INDEX:
1. the people who govern a country
2. the most powerful people in a government
3. the people who make the country’s laws
4. a government that controls people’s lives too much
5. different systems of government
6. part of a government that deals with health, education etc
7. to govern a country
8. the way a country is governed
RELATED WORDS
when governments use film, newspapers etc to persuade people : ↑ PERSUADE (5)
get rid of a leader or government : ↑ GET RID OF
to stop opposition to a government : ↑ STOP
see also
↑ POLITICS
↑ VOTE
↑ REPRESENT
↑ COUNTRY
↑ PUBLIC SERVICES
↑ PROTEST
↑ STRIKE
↑ POWER/POWERFUL
↑ OFFICIAL
↑ REBELLION/REVOLUTION
↑ SPY
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1. the people who govern a country
▷ government /ˈgʌv ə mənt, ˈgʌv ə nməntǁˈgʌvərn-/ [countable noun with singular or plural verb in British English]
the people who govern a country, state, or local area, and who make all the important decisions about taxes, laws, relationships with other countries etc :
▪ The government has promised to cut taxes.
▪ Unemployment is a problem that many Western governments continue to face.
government of
▪ the city government of Los Angeles
▪ The newspaper, La Prensa, was shut down for nearly two years because of its criticism of government policies.
the French/Japanese/Russian etc government
▪ The French government strongly condemned the killings.
local/central/federal etc government
the government of a town or city, or a country
▪ The local government has been unable to meet the demand for affordable housing.
▪ It has been difficult for the central government to conduct elections in remote areas.
▷ administration /ədˌmɪnɪˈstreɪʃ ə n, ədˌmɪnəˈstreɪʃ ə n/ [countable noun]
the government of a country - use this especially to talk about the national government of the United States :
the administration
▪ The new administration has been strongly criticized for its handling of the affair.
▪ The administration also proposed $600 million in tax breaks for small businesses.
the Kennedy/Clinton etc administration
the government when this person is president
▪ The Eisenhower administration refused to take military action in Vietnam.
▷ the authorities /ði ɔːˈθɒrə̇tiːzǁ-əˈθɔːr-/ [plural noun]
the people or organizations that have the power to decide what people are allowed to do in a country or area :
▪ The country is facing famine, and the authorities are doing little to prevent it.
the South African/Mexican/Swiss etc authorities
▪ The South African authorities arrested Mandela in August 1962.
local/federal authorities
the authorities in a community, town or city, or in a whole country
▪ On January 12, the local authorities decided that the strike had gone on long enough.
▪ Federal authorities said that no one has claimed responsibility for the bombing as of yet.
▷ the state /ðə ˈsteɪt/ [singular noun]
the government, the police, the courts etc, considered as a single group that has the power to control what people do :
▪ At that time, the state controlled nearly every aspect of people’s lives.
▪ The programs are funded by the state.
state-run
owned and controlled by the state
▪ CBC, the state-run broadcasting company
▷ the powers that be /ðə ˌpaʊəʳz ðət ˈbiː/ [noun phrase] informal
the people in government responsible for making decisions - use this especially if you think that they have too much power or that they use their power badly :
▪ The powers that be do not seem interested in solving the city’s transportation problems.
▷ regime /reɪˈʒiːm/ [countable noun]
the group of people who are in charge of the government of a country - use this especially about a government you disapprove of because it was not elected to power :
▪ The military regime refused to recognize the elections.
▪ The US supported several right-wing regimes in central America.
2. the most powerful people in a government
▷ leadership /ˈliːdəʳʃɪp/ []
the leader of a government and the other people in high positions of power :
leadership of
▪ He will challenge Sinclair for the leadership of the Liberal Party.
▪ The collapse of European communism in the late 1980s shocked the Chinese leadership.
under the leadership of somebody/something
▪ Under the leadership of the Conservative Party, the gap between the rich and the poor widened considerably.
