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| − | == Countries ==
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| − | General Council of the Valleys – legislative body of '''Andorra'''
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| | | | |
| − | Agostinho Neto served as the first President of '''Angola''' (1975–79), leading the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) in the war for independence and the civil war
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| − |
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| − | The National Union for the Total Independence of Angola, commonly known by the acronym, UNITA, is an Angolan political party and was originally an anti-colonial movement which became a rebel force after Angola's independence in 1975. Until 2002 UNITA was largely a military force in the Angolan Civil War fighting the MPLA. From its foundation until his death in 2002, UNITA was led by its founder, Jonas Savimbi
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| − | La Casa Rosada (Spanish for ‘the Pink House’) is the official seat of the executive branch of the government of '''Argentina'''
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| − |
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| − | Eva Peron was from the Duarte family. Died in 1952, aged 33
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| − |
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| − | Eva Peron’s body was buried in Milan, moved to Spain, then returned to Argentina
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| − |
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| − | Juan Peron was president of Argentina from 1946 to 1955 and from 1973 to 1974
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| − | Jorge Videla was President of Argentina from 1976 to 1981
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| − |
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| − | Leopoldo Galtieri rose to the Presidency of Argentina by means of a coup that ousted General Roberto Viola in December 1981
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| − |
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| − | Reynaldo Bignone was President of Argentina from 1982 to 1983
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| − |
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| − | Raul Alfonsin was President of Argentina from1983 to 1989
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| − | Carlos Menem was President of Argentina from 1989 to 1999 for the Justicialist Party (Peronist)
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| − |
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| − | Cristina Kirchner became President of Argentina in 2007
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| − |
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| − | Alberto Fernandez is the current president
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| − |
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| − | The Commonwealth Parliament was opened in 1901 in Melbourne, '''Australia'''. The federal legislature moved to Canberra in 1927
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| − |
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| − | Henry Parkes was regarded as the Father of the Australian Federation
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| − |
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| − | '''Notable Prime Ministers of Australia'''
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| − | {| class="wikitable"
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| − | |1901-1903
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| − | |Edward Barton
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| − | |-
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| − | |1949-1966
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| − | |Robert Menzies
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| − | |-
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| − | |1966-1967
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| − | |Harold Holt
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| − | |-
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| − | |1972-1975
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| − | |Gough Whitlam
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| − | |-
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| − | |1975-1983
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| − | |Malcolm Fraser
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| − | |-
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| − | |1983-1991
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| − | |Bob Hawke
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| − | |-
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| − | |1991-1996
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| − | |Paul Keating
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| − | |-
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| − | |1996-2007
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| − | |John Howard
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| − | |-
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| − | |2007-2010
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| − | |Kevin Rudd
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| − | |-
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| − | |2010-2013
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| − | |Julia Gillard
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| − | |-
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| − | |2013 (83 days)
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| − | |Kevin Rudd
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| − | |-
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| − | |2013-2015
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| − | |Tony Abbott
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| − | |-
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| − | |2015-2018
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| − | |Malcolm Turnbull
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| − | |-
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| − | |2018-2022
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| − | |Scott Morrison
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| − | |-
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| − | |2022-
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| − | |Anthony Albanese
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| − | |}
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| − | Edmund Barton was the first Australian Prime Minister
