Bundestag, one of the two legislative chambers of the Federal Republic of Germany. The Bundestag is the lower house, representing the nation as a whole and elected by universal suffrage under a system of mixed direct and proportional representation. Members serve four-year terms. The Bundestag in

Russia: Constitutional framework: Under the new constitution the Federal Assembly became the country’s legislature. It consists of the Federation Council (an upper house comprising appointed representatives from each of Russia’s administrative divisions) and the State Duma (a 450-member popularly elected lower house). The president’s nominee for chairman of the government is subject to…

Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), agency of the U.S. federal government that is responsible for ensuring the safety and efficiency of civil aviation in the United States and in surrounding international waters. Created as the independent Federal Aviation Agency in 1958, it was incorporated

Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), principal investigative agency of the federal government of the United States. The bureau is responsible for conducting investigations in cases where federal laws may have been violated, unless another agency of the federal government has been specifically

Federal Capital Territory (FCT), administrative territory, central Nigeria, created in 1976. The territory is located north of the confluence of the Niger and Benue rivers. It is bordered by the states of Niger to the west and northwest, Kaduna to the northeast, Nassarawa to the east and south, and

United States Court of Appeals: The Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, created by an act of Congress in 1982, hears appeals from U.S. district and territorial courts primarily in patent and trademark cases, though it also hears appeals in cases in which the United States or its agencies is…

United States presidential election of 1960: The general election campaign: A provision of the Federal Communications Act had been suspended by Congress earlier in the year to permit the networks to broadcast the debates without having to provide equal time for candidates of minor parties. Although the debates were sometimes compared to the historic debates between Abraham Lincoln and…

Federal Communications Commission (FCC), independent agency of the U.S. federal government. Established in 1934, it regulates interstate and foreign communications by radio, television, wire, satellite, and cable. Its standards and regulations apply only to the technical aspects, including

First Amendment: Speech on government property and in government-run institutions: …why the Supreme Court, in FCC v. Pacifica Foundation (1978), upheld a ban on broadcasting vulgar words, though such words are generally constitutionally protected outside the airwaves. It is also why the Supreme Court, in Red Lion Broadcasting Co. v. FCC (1969), upheld the “fairness doctrine,” a regulation of the…

Federal Constitutional Court, in Germany, special court for the review of judicial and administrative decisions and legislation to determine whether they are in accord with the Basic Law (constitution) of the country. Although all German courts are empowered to review the constitutionality of

Constitutional Convention, (1787), in U.S. history, convention that drew up the Constitution of the United States. Stimulated by severe economic troubles, which produced radical political movements such as Shays’s Rebellion, and urged on by a demand for a stronger central government, the convention

Christian Democratic People’s Party: …the seven seats on the Federal Council, the executive branch of the Swiss government. Since the 1960s the party’s level of support has fluctuated; from 1975 to 1983 it was the largest party, but from the mid-1980s through the 1990s it suffered a drop in support to parties on its…

Bundesrat, (German: “Federal Council”), one of the two legislative chambers of the Federal Republic of Germany. It is the Upper House and acts mainly in an advisory capacity, since political power resides in the popularly elected Bundestag, but its consent is required for a large number of laws and

free church: …this group merged with the Federal Council of the Evangelical Churches to form the Free Church Federal Council (commonly known as the Free Churches Group).

Federal Security Service (FSB), Russian internal security and counterintelligence service created in 1994 as one of the successor agencies of the Soviet-era KGB. It is responsible for counterintelligence, antiterrorism, and surveillance of the military. The FSB occupies the former headquarters of

Oliver Ellsworth: Life: …the committee to establish the federal court system and the chief author of the Federal Judiciary Act of 1789, the principal basis ever since of the U.S. court structure.

