Historical, Political,
Constitutional and Diplomatic Terms
Hot Line : The direct telephone and teleprinter link set up
in August,
1963 between Kremlin (U.S.S.R.) and the Pentagon
(Washington) to avoid
accidental war. Now, any line of speedy communication ready
for an emergencys called as hot line.
Iron Curtain : A term coined by Sir Winston Churchill,
applied to such
countries as did not give other countries any information
concerning their
internal affairs. The term was applied to Soviet Russia and
her satellites.
Similar action by china was termed as "Bamboo Curtain."
Mandate : A system of coronial administration adopted after
World War
I by the League of Nations. The mandated territories were
the areas taken
away from Germany and Turkey after World War I and handed
over to the victorious powers for purposes of
administration.
Marxism : The system of thought developed by Karl Marx,
(1818-83), a
German Jew, along with Engels. According to him, the State,
throughout history has been advice for the exploitation of the masses
by a dominant
class; class-struggls has been the main agency of
historical change; the
capitalist State contains the germs of its own destruction;
a revolution is
inevitable; and after a transitional. period, known as the
dictatorship of the
proletariat, a stateless and classless society will come
into being.
Manifesto: Declaration of future programme and policy by a
political
party on the eve of a general election.
. Mid-Term Election : An election held in between the period
of general
election, when the legislature is dissolved on account of
the failure of the
constitutional machinery or otherwise the government wants
to seek a fresh
vote of confidence on its policies. Mid-term elections have
now become
regular features on account of political instability.
Mid-term elections to the
Lok Sabha were held in 1970, 1977, 1979,1991, 1997, 1999 and
Feb. 2004.
Nationalisation: To convert (land, railways,
industries, etc.) into national property or undertakings by the state. All socialist
States
have resorted
to nationalisation to give workers better wages, and to get
more revenues
for the State. Life lnsurance Companies in India were
nationalised in 1955.
Major banks were nationalised on July 19, 1969. In 1971, General lnsurance
was also nationalised. Coal mines were nationalised in 1973.
Nazism : The doctrine propounded by Hitler in his
book Mein Kampf which aimed at aggressive
nationalism; it glorified the German race and preached its
superiority believed in anti-semetism. It culminated in
World War ll.
Non-Aggression Pact : A pact signed between two or
more countries to resolve all their disputes amicably
without going to war. A non-aggression pact signed between
Russia and Germany in 1939 was1aterviolated in 1942, when
Hitler attacked Russia.
Ordinance : An act promulgated by the Head of a State
in case of
emergency without undergoing the formalities of the regular
procedure of
the legislature of the country. It cannot remain in force
beyond a specified
period.
Panch Sheel : Five principles enunciated by the Prime
Ministers of India
and of People's Republic of China in 1954 as the basis for
international cooperation. They 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 benefits;
(5) peaceful co-existence.
These principles were accepted more or less by all the
Afro-Asian
countries, besides the U.S.S.R., Serbia & Montenegro,
Poland, and others.
China violated the Panch Sheel by making inroads into the
Indian territory,
and by attacking India in 1962.
Parliamentary Government : In contrast to the
presidential system,
parliamentary government. is one in which the real executive
(a cabinet headed by the Prime Minister) is responsible to
the legislature. It is also
called a cabinet form of government.
Paramountcy : The undisputed authority of one big
power over a smaller
State. Before 1947, paramountcy over the princely states in
India vested
with the British Crown.
Perestroika : Another term coined by the Soviet
leader Mr. Gorbachev.
It implies restructuring of the economic system in order to
increase production and make available more consumer products to the
people.
Presidential Government : A form of government in
which the President,
who is the real executive head, is independent of the
control of the legislature, as in the U.S.A., the President is the Head of State
as well as of the
Government.
Quorum : The minimum number of officers or members of
a society or
legislature that must be present to make the proceedings
valid.
Red Guards : The Armed Revolutionary Youth
Organisation in China;
it was organised in 1966 to spread the teachings
of Mao Tse-Tung and idolize
him; it let loose a reign of terror against the
revisionists, capitalists and
anti-Maoists.
Republic : A State, especially a democratic State,
which has a non-hereditary head (the President) as distinguished from a
State like Britain
which has a hereditary head (King or Queen) with limited
powers, of course.
Secularism : The policy of showing equal respect to
all religions; there
is no discrimination on the basis of religion.
Socialism : A political and economic system according to
which land,
transport, main industries, natural resources (e.g. coal,
water-power), etc.
should be owned and managed by the State, or by public
bodies in the
interests of the community as a whole.
Sphere of Influence : Territory on which an outside power
exercised
indirect control, though it has not actually annexed it. The
East European
countries were under the 'sphere of influence' of Russia.
Totalitarianism : A form of rule in which the State (or those
who are in
power) dominates every sphere of the individual's life.
Theocracy : A religious state as opposed to a secular state.
Saudi Arabia
is a theocratic state. Iran has become another theocratic
State. The Shariat
laws have been introduced in Pakistan.
Veto : Constitutional right of a person (e.g.
President or King) or a
legislative body or other body, or a member of the United
Nations Security
Council, to reject or prohibit something.
Vote of Censure : A direct way of expressing disapproval and condemnation of the actions of ministers. It is a good way of
exercising control over
the administration.
Whip : Organising secretary of a parliamentary party, with
authority over its members to maintain discipline and secure
attendance at parliamentary debates and voting. Whip also means an order
given by such a
secretary to members of the party to attend and vote.
Young Turks : The term applied to the radical element in a
particular
party who demand sweeping reforms bring about faster
development. The
term was first used for the group led by Kemal Ataturk of
the group wanted
radical religious and economic reforms.