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| − |
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| − | Harold Holt’s term as Prime Minister was ended when he disappeared while swimming at Cheviot Beach near Portsea and was presumed drowned
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| − | Gough Whitlam was removed from office by Governor-General John Kerr following a constitutional crisis which was precipitated by the Senate's refusal to pass the Whitlam government's money (Supply) bill
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| − |
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| − | Julia Gillard was the first female Australian Prime Minster. Born in the Vale of Glamorgan
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| − | The Lodge is the official residence of the Prime Minister of Australia in the national capital, Canberra
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| − | Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia is the representative in Australia of the Australian monarch, currently Queen Elizabeth II
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| − | Parliament of '''Austria''' consists of two chambers – the Nationalrat and the Bundesrat
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| − | '''Azerbaijan''' declared its independence from the former Soviet Union in 1991, with Ayaz Mutalibov, former First Secretary of the Azerbaijani Communist Party, becoming the country's first President
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| − |
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| − | In 1971, '''Bahrain''' declared independence and signed a new treaty of friendship with the United Kingdom
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| − |
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| − | In 2002, Bahrain changed its formal name from the State of Bahrain to the Kingdom of Bahrain
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| − | Awami League is the mainstream centre-left, secular political party in '''Bangladesh'''
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| − | Grantley Adams was the first Premier of '''Barbados''', from 1953 to 1958
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| − |
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| − | '''Botswana''' gained independence in 1966 and Seretse Khama became its first president
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| − | Deodoro da Fonseca became the first President of '''Brazil''' in 1889 after heading a military coup that deposed Emperor Pedro II
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| − |
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| − | Brazilian Federation is the ‘indissoluble union’ of three distinct political entities: the States, the Municipalities and the Federal District
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| − | Vargas Era is the period in the history of Brazil that lasted from 1930 to 1945, when the country was under the leadership of Getulio Dornelles Vargas
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| − | Fernando Henrique Cardoso was the 34th President of Brazil and served for two terms from 1995 to 2003
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| − | From 2003 to 2008, singer Gilberto Gil served as Brazil's Minister of Culture
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| − |
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| − | Dilma Rousseff became the first female president of Brazil in 2011
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| − |
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| − | Luiz Inacio Lula de Silva is the current president
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| − |
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| − | '''Brunei''' gained independence from UK in 1984
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| − |
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| − | '''Bulgaria''' proclaimed itself an independent state in 1908
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| − |
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| − | Todor Zhivkov was leader of the People’s Republic of Bulgaria (PRB) from 1954 to 1989
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| − |
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| − | In 1946 the monarchy in Bulgaria was overthrown and Simeon II went into exile. Fifty-five years later, Simeon resumed the role of leader of the nation upon taking office as Prime Minister of the Republic of Bulgaria from July 2001 until August 2005
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| − |
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| − | In 1948, '''Burma''' became an independent republic, named the Union of Burma, with Sao Shwe Thaik as its first President and U Nu as its first Prime Minister. Unlike most other former British colonies and overseas territories, it did not become a member of the Commonwealth
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| − |
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| − | Coup led by General Ne Win overthrew the Burmese government in 1962
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| − | Karen National Union is a political organization with an armed wing, the Karen National Liberation Army that represents the Karen people of Burma
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| − |
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| − | Thein Sein is a former military commander who has been President of Burma (Myanmar) since March 2011. He was the Prime Minister from 2007 until 2011
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| − | Norodom Sihanouk was the King of '''Cambodia''' from 1941 to 1955 and again from 1993 until 2004. He also served as Prime Minister
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| − |
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| − | Khmer Rouge – Communist Party of Kampuchea (Cambodia). Pol Pot (known as ‘Brother Number One’) became leader in 1962, and died in custody in 1998
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| − | Paul Biya has been the President of '''Cameroon''' since1982
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| − |
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| − | John MacDonald was the first Prime Minister of '''Canada'''
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| − |
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| − | Wilfrid Laurier was the first French-Canadian to serve as Prime Minister
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| − |
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| − | Kim Campbell was the first female Canadian Prime Minister