Germany: Security of Germany: …investigates customs violations; and the Federal Criminal Investigation Office (Bundeskriminalamt; BKA), headquartered in Wiesbaden, which provides forensic and research assistance to federal and state agencies investigating crime, as well as coordinating efforts among various state, national, and international police forces. The BfV is noteworthy for tracking the activities of extremist…

Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), a U.S. government agency created under the Banking Act of 1933 (also known as the Glass-Steagall Act). The primary role of the FDIC is to insure and protect bank depositors’ funds against loss in the event of a bank failure. The FDIC also plays a

Bundestag, one of the two legislative chambers of the Federal Republic of Germany. The Bundestag is the lower house, representing the nation as a whole and elected by universal suffrage under a system of mixed direct and proportional representation. Members serve four-year terms. The Bundestag in

Russia: Constitutional framework: Vladimir Putin created seven federal districts above the regional level to increase the central government’s power over the regions (see discussion below). His successor, Dmitry Medvedev, continued this policy: as a part of Moscow’s ongoing efforts to quell separatism and Islamic militancy in the Caucasus, he created an eighth…

Federal District, administrative district, central Mexico, the seat of the national government. It is officially equivalent with Mexico City, although the Mexico City metropolitan area extends beyond the district’s boundaries. It is bounded by the states of México to the west, north, and east and

Federal Election Campaign Act (FECA), legislation adopted in the United States in 1971 to regulate the raising and spending of money in U.S. federal elections. It imposed restrictions on the amounts of monetary or other contributions that could lawfully be made to federal candidates and parties,

Federal Election Commission (FEC), independent agency of the federal government of the United States responsible for administering and enforcing the Federal Election Campaign Act (FECA) of 1971, which regulates the raising and spending of money in campaigns for federal offices, and the Revenue Act

Mexico: Beyond single-party rule: …by the PRI), however, the Federal Electoral Institute ordered a recount of more than half of the country’s polling places. A recount of the vote in the federal legislative elections was also mandated in roughly two-thirds of the polling places. The recount of the presidential contest confirmed Peña Nieto’s victory.…

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), independent U.S. government organization dedicated to disaster relief. Part of the Department of Homeland Security since 2003, FEMA employs more than 20,000 people across 10 regional offices and is headquartered in Washington, D.C. More than $20 billion

Franklin D. Roosevelt: The Hundred Days: The Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA) granted funds to state relief agencies, and the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) employed hundreds of thousands of young men in reforestation and flood-control work. The Home Owners’ Refinancing Act provided mortgage relief for millions of unemployed Americans in danger of…

United States: The Red Scare: …in 1947, of an elaborate Federal Employee Loyalty Program, which resulted in hundreds of federal workers being fired and in several thousand more being forced to resign.

Environmental Protection Agency: …industries and motor vehicles; the Federal Environmental Pesticide Control Act (1972); and the Clean Water Act (1972), regulating municipal and industrial wastewater discharges and offering grants for building sewage-treatment facilities. By the mid-1990s the EPA was enforcing 12 major statutes, including laws designed to control uranium mill tailings; ocean dumping;…

FedEx Corp. is a global leader in transportation, e-commerce, and logistics; the company started by introducing express shipping services to the U.S. in the 1970s. Founded in 1971 as Federal Express Corp. in Little Rock, Arkansas, FedEx is best known as a shipping company. In addition to delivering

Pure Food and Drug Act, in U.S. history, legislation passed in 1906 to ensure the sanitary preparation of consumable goods. The Pure Food and Drug Act required accurate ingredient labeling and prohibited the sale of adulterated and misbranded food and drugs in interstate commerce. As the first

e-cigarette: …and drug-delivery devices under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA, FDCA, or FD&C), the organization initiated action against the import of e-cigarettes. In January 2010, following a lawsuit by an e-cigarette distributor, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia ruled that e-cigarettes did not meet the…

federal funds rate, interest rate used for overnight interbank lending in the United States. It is also the interest rate that is adjusted by the central bank of the United States—the Federal Reserve (“the Fed”)—to conduct monetary policy. The amount of cash that a bank holds is called its

United States: The Great Depression: The Federal Home Loan Bank Act sought to prop up threatened building and loan associations. But these measures failed to promote recovery or to arrest the rising tide of unemployment. Hoover, whose administrative abilities had masked severe political shortcomings, made things worse by offering negative leadership…

savings and loan association: Under a ruling of the Federal Home Loan Bank Board, which regulates federally chartered savings and loan associations, associations need not rely only on individual deposits for funds. They can borrow from other financial institutions and market mortgage-backed securities, money market certificates, and stock.

