| A | B |
|---|
| Monarchy | Government with an hereditary ruler |
| By-Election | A special election held to fill a vacant seat in Britain's House of Commons. |
| Coalition | A union of persons or groups of diverse interests; an alliance of parties for the purpose of forming a government. |
| Minister | Cabinet member in a parliamentary government. |
| Shadow Cabinet | In a parliamentary system, leading members of the opposition who are likely to be cabinet ministers should their party win a majority at the next election. |
| National Diet | Japanese Parliament |
| Prefecture | Political subdivision into which Japan is divided. |
| Multi-Seat District | Electoral districts in which voters choose more than one representative. |
| Consensus | General agreement among various groups on fundamental matters. |
| Dissolution | Act of dissolving a governing body such as a house of representatives. |
| Nationalization | Governmental acquisition of private industry for public use. |
| Perestroika | In the former Soviet Union, policy to restructure political and economic life. |
| Glasnost | Policy of openness in the former Soviet Union, including government's expanded tolerance of dissent and freedom of expression. |
| Purge | Ruthless elimination of rivals and dissidents as practiced by Stalin. |
| Supreme Soviet | National legislature of the former Soviet Union. |
| Interim Government | Government set up to serve during the transition from a previous government. |
| Politburo | The highest policy-making committee of the Communist party in the former Soviet Union. |