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| − |
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| − | Justin Trudeau is the son of Pierre Trudeau
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| − |
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| − | '''Notable Prime Ministers of Canada'''
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| − | {| class="wikitable"
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| − | |1867-1873,1878-1891
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| − | |John MacDonald
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| − | |-
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| − | |1896-1911
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| − | |Wilfrid Laurier
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| − | |-
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| − | |1921-1926, 1926-1930, 1935-1948
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| − | |Mackenzie King
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| − | |-
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| − | |1968-1979, 1980-1984
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| − | |Pierre Trudeau
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| − | |-
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| − | |1984 (80 days)
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| − | |John Turner
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| − | |-
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| − | |1984-1993
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| − | |Brian Mulroney
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| − | |-
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| − | |1993 (132 days)
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| − | |Kim Campbell
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| − | |-
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| − | |1993-2003
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| − | |Jean Chretian
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| − | |-
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| − | |2003-2006
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| − | |Paul Martin
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| − | |-
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| − | |2006-2015
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| − | |Stephen Harper
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| − | |-
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| − | |2015-
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| − | |Justin Trudeau
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| − | |}
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| − | Canada Act 1982 severed all remaining dependence of Canada on the United Kingdom, in a process known as ‘patriation’
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| − | Canadian electoral constituencies are known as Ridings
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| − | 24 Sussex Drive, New Edinburgh (also called Gorffwysfa) is the official residence of the Prime Minister of Canada. Built between 1866 and 1868 by Joseph Merrill Currier
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| − |
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| − | Emperor Bokassa was head of state of the '''Central African Republic''' from 1966 to 1979. He spent nearly a third of the country’s GDP on a coronation ceremony inspired by Napoleon Bonaparte’s
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| − |
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| − | The military dictatorship of '''Chile''' was an authoritarian military government that ruled Chile between 1973 and 1990. The dictatorship was established after the democratically elected government of Salvador Allende was overthrown by a CIA-backed coup d'état. The dictatorship was headed by a military junta presided by General Augusto Pinochet Patricio Aylwin was the president of Chile after its return to democratic rule in 1990
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| − |
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| − | Gabriel Boric is the current president
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| − |
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| − | The Shanghai Municipal Council in '''China''' was the governing body which administered the combined British and American foreign concessions in Shanghai, known as the Shanghai International Settlement. It was established in 1854 to reorganize the existing concessions
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| − |
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| − | Mao Zedong (also transliterated as Mao Tse-tung and commonly referred to as Chairman Mao (1893 – 1976), called the atom bomb the ‘paper tiger’ by
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| − |
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| − | Deng Xiaoping (1904 – 1997) served as the de facto leader of the People's Republic of China from 1978 to the early 1990s
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| − |
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| − | The Kuomintang of China (KMT), also often translated as the Chinese Nationalist Party, is a political party in the Republic of China (ROC), located in Taiwan, and is currently the largest political party in terms of seats in the Legislative Yuan
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| − | The Legislative Yuan is the legislative body of the Republic of China, which administers Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen, and Matsu Islands
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| − |
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| − | Chiang Kai-shek (1887 – 1975) served as Generalissimo of the national government of the Republic of China (ROC) from 1928 until his death in 1975, taking control of the Kuomintang
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| − | Open Door policy is generally associated with China
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| − |
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| − | Deng Xiaoping became the first Chinese leader to visit the United States in 1979, meeting with President Carter at the White House
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| − | Li Peng was the Premier of the People's Republic of China between 1987 and 1998
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| − |
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| − | Hu Jintao succeeded Jiang Zemin in 2003 and served until 2013
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| − |