Freddie Mac (FHLMC), federally chartered private corporation created by the U.S. Congress in 1970 to provide continuous and affordable home financing. It is one of several government-sponsored enterprises (GSEs) established since the early 20th century to help reduce the cost of credit to various

Federal Housing Administration (FHA), agency within the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) that was established by the National Housing Act on June 27, 1934 to facilitate home financing, improve housing standards, and increase employment in the home-construction industry in the

Fannie Mae: In 2007 the Federal Housing Reform Act transferred these responsibilities to the new Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA).

In June 2023 Donald J. Trump became the first former U.S. president to be indicted by a federal grand jury. The 37-count indictment, filed by the office of special counsel Jack Smith, relates to the alleged mishandling of classified documents that were found at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm

In August 2023 Donald Trump, the 45th president of the United States (2017–21) and the Republican nominee in the presidential election of 2024, was indicted on charges that he illegally sought to overturn the lawful election of Joe Biden in 2020. The four-count, 45-page indictment sought by special

insurance: Government regulation: …regulation is provided by the Federal Insurance Supervisory Authority (BAV), which exercises tight control of premiums, reserves, and investments of insurers. The BAV’s regulation of life insurance, for example, allows no more than 20 percent of investments in equities.

BND, foreign intelligence agency of the West German government. Created in April 1956, it absorbed the “Gehlen Organization,” a covert intelligence force which was created by Major General Reinhard Gehlen after World War II and which cooperated with U.S. intelligence agencies. Gehlen had headed the

Comoros, an independent state comprising three of the main Comoro Islands in the Indian Ocean, off the coast of East Africa. The fourth main island of the Comorian archipelago, Mayotte, is claimed by the country of Comoros but administered by France. The volcanic islands of the Comorian archipelago

Oliver Ellsworth: Life: …the chief author of the Federal Judiciary Act of 1789, the principal basis ever since of the U.S. court structure.

Lindbergh baby kidnapping: The murder investigation: Congress to pass the Federal Kidnapping Act (known as the Lindbergh Law) on June 22, 1932—the day that would have been Charles’s second birthday. The Lindbergh Law made kidnapping across state lines a federal crime and stipulated that such an offense could be punished by death.

natural resources law: States’ rights: …example of this is the Federal Land Policy and Management Act, pursuant to which the U.S. Department of Interior manages public lands for a mix of uses including mining, grazing, and various recreational activities. Other resource management laws are more directive, favoring a particular use (such as wilderness preservation or…

Kenesaw Mountain Landis: In 1915 the Federal League, a “third major league” operating outside the structure of organized professional baseball, brought suit against the American and National leagues. The case came before Landis, who neither granted nor denied the injunction that was requested but withheld his decision until the Federal League…

Jesse H. Jones: …appointment as director of the Federal Loan Agency. While continuing, effectively if not nominally, to superintend the former agency, he now exercised control over the Federal Housing Administration, the Export-Import Bank, and the Home Owners’ Loan Corporation. A special act of Congress permitted him to carry out his activities at…

Each year, millions of college students and their parents borrow money to cover costs. After all, it’s not just the price of tuition that’s gone up. Living expenses are also on the rise. Even with different types of federal student aid and scholarships, it’s not uncommon for students to have a

Great Depression: Federal arts programs: …the Federal Art Project, the Federal Music Project, the Federal Writers’ Project, and the Federal Theatre Project as part of the WPA; thousands of artists, architects, and educators found work in American museums, which flourished during the Great Depression.

United Arab Emirates: Constitutional framework: The unicameral legislature, the Federal National Council, is an advisory body made up of 40 members appointed by the individual emirates for two-year terms. A provisional constitution was ratified in 1971 and was made permanent in 1996 by the Supreme Council.