▷ cabinet /ˈkæbɪnət, ˈkæbənət/ [countable noun with singular or plural verb in British English]
the group of important politicians who run the different departments in a government, for example education, health etc, and advise the leader of the government :
▪ The Prime Minister has offered Stroud a position in the cabinet.
cabinet minister
one of the politicians in the cabinet
▪ The spy scandal involved two cabinet ministers and several civil servants.
cabinet meeting
a meeting when the cabinet discusses something
▪ The cabinet meeting broke up after four-and-a-half hours.
▷ executive /ɪgˈzekjɑtɪv/ [singular noun]
the part of a government that approves decisions and laws and is responsible for making them work
the executive
:
▪ In theory, the civil service is the non-political arm of the executive.
▪ Power is shared between three main branches of government: the executive, the legislative, and the judiciary.
3. the people who make the country’s laws
▷ parliament /ˈpɑːʳləmənt/ [countable noun]
the group of people who are elected to make a country’s laws :
▪ During his 28 years in Parliament, the 59-year-old Chuan has been untainted by corruption.
▪ New budget measures were approved Tuesday by the Russian parliament.
▪ Elections for the European parliament are set for late next year.
▷ Senate /ˈsenɪt, ˈsenət/ [singular noun]
the smaller and more important of the two parts of the parliament of the USA :
▪ Bradley was elected to the Senate in 1978.
▪ If approved by the Senate, the bill would make it harder to purchase handguns.
▷ Congress /ˈkɒŋgresǁˈkɑːŋ-/ [uncountable noun]
the group of people elected to make laws in the US, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives :
▪ Hirsch doubts Congress will accept the president’s proposal.
▪ Congress rejected a measure that would make it easier for low-income workers to get health insurance.
4. a government that controls people’s lives too much
▷ dictatorship /dɪkˈteɪtərʃɪp/ [countable noun]
a government in which one person or group has total power and uses it unfairly and cruelly :
▪ In 1971, the country’s 10 year military dictatorship came to an end.
▪ Ethiopia’s dictatorship was toppled by Eritrean and Ethiopian rebels.
▪ How do we explain the rise in European dictatorship in the 1930s?
▷ police state /pəˈliːs ˌsteɪt/ [countable noun]
a country where the police and other people who work for the government have too much power and control people’s lives too much :
▪ The country is a police state and the media is controlled by the government.
▪ ‘Do you want a free society or a police state?’ Stark asked the crowd of about 2,000 people.
▪ The Home Secretary denied that the introduction of identity cards would lead to a police state.
▷ junta /ˈdʒʌntə, ˈhʊntə/ [countable noun]
a government run by a small group of army officers who have not been elected but have taken power by force :
▪ All the opponents of the junta have been murdered or imprisoned.
military junta
▪ The country was ruled by a military junta from 1974 until 1982.
▷ tyranny /ˈtɪrəni/ [countable/uncountable noun] written
a situation in which a government, especially an illegal one, rules unfairly and cruelly :
▪ Any political system that refuses to allow people to protest becomes a tyranny.
▪ the extraordinary struggle against tyranny in South Africa
▷ totalitarian /təʊˌtælɪˈte ə riən, təʊˌtæləˈte ə riən/ [adjective usually before noun]
a totalitarian country or system of government is one in which the government controls every part of people’s lives and there is no freedom :
▪ A totalitarian state must maintain complete control of the press.
▪ The country held its first elections after 40 years of totalitarian rule.
▪ The minister called the secret police ‘a product and a tool of the old totalitarian regime’.
▷ oppressive /əˈpresɪv/ [adjective usually before noun]
an oppressive government treats people in a cruel way, using military force to prevent any opposition :
▪ the oppressive rule of Ceaucescu in Romania
▪ A poor, uneducated people does not have the willpower or knowledge to challenge an oppressive government.
5. different systems of government
▷ democracy /dɪˈmɒkrəsiǁdɪˈmɑː-/ [uncountable noun]
a system of government in which everyone in the country can vote to choose the government and has the freedom to oppose it, to protest against it etc :
▪ In 1974, democracy returned to Greece after seven years of military rule.