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| − | Xi Jinping became president in 2013
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| − | National People's Congress (NPC) is the national legislature of the People's Republic of China. With 2987 members in 2013, it is the largest parliamentary body in the world
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| − |
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| − | Patrice Lumumba was the first legally elected Prime Minister of the '''Republic of the Congo''' after he helped win its independence from Belgium in 1960. Only ten weeks later, Lumumba's government was deposed in a coup during the Congo Crisis. He was subsequently imprisoned and executed by firing squad under the command of the secessionist Katangan authorities in 1961
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| − |
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| − | Felix Houphouet-Boigny was the first president of '''Cote d’Ivoire''', from independence in 1960 until 1993
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| − | Franjo Tudman was the first president of '''Croatia''', from 1990 to 1999
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| − | Tomas Estrada Palma was the first president of independent '''Cuba''', in 1902
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| − |
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| − | The 26th of July Movement (Spanish: Movimiento 26 de Julio; M-26-7) was the revolutionary organization planned and led by Fidel Castro that in 1959 overthrew the Fulgencio Batista government in Cuba
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| − |
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| − | Raul Castro took over as President of Cuba from his brother Fidel in 2008
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| − |
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| − | Miguel Diaz-Canal is the current leader of Cuba
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| − | Archbishop Makarios was the first President of the Republic of '''Cyprus''', from 1960 to 1974 and from 1974 to 1977
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| − |
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| − | Cyprus became independent from Britain in 1960
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| − | Vaclav Havel was president of '''Czech Republic''' from partition in 1993 to 2003
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| − | Vaclav Klaus was president of Czech Republic from 2003 to 2013
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| − |
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| − | Milos Zeman became president of Czech Republic in 2013
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| − | Jan Masaryk was a Czech diplomat and politician and Foreign Minister of Czechoslovakia from 1940 to 1948
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| − | Tomas Masaryk was the first president of Czechoslovakia, from 1918 to 1935
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| − |
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| − | Petr Pavel is the current president
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| − | Mobutu Sese Seko was the President of the '''Democratic Republic of the Congo''' from 1965 to 1997
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| − |
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| − | Mobutu changed the Congo's name to Zaire in 1971
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| − |
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| − | Mobutu was overthrown in the First Congo War by Laurent-Desire Kabila and the country’s name was changed
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| − | Kabila President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo from 1997 until his assassination by one of his bodyguards in 2001. He was succeeded by his son Joseph eight days later
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| − | Folketing is the parliament of '''Denmark'''. Christiansborg Palace (also known by its nickname, "Borgen" – Danish for "the castle") has been the domicile of parliament since 1849
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| − |
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| − | In 2009, Lars Rasmussen succeeded Anders Fogh Rasmussen as Prime Minister following the latter's appointment as Secretary General of NATO
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| − | Helle Thorning-Schmidt became the first female Prime Minister of Denmark in 2011
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| − |
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| − | Mette Frederiksen is the current prime minister
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| − |
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| − | Rafael Trujillo ruled the '''Dominican Republic''' from 1930 until his assassination in 1961. Officially, he was President only from 1930 to 1938, and again from 1942 to 1952. His brother Hector Trujillo was President from 1952 to 1960, and it was only under pressure from the Organization of American States that a non-relative, Trujillo ally Joaquin Balaguer, succeeded Hector
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| − |
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| − | The first president of '''Egypt''' was Muhammad Naguib, one of the leaders of the Egyptian Revolution of 1952
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| − |
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| − | Gamal Nasser was the second President of Egypt from 1956 until his death in 1970
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| − |
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| − | Anwar Sadat succeeded Nasser and was president until he was assassinated by Khalid Islambouli in 1981
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| − |
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| − | Abdel Fattah el-Sisi is the current president
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| − | Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo is the President of '''Equatorial Guinea''', having served since 1979
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| − |
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| − | '''Eritrea''' gained independence from Ethiopia in 1993
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| − | The Eduskunta (in Finnish), or the Riksdag (in Swedish), is the Parliament of '''Finland'''
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| − | Finland became an independent republic in 1917
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| − | Finland was first European country to have women MPs, in 1907
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| − |
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| − | Sanna Marin is the current prime minister
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| − |
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| − | The politics of '''France''' take place with the framework of a semi-presidential system determined by the French Constitution of the Fifth Republic. Parliament comprises the National Assembly (lower house) and the Senate (upper house)
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| − |
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| − | French president used to serve for seven years, now serves for five years
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| − |
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| − | Raymond Poincare served three times as Prime Minister of France, and as President from 1913 to 1920
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| − |
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| − | Georges Clemenceau was Prime Minister of France from 1906 to 1909 and from 1917 to 1920. Known as ‘The Tiger’. Survived an attempted assassination in 1919 by anarchist Emile Cottin
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| − |
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| − | Georges Pompidou was Prime Minister of France from 1962 to 1968, holding the longest tenure in this position
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| − |
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| − | Jacques Chirac served as Prime Minister from 1974 to 1976 and from 1986 to 1988 (making him the only person to hold the position of Prime Minister twice under the Fifth Republic), and as Mayor of Paris from 1977 to 1995
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| − |
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| − | Edith Cresson is the only female Prime Minister, serving from 1991 to 1992
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| − |
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| − | Jean-Pierre Raffarin served as the Prime Minister of France from 2002 to 2005, resigning after France's rejection of the referendum on the European Union draft constitution
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| − |
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| − | '''Presidents of the French Fifth Republic'''
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| − | {| class="wikitable"
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| − | |1959-1969
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| − | |Charles de Gaulle
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| − | |-
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| − | |1969-1974
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| − | |Georges Pompidou
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| − | |-
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| − | |1974-1981
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| − | |Valery Giscard d’Estaing
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| − | |-
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| − | |1981-1995
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| − | |Francois Mitterand
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| − | |-
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| − | |1995-2007
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| − | |Jacques Chirac
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| − | |-
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| − | |2007-2012
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| − | |Nicolas Sarkozy
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| − | |-
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| − | |2012-2017
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| − | |Francois Hollande
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| − | |-
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| − | |2017-
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| − | |Emmanuel Macron
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| − | |}
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| − | Charles De Gaulle founded the Fifth Republic in 1958
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| − |
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| − | Francois Mitterrand was the first socialist French president
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| − |
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| − | Union for a Popular Movement (UMP) is a centre-right political party in France, being one of the two major contemporary political parties in the country along with the centre-left Socialist Party (PS)
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| − |
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| − | Jean-Marie Le Pen was the first leader of the National Front and the undisputed centre of the party from its formation in 1972 until his resignation in 2011. Marine Le Pen, Jean-Maries's daughter, was elected as the current leader
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| − |
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| − | The president of France also serves as a co-prince of Andorra
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| − |
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| − | France withdrew from the integrated military structure of NATO in 1966
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| − |
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| − | Eduard Shevardnadze was the first elected president of '''Georgia''', in 1992. He was forced to retire in 2003 as a consequence of the Rose Revolution
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| − |
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| − | Mikheil Saakashvili was president of Georgia from 2004 to 2013
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| − |
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| − | '''Germany''' is a federal parliamentary republic, and federal legislative power is vested in the Bundestag (the parliament of Germany) and the Bundesrat (the representative body of the Lander, Germany's regional states). There is a multi-party system that, since 1949, has been dominated by the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD)
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| − |
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| − | Wilhelm Pieck was the first only president of the German Democratic Republic, serving from 1949 to 1960
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| − |
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| − | Erich Honecker led the German Democratic Republic from 1971 until shortly before the fall of the Berlin Wall in October 1989
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| − |
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| − | '''Chancellors of the Federal Republic of Germany'''
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| − | {| class="wikitable"
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| − | |1949-1963
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| − | |Konrad Adenauer
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| − | |-
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| − | |1963-1966
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| − | |Ludwig Erhard
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| − | |-
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| − | |1966-1969
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| − | |Kurt Georg Kiesinger
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| − | |-
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| − | |1969-1974
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| − | |Willy Brandt
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| − | |-
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| − | |1974-1982
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| − | |Helmut Schmidt
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| − | |-
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| − | |1982-1998
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| − | |Helmut Kohl
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| − | |-
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| − | |1998-2005
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| − | |Gerhard Schroder
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| − | |-
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| − | |2005-2021
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| − | |Angela Merkel
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| − | |-
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| − | |2021-
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| − | |Olaf Scholz
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| − | |}
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| − | Konrad Adenauer was the first chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany
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| − |
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| − | Willy Brandt was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1971 for his efforts to strengthen cooperation in western Europe through the EEC
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| − |
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| − | Helmut Kohl was Chancellor of West Germany between 1982 and 1990 and of a reunited Germany between 1990 and 1998, and the chairman of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) from 1973 to 1998
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| − |
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| − | The Socialist Unity Party of Germany (SED) was the governing party of the German Democratic Republic from its formation in 1949 until the elections of March 1990
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| − |
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| − | Since 2011 the Pirate Party Germany has succeeded in attaining a high enough vote share to enter four German state parliaments
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| − |
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| − | Walter Ulbricht was an East German communist politician, and First Secretary of the Socialist Unity Party from 1950 to 1971
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| − |
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| − | Angela Merkel is a former research scientist who has been the leader of the Christian Democratic Union since 2000 and the Chancellor of Germany since 2005. She is the first woman and the first former citizen of the German Democratic Republic to hold either office. She was born Angela Dorothea Kasner in Hamburg in 1954
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| − |
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| − | Alternative for Germany is a right-wing populist and Eurosceptic political party in Germany
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| − |
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| − | Jerry Rawlings (born 1947 in Accra) was twice the president of '''Ghana'''. His first presidential term was acquired through a military coup, while his second was as head of the elected government
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| − |
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| − | Kwame Nkrumah was the leader of Ghana and its predecessor state, the Gold Coast, from 1952 to 1966
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| − |
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| − | Republic of Ghana formed in 1957. Ghana was the first sub-Saharan African country to gain independence
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| − |
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| − | Between the restoration of democracy in 1974 and the government-debt crisis the party system in '''Greece''' was dominated by the liberal-conservative New Democracy and the social-democratic Panhellenic Socialist Movement
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| − |
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| − | '''Grenada''' gained independence in 1974 under Eric Gairy. Succeeded in 1979 after a coup by Maurice Bishop, who built an international airport with financial assistance from Cuba to develop tourism
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| − |
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| − | Ahmed Sekou Toure became President upon '''Guinea'''<nowiki/>'s independence from France in 1958, establishing a one-party dictatorship
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| − |
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| − | Janet Jagan was the first woman President of '''Guyana''', from 1997 to 1999
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| − |
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| − | Bharrat Jagdeo was President of Guyana from 1999 to 2011
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| − |
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| − | Francois Duvalier was President of '''Haiti''' from 1957 to 1971. Duvalier first won acclaim in fighting diseases, earning him the nickname ‘Papa Doc’
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| − |
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| − | Jean-Claude Duvalier (nicknamed ‘Baby Doc’) succeeded his father, ‘Papa Doc’ Duvalier as the ruler of Haiti from his father's death in 1971 until his overthrow by a popular uprising in 1986
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| − |
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| − | Viktor Orban has been president of Hungary since 2010
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| − |
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| − | Althing is the parliament of '''Iceland'''. Oldest parliament in Europe, founded in 930
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| − |
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| − | Iceland formally became a republic (independent from Denmark) in 1944, with Sveinn Bjornsson as the first President
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| − |
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| − | In 1980, Icelanders elected Vigdís Finnbogadottir as president, the world's first directly elected female head of state
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| − |
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| − | Johanna Siguroardottir became Iceland's first female Prime Minister and the world's first openly lesbian head of government in 2009
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| − |
| |
| − | Katrin Jakobsdottir has been prime minister since 2017
| |
| − |
| |
| − | Parliament of '''India''' consists of two houses: The Lok Sabha (House of the People) and the Rajya Sabha (Council of States)
| |
| − |
| |
| − | Jawaharlal Nehru was first prime minister of India, and served from 1947 to 1964
| |
| − |
| |
| − | When India became a Republic in 1950, Rajendra Prasad was elected its first President by the Constituent Assembly
| |
| − |
| |
| − | Indira Gandhi served from 1966 to 1977 and then again from 1980 until her assassination in 1984. She is the only woman to hold the office. Indira Gandhi was the only child of the first Indian Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru
| |
| − |
| |
| − | Operation Blue Star was an Indian military operation which occurred in1984, ordered by Indira Gandhi in order to establish control over the Harmandir Sahib Complex in Amritsar. Four months after the operation, Indira Gandhi was assassinated by her two Sikh bodyguards, in what is viewed as an act of vengeance
| |
| − |
| |
| − | Rajiv Gandhi was the seventh Prime Minister of India, serving from 1984 to 1989. He took office after the death of Indira Gandhi, his mother, to become the youngest Indian prime minister. He was assassinated in 1991
| |
| − |
| |
| − | Sonia Gandhi is an Italian-born Indian politician, who has served as President of the Indian National Congress party since 1998. She is the widow of Rajiv Gandhi
| |
| − |
| |
| − | KR Narayanan was the tenth President of India, serving from 1997 to 2002. He was the first Dalit and the first Malayali to become President
| |
| − |
| |
| − | Narendra Modi was elected as Prime Minister of India in 2014
| |
| − |
| |
| − | Sukarno was the leader of his country's struggle for independence from the Netherlands and was '''Indonesia'''<nowiki/>'s first President from 1945 to 1967. He was replaced by one of his generals, Suharto, who held the office for 32 years
| |
| − |
| |
| − | Indonesia declared independence from Netherlands in 1945, but this was not recognised until 1949
| |
| − |
| |
| − | Joko Widodo is the current president
| |
| − |
| |
| − | Abolhassan Banisadr was the first President of '''Iran''' after the 1979 Iranian Revolution abolished the monarchy
| |
| − |
| |
| − | Mir Hossein Moussavi, Iran's former prime minister, is a painter and architect who withdrew from the political front for two decades. He served as the seventy-ninth and last Prime Minister of Iran from 1981 to 1989
| |
| − |
| |
| − | Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was President of Iran from 2005 to 2013
| |
| − |
| |
| − | Hassan Rouhani became President of Iran in 2013
| |
| − |
| |
| − | Ebrahim Raisi is the current president
| |
| − |
| |
| − | Chaim Weizmann was President of the Zionist Organization, and the first President of the State of '''Israel'''. He was elected in 1949, and served until his death in 1952. Weizmann was also a chemist who developed the ABE-process, which produces acetone through bacterial fermentation
| |
| − |
| |
| − | Albert Einstein declined the presidency of Israel in 1952 following the death of Chaim Weizmann
| |
| − |
| |
| − | Moshe Katsav was President of Israel from 2000 to 2007. He was sentenced to seven years in prison for rape and other charges in 2011
| |
| − |
| |
| − | Reuven Rivlin is the current President of Israel
| |
| − |
| |
| − | '''Notable Prime Ministers of Israel'''
| |
| − | {| class="wikitable"
| |
| − | |1948-1954, 1955-1963
| |
| − | |David Ben-Gurion
| |
| − | |-
| |
| − | |1969-1974
| |
| − | |Golda Meir
| |
| − | |-
| |
| − | |1974-1977, 1992-1995
| |
| − | |Yitzhak Rabin
| |
| − | |-
| |
| − | |1977-1983
| |
| − | |Menachem Begin
| |
| − | |-
| |
| − | |1983-1984, 1986-1992
| |
| − | |Yitzhak Shamir
| |
| − | |-
| |
| − | |1984-1986, 1995-1996
| |
| − | |Shimon Peres
| |
| − | |-
| |
| − | |1996-1999, 2009-
| |
| − | |Benjamin Netanyahu
| |
| − | |-
| |
| − | |1999-2001
| |
| − | |Ehud Barak
| |
| − | |-
| |
| − | |2001-2006
| |
| − | |Ariel Sharon
| |
| − | |-
| |
| − | |2006-2009
| |
| − | |Ehud Olmert
| |
| − | |}
| |
| − | David Ben-Gurion was the first prime minister of Israel
| |
| − |
| |
| − | Golda Meir was Israel’s first woman prime minister. Born in Kiev
| |
| − |
| |
| − | Yitzhak Rabin was assassinated by a right-wing Israeli radical named Yigal Amir, who was opposed to the peace process
| |
| − |
| |
| − | Menachem Begin’s most significant achievement as Prime Minister was the signing of a peace treaty with Egypt in 1979, for which he and Anwar Sadat shared the Nobel Prize for Peace
| |
| − |
| |
| − | Ehud Barak is the joint most highly decorated soldier in Israel's history
| |
| − |
| |
| − | Shimon Peres served twice as the Prime Minister of Israel and twice as Interim Prime Minister
| |
| − |
| |
| − | Ariel Sharon was prime minister until he was incapacitated by a stroke in 2006
| |
| − |
| |
| − | Benjamin Netanyahu is the current prime minister. Netanyahu is the first Israeli prime minister born in Israel after the establishment of the state. His brother was killed in Operation Entebbe in 1976
| |
| − |
| |
| − | '''Italy''' has been a democratic republic since 1946, when the monarchy was abolished by popular referendum
| |
| − |
| |
| − | Giulio Andreotti served as Prime Minister of Italy from 1972 to 1973, from 1976 to 1979, and from 1989 to 1992. He was elected seven times
| |
| − |
| |
| − | Forza Italia (People of Freedom) is led by Silvio Berlusconi
| |
| − |
| |
| − | Berlusconi was Prime Minister for nine years in total, making him the longest-serving post-war Prime Minister of Italy
| |
| − |
| |
| − | Romano Prodi served two terms as Prime Minister of Italy. He was also the tenth President of the European Commission from 1999 to 2004
| |
| − |
| |
| − | Minimum age for Italian president is 50
| |
| − |
| |
| − | Lega Nord (Northern League) is a federalist and regionalist political party in Italy. At times it has advocated secession of the North, which it calls Padania
| |
| − |
| |
| − | Allesandra Mussolini is the granddaughter of Benito Mussolini, and the niece of Sophia Loren. She is the founder and former leader of the national conservative political party Social Action; from 2004 until 2008, Mussolini also served as a Member of the European Parliament
| |
| − |
| |
| − | The current President is Sergio Mattarella and the current Prime Minister of Italy is Georgio Meloni
| |
| − |
| |
| − | Norman Manley served as Premier of '''Jamaica''' from 1959 to 1962
| |
| − |
| |
| − | Jamaica was granted independence in 1962 and Alexander Bustamante served as the independent country's first Prime Minister until 1967
| |
| − |
| |
| − | Norman Manley served as Prime Minister of Jamaica from 1972 to 1980 and from 1989 to 1992
| |
| − |
| |
| − | Portia Simpson-Miller served as Prime Minister of Jamaica from 2006 to 2007 and from 2012 to 2016
| |
| − |
| |
| − | The current Prime Minister of Jamaica is Andrew Holness
| |
| − |
| |
| − | '''Japan''' is a multi-party parliamentary representative democratic Constitutional monarchy where the Emperor acts as the ceremonial Head of state, and the Prime Minister acts as the Head of government. Legislative power is vested in the Diet, which consists of the House of Representatives and the House of Councilors
| |
| − |
| |
| − | Liberal Democratic Party held power in Japan from 1955, but were defeated by Democratic Party in 2009
| |
| − |
| |
| − | Hideki Tojo was Prime Minister of Japan from 1941 to 1944, and was responsible for the attack on Pearl Harbor
| |
| − |
| |
| − | Shinzo Abe was Prime Minister of Japan from 2012 to 2020
| |
| − |
| |
| − | The current Prime Minister of Japan is Fumio Kishida
| |
| − |
| |
| − | Jomo Kenyatta served as the first Prime Minister (1963–64) and President (1964–78) of '''Kenya'''
| |
| − |
| |
| − | Daniel arap Moi served as the second President of Kenya from 1978 to 2002
| |
| − |
| |
| − | Mwai Kibaki served as the third President of Kenya from 2002 to 2013
| |
| − |
| |
| − | Uhura Kenyatta, the son of Jomo Kenyatta was President of Kenya
| |
| − |
| |
| − | The current president is William Ruto
| |
| − |
| |
| − | '''Kuwait''' gained independence from UK in 1961
| |
| − |
| |
| − | Saeima – parliament in '''Latvia'''
| |
| − |
| |
| − | Indulis Emsis became Prime Minister of Latvia in 2004, the first member of any Green Party to become Prime minister
| |
| − |
| |
| − | '''Lebanon''' gained independence in 1943, while France was occupied by Germany
| |
| − |
| |
| − | Samuel Doe – President of '''Liberia''' from 1980 to 1990. Liberia is Africa’s oldest republic
| |
| − |
| |
| − | William Tolbert was President of Liberia from 1971 until 1980, when he was killed in a coup d'etat
| |
| − |
| |
| − | '''Libya''' gained independence from Italy in 1951, and was ruled as a constitutional monarchy under King Idris I
| |
| − |
| |
| − | Taking power in a coup d'etat, Muammar Gaddafi ruled as Revolutionary Chairman of the Libyan Arab Republic from 1969 to 1977 and then as the "Brotherly Leader" of the Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya from 1977 to 2011, when he was ousted in the Libyan Civil War
| |
| − |
| |
| − | In the Principality of '''Liechtenstein''', the Landtag is the sole national parliament Liechtenstein was the last place in Europe to give women the vote, in 1984
| |
| − |
| |
| − | Jacques Santer was Prime Minister of Luxembourg from 1984 to 1995 and President of the European Commission from 1995 to 1999
| |
| − |
| |
| − | Hastings Banda was the leader of '''Malawi''' and its predecessor state, Nyasaland, from 1961 to 1994
| |
| − |
| |
| − | Tunku Abdul Rahman was Chief Minister of the Federation of Malaya from 1955, and the first Prime Minister of '''Malaysia''' from independence in 1957
| |
| − |
| |
| − | Abdul Razak Hussein was the second Prime Minister of Malaysia, ruling from 1970 to 1976
| |
| − |
| |
| − | Anwar Ibrahim is the current prime minister
| |
| − |
| |
| − | '''Malta''' became an independent state in 1964
| |
| − |
| |
| − | Malta is a republic whose parliamentary system and public administration are closely modelled on the Westminster system. The unicameral House of Representatives is made up of 69 members of parliament
| |
| − |
| |
| − | Benito Juarez was a Zapotec Amerindian who served five terms as President of '''Mexico''', between 1858 and 1872
| |
| − |
| |
| − | Porfirio Diaz served seven terms as President of Mexico, totaling three and a half decades between 1876 and 1911
| |
| − |
| |
| − | The current President of Mexico is Andrés Manuel Lopez Obrador, also known as AMLO
| |
| − |
| |
| − | '''Morocco''' gained independence from France in 1956
| |
| − |
| |
| − | '''Mozambique''' Liberation Front (FRELIMO) was a liberation movement which was founded in 1962 to fight for the independence of the Portuguese Overseas Province of Mozambique. Independence was achieved in 1975
| |
| − |
| |
| − | Sam Nujoma was the first President of '''Namibia'''. He was inaugurated as President in 1990 and was subsequently re-elected in 1994 and 1999. He was also President of the South-West Africa People's Organization (SWAPO) from its founding in 1960 until 2007
| |
| − |
| |
| − | The current prime minister of the '''Netherlands''' is Mark Rutte
| |
| − |
| |
| − | The Executive Wing of '''New Zealand''' Parliament Buildings in Wellington is commonly known as “The Beehive”
| |
| − |
| |
| − | '''Notable Prime Ministers of New Zealand'''
| |
| − | {| class="wikitable"
| |
| − | |1856
| |
| − | |Henry Sewell (first Colonial Secretary)
| |
| − | |-
| |
| − | |1869-1872
| |
| − | |William Fox (first Premier)
| |
| − | |-
| |
| − | |1893-1906
| |
| − | |Richard Seddon
| |
| − | |-
| |
| − | |1906-1912
| |
| − | |Joseph Ward (first Prime Minister)
| |
| − | |-
| |
| − | |1975-1984
| |
| − | |Robert Muldoon
| |
| − | |-
| |
| − | |1990-1997
| |
| − | |Jim Bolger
| |
| − | |-
| |
| − | |1997-1999
| |
| − | |Jenny Shipley
| |
| − | |-
| |
| − | |1999-2008
| |
| − | |Helen Clark
| |
| − | |-
| |
| − | |2008-2016
| |
| − | |John Key
| |
| − | |-
| |
| − | |2016-2017
| |
| − | |Bill English
| |
| − | |-
| |
| − | |2017-2023
| |
| − | |Jacinda Ardern
| |
| − | |-
| |
| − | |2023-
| |
| − | |Chris Hipkins
| |
| − | |