Fannie Mae (FNMA), federally chartered private corporation created as a federal agency by the U.S. Congress in 1938 to ensure adequate liquidity in the mortgage market regardless of economic conditions. It is one of several government-sponsored enterprises (GSEs) established since the early 20th

intelligence: Germany: The BfV (Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution), which is part of the Ministry of the Interior, is charged with protecting the country from antidemocratic forces, particularly neo-Nazism. The agency employs some 2,500 people at its headquarters in Cologne. In addition, each German state…

Federal Reserve System: …12 Federal Reserve banks, the Federal Open Market Committee, and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), which was authorized in 2010 by the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (the CFPB assumed some functions of the former Consumer Advisory Council, which existed from 1976 to 2011). There are…

Federal Reserve System: …12 Federal Reserve banks, the Federal Open Market Committee, and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), which was authorized in 2010 by the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (the CFPB assumed some functions of the former Consumer Advisory Council, which existed from 1976 to 2011). There are…

Sonderbund: …despite the fact that the Federal Pact (constitution of 1815) had guaranteed the monasteries’ property. The seven Catholic cantons in 1843–44 agreed that they would dissociate themselves from any canton disloyal to the Federal Pact, and in 1844 the Jesuits, whom 19th-century liberals detested, were invited to take charge of…

Federalist Party, early U.S. national political party that advocated a strong central government and held power from 1789 to 1801, during the rise of the country’s political party system. The term federalist was first used in 1787 to describe the supporters of the newly written Constitution, who

Liberal Democrats: Policy and structure: …conference is wielded by the Federal Policy Committee (an innovation derived from the SDP), which consists of the party leader, the party president (the chief extraparliamentary figure in the party), and representatives of the parliamentary party, the national parties, the local councillors, and the grassroots organizations. The Policy Committee also…

Communications Act of 1934: Radio Act of 1927: …1927 act created a five-member Federal Radio Commission (FRC) with discretionary authority, which the secretary of commerce had lacked under the 1912 act. Commissioners were nominated by the president of the United States and were confirmed by Congress; they served overlapping terms to maintain operational continuity. No more than three…

archives: …of the national government; the Federal Records Act of 1950 authorized the establishment also of “intermediate” records repositories in the several regions into which the country has been divided by the General Services Administration. Under the federal system of government each of the states of the United States independently has…

executive order: …president are published in the Federal Register and are made the subjects of White House press releases.

Nigeria, country located on the western coast of Africa. Nigeria has a diverse geography, with climates ranging from arid to humid equatorial. However, Nigeria’s most diverse feature is its people. Hundreds of languages are spoken in the country, including Yoruba, Igbo, Fula, Hausa, Edo, Ibibio,

Yugoslavia, former federated country that was situated in the west-central part of the Balkan Peninsula. This article briefly examines the history of Yugoslavia from 1929 until 2003, when it became the federated union of Serbia and Montenegro (which further separated into its component parts in

Woodrow Wilson: First term as president of Woodrow Wilson: …passed the act creating the Federal Reserve System, which remains the most powerful government agency in economic affairs. A third victory came with passage of the Clayton Antitrust Act (1914), which strengthened existing laws against anticompetitive business actions and gave labor unions relief from court injunctions. Accompanying this act was…

Ben Bernanke: The Federal Reserve and the Financial Crisis (2013) collected a series of four lectures he had given in 2012 on the genesis and history of the Fed and on its efforts to address the 2008 financial meltdown. The Courage to Act: A Memoir of a…

Great Depression: Banking panics and monetary contraction: …been the governor of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York since 1914, was a significant cause of this inaction. Strong had been a forceful leader who understood the ability of the central bank to limit panics. His death left a power vacuum at the Federal Reserve and allowed leaders…

monetary policy: The Federal Reserve System (commonly called the Fed) in the United States and the Bank of England of Great Britain are two of the largest such “banks” in the world. Although there are some differences between them, the fundamentals of their operations are almost identical and…

Federal Reserve System, central banking authority of the United States. It acts as a fiscal agent for the U.S. government, is custodian of the reserve accounts of commercial banks, makes loans to commercial banks, and oversees the supply of currency, including coin, in coordination with the U.S.

Bolivia: Formation of Liberal and Conservative parties: …the Conservatives in the so-called Federal Revolution of 1899. This revolt was supposedly instigated by those wishing to move the institutions of national government from Sucre (formerly Chuquisaca) to La Paz, but in reality it was primarily a power struggle between the Conservative and Liberal parties. Unfortunately for the Conservatives,…

indictment: Constitution for federal prosecutions, the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure (1946), applicable to federal district courts, provide that the indictment “shall be a plain, concise, and definite written statement of the essential facts constituting the offense charged.” No formal requirements as to commencement or conclusion are made. The federal procedure,…

Pakistan: Zulfikar Ali Bhutto: …around him, he formed the Federal Security Force (FSF), the principal task of which was his personal protection. In time, the FSF emerged as a paramilitary organization, and Bhutto’s demand for ever-increasing personal security raised questions about his governing style. It also opened rifts in the PPP, and it was…

Federal Security Service (FSB), Russian internal security and counterintelligence service created in 1994 as one of the successor agencies of the Soviet-era KGB. It is responsible for counterintelligence, antiterrorism, and surveillance of the military. The FSB occupies the former headquarters of

Brazil: The legislature of Brazil: The 81-seat Federal Senate is composed of three representatives from each state and the Federal District who serve eight-year terms. Senatorial elections are held every four years, alternating between one-third (27) and the remaining two-thirds (54) of the seats. Senators are directly elected by the residents of…

Pakistan: Justice: …laws was instituted, and the Federal Shariat Court, a court of Islamic law (Sharīʿah), was set up in the 1980s; the primary purpose of this court is to ascertain whether laws passed by parliament are congruent with the precepts of Islam. The Sharīʿah system operates alongside the more secular largely…

political system: Federal systems: In federal systems, political authority is divided between two autonomous sets of governments, one national and the other subnational, both of which operate directly upon the people. Usually a constitutional division of power is established between the national government, which exercises authority over…

Alfred Deakin: The Federal Story, his reflections on the struggle to federate Australia, was published posthumously in 1944.

Paying for college can feel like a daunting task. After all, just one year of schooling can cost tens of thousands of dollars. Applying for federal student aid and looking for scholarships and grants can help you get the funding you need to cover your costs. When you receive your financial aid

Federal style, American revival of Roman architecture, especially associated with Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Latrobe. It flourished from 1785 to 1820 and later in governmental building. The Federal style had definite philosophical ties to the concept of Rome as the republic that the new American

WPA Federal Theatre Project, national theatre project sponsored and funded by the U.S. government as part of the Works Progress Administration (WPA). Founded in 1935, it was the first federally supported theatre in the United States. Its purpose was to create jobs for unemployed theatrical people

covenant theology, type of Reformed (Calvinist) theology emphasizing the notion of a covenant, or alliance, instituted by God, which humans are obligated to keep. This concept was developed in the latter part of the 16th century into the notions of the two covenants: the biblical covenant of works

The Federal Trade Commission is an independent agency of the U.S. federal government charged with preventing unfair or deceptive trade practices. Established by the Federal Trade Commission Act (1914), the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) regulates advertising, marketing, and consumer credit

Federal Trade Commission Act (FTCA), federal legislation that was adopted in the United States in 1914 to create the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and to give the U.S. government a full complement of legal tools to use against anticompetitive, unfair, and deceptive practices in the marketplace.

history of Europe: Ever closer union?: …private group that called itself Federal Union—in close touch with others at the Royal Institute of International Affairs (Chatham House)—began to campaign for unity in Europe as a last frail hope of preventing war. Some of the papers produced by its distinguished supporters, including work by Lord Lothian and Lionel…

Gusau: …women’s teacher-training college and the Federal University Gusau (2013). The town’s hospitals, health office, dispensary, and maternity clinic make it a chief medical centre for its part of the state. Gusau is located on the main railway between Kaura Namoda and Zaria and on a secondary highway between Talata Marfara…

Juiz de Fora: …city is home to the Federal University of Juiz de Fora (1960), such museums as the Mariano Procopio (ecology), Rodoviário (bus), and Núcleo Histórico Ferroviário (railroad), and a sizable football (soccer) stadium. Juiz de Fora has a commercial airport and is on the main highway and railroad between Rio de…

Clean Water Act: …a major revision of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act of 1948, which had proven ineffective. The CWA was itself amended in 1977 to regulate the discharge of untreated wastewater from municipalities, industries, and businesses into rivers, lakes, and coastal waters.

Clean Water Act (CWA), U.S. legislation enacted in 1972 to restore and maintain clean and healthy waters. The CWA was a response to increasing public concern for the environment and for the condition of the nation’s waters. It served as a major revision of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act of

WPA Federal Writers’ Project, a program established in the United States in 1935 by the Works Progress Administration (WPA) as part of the New Deal struggle against the Great Depression. It provided jobs for unemployed writers, editors, and research workers. Directed by Henry G. Alsberg, it

federalism, mode of political organization that unites separate states or other polities within an overarching political system in a way that allows each to maintain its own integrity. Federal systems do this by requiring that basic policies be made and implemented through negotiation in some form,

Mexico: The early republic: Opposed to them were the Federalists, who favoured limited central government, local militia, and nearly autonomous states; they tended to be anticlerical and opposed the continuance of colonial fueros, which gave special status to ecclesiastics and the military and exempted them from various civil obligations.

Federalist papers, series of 85 essays on the proposed new Constitution of the United States and on the nature of republican government, published between 1787 and 1788 by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay in an effort to persuade New York state voters to support ratification.

Federalist papers, series of 85 essays on the proposed new Constitution of the United States and on the nature of republican government, published between 1787 and 1788 by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay in an effort to persuade New York state voters to support ratification.

Federalist Party, early U.S. national political party that advocated a strong central government and held power from 1789 to 1801, during the rise of the country’s political party system. The term federalist was first used in 1787 to describe the supporters of the newly written Constitution, who

Federalist Society, American organization of strongly conservative and libertarian lawyers, judges, politicians, government officials, legal scholars, and law students, founded as a student association in 1982 and originally including members from the law schools of the University of Chicago, Yale

Federalist Society, American organization of strongly conservative and libertarian lawyers, judges, politicians, government officials, legal scholars, and law students, founded as a student association in 1982 and originally including members from the law schools of the University of Chicago, Yale

Venezuela: The Monagas and the civil wars: The issues in these so-called Federalist Wars were, on the Liberal side, federalism, democracy, and social reform and, on the Conservative side, centralism and preservation of the political and social status quo. The conflicts were extremely bloody, and control of the central government changed hands several times. General Páez returned…

Federalist papers, series of 85 essays on the proposed new Constitution of the United States and on the nature of republican government, published between 1787 and 1788 by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay in an effort to persuade New York state voters to support ratification.

Paris: The Buttes: Père-Lachaise Cemetery—the site of the Federalists’ Wall (Mur des Fédérés), against which the last of the fighters of the Commune of Paris were shot in 1871. The cemetery is both the largest park and the largest cemetery in Paris and is a major tourist attraction, renowned for its tombs of…

Pakistan: …Khyber Pakhtunkhwa formerly designated as Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA)—have become a haven for members of several militant Islamist groups, including the Taliban of neighboring Afghanistan since the 2001 U.S. invasion of Afghanistan. In various parts of the country, instances of ethnic, religious, and social conflict have flared up from…

FFRDC, any of approximately 40 organizations that assist the U.S. government with scientific research and analysis, development and acquisition of new technologies, and systems engineering and integration. FFRDCs are sponsored by government agencies and administered by colleges and universities,

Federal Security Service (FSB), Russian internal security and counterintelligence service created in 1994 as one of the successor agencies of the Soviet-era KGB. It is responsible for counterintelligence, antiterrorism, and surveillance of the military. The FSB occupies the former headquarters of