▪ Adolfo Suarez supervised Spain’s transition to democracy in the 1970s.
democracy [countable noun]
a country in which the people vote to choose the government: :
▪ Costa Rica is a democracy.
▪ the democracies of Western Europe
▷ democratic /ˌdeməˈkrætɪk◂/ [adjective]
a democratic country, government, or political system is one in which the people vote to choose the government :
▪ Costa Rica is often mentioned as an example of what countries can accomplish under stable, democratic governments.
▪ The Communist Party was voted out of power in the nation’s first democratic elections in decades.
▪ Open, free, and fair elections are the most basic element of the democratic process.
▷ republic /rɪˈpʌblɪk/ [countable noun]
a country whose leader is a president, not a king or queen :
▪ the French Republic
▪ Moldavia, a republic of more than 4 million people, borders Romania.
republic of
▪ the People’s Republic of China
▷ monarchy /ˈmɒnəʳkiǁˈmɑː-/ [countable/uncountable noun]
a system of government in a country that has a king or queen, or the members of a royal family in that country :
▪ Many people in Britain think the country no longer needs a monarchy.
▪ The US has close ties with the Saudi monarchy.
absolute monarchy
a monarchy with complete power
▪ At that time, Nepal was transformed from an absolute monarchy into a multi-party democracy.
6. part of a government that deals with health, education etc
▷ department /dɪˈpɑːʳtmənt/ [countable noun]
one of the separate parts of a government, that is responsible for a particular part of government activity, for example health, education, or defence :
the Department of Education/Health/Transport etc
British
▪ Ellison is now head of the Department of Education.
the Defense/Justice/Treasury Department
American
▪ At that time, Robert Kennedy was head of the Justice Department.
7. to govern a country
▷ govern /ˈgʌvəʳn/ [intransitive/transitive verb]
if a political party or group governs a country, its members make all the important decisions about laws, taxes, relationships with other countries etc :
▪ The former Chancellor questioned the Prime Minister’s ability to govern.
▪ The PRI party has governed the country for more than seventy years.
governing party
the political party that is governing a country
▪ The governing party controls two-thirds of the parliament.
▷ run /rʌn/ [transitive verb]
to control a country - use this also about a powerful person or group that controls a country but has not been elected :
▪ Who’s running this country, the government or the trade unions?
▪ The revolutionary council ran the country until democratic elections were held.
▪ The country is being run by an interim prime minister, Jean-Claude Cousin.
▷ rule /ruːl/ [transitive verb]
if a king, queen, military leader, or a foreign government rules a country, they have official power over it :
▪ Marcos ruled the Philippines for 20 years.
▪ India was ruled by the British for a very long time.
rule [uncountable noun]
when a country is ruled by a king or queen, a military leader or a foreign government: :
▪ For many years Algeria was under French rule.
▷ be in power /biː ɪn ˈpaʊəʳ/ [verb phrase]
if a political party or a leader is in power at a particular time, they are the government or leader of a country at that time :
▪ Castro has been in power for more than 30 years.
▪ Taxes were higher when the Democrats were in power.
▷ be in government /biː ɪn ˈgʌv ə məntǁ-vərn-/ [verb phrase] especially British
if a political party is in government, it has been elected to govern the country :
▪ The Liberal Democrats have been in government for five years now.
▪ He thought it unlikely that the Republican party would be in government for much longer.
▷ hold office /ˌhəʊld ˈɒfə̇sǁ-ˈɔːf-/ [verb phrase]
to have an important job in a government, for example as its leader or as head of a government department :
▪ Jemison had previously held office as Minister of Education.
▪ In Mexico, the president holds office for a fixed term of six years.
▪ People convicted of certain criminal offenses are not allowed to hold office.
8. the way a country is governed
▷ government /ˈgʌv ə mənt, ˈgʌv ə nməntǁˈgʌvərn-/ [uncountable noun]
the way a country is governed :
▪ Having a popular leader does not guarantee good government.
▪ The current Liberal Party has no actual experience of government.
▪ After years of corrupt government, people are tired of politics.
big government
American when the government controls many things
▪ The Republicans were elected by campaigning against big government and high taxes.