounded by the Nazi Party led by Hitler in Germany. It aimed at aggressive nationalism, glorification of the German race and anti-semitism. Its agressive nationalism led to the World War II.
Open Door Policy—Admission, especially for commercial purposes, to the nationals of all countries on equal terms.
Ordinance—Is an act promulgated by the Head of a State in case of emergency when the legislature is not in session. It requires to be approved by the legislature within a specified period of the reassembly of the legislature.
Panchsheela—Five principles enunciated by the Late Prime Minister of India. Nehru and Chou-en-lai of People’s Republic of China in 1954 as the basis for international relations. These five principles are—
(1) Mutual respect for each other’s territorial integrity and sovereignty,
(2) Non-aggression,
(3) Non-interference in each other’s internal affairs,
(4) Equality and mutual benefit,
(5) Peaceful co-existence.
Plenipotentiary—An ambassador or envoy invested by the government with full powers, and deputed to act according to his discretion.
Plebiscite—Direct vote by all electors of a state on a controversial question.
Parliamentary Government—A form of Government in which the executive is responsible to the legislature.
Presidential Government—A form of government in which the President is the real executive and is not responsible to the legislature. This form of government is prevalent in the U.S.A. and many other South American States.
Preventive Detention—An act providing for measures by which an undesirable person may be detained without trial.
Privilege Motion—Is a motion moved by an M.L.A. or M.P. as the case may be, if he feels that a Minister has committed a breach of privilege of the House by withholding the facts of a case or by giving a distorted version of facts etc.
Referendum—A device by which all important laws and constitutional amendments passed by the legislature are referred to the vote of the electorate for their opinion. The people may ratify them or reject them. This procedure is mostly followed in Switzerland.
Recently one of such was held in Nepal. The new Iraqi Constitution was also put to referendum in October 2005.
Republic—A country in which the Head of the States is elected by the people for a specified term and the government is run by the elected representatives of the people.
Rightist—The conservative wing of a political party is known as Rightists.
Rule of Law—It means that all persons irrespective of caste, colour, sex, religion or status are equal in the eyes of law and that the Government cannot exercise arbitrary powers.
Secularism—The policy of non-discrimination in matters of personal faiths and religions and having no particular official religion.
India is a secular state. Pakistan is a theocratic state whose official religion is Islam.
Socialism—It means the management and control of industry by the government in order to ensure equitable return for labour, to abolish competition and foster co-operation.
Sphere of influence—Countries or regions on which an outside power exercises passing control. The East European countries are under the sphere of influence of Russia.
Suffrage—The right or the exercise of the right of vote in political affairs.
Territorial Waters—The seas adjacent to a country over which it has an exclusive jurisdiction. The General Convention is that territorial rights extend for three miles form the coast lines measured from low water marks.
Third World—A sizeable non-aligned group of nations comprising the developing countries is known as the Third World. The countries exporting oil are now being referred to as constituting the Fourth World.
Totalitarianism—A belief in the complete centralisation of all powers of the state under-one political group, and suppression of other political organisations and rivals.
Unicameral—A legislature having a single house.
Veto—Right of executive Head to refuse to approve any legislation.
Welfare State—A state which seeks to ensure the welfare of the people through planned development.
Zionism—Literally pertaining to the Jews; this movement was started towards the end of the 19th century with the object of establishing a national home for the Jews in Palestine.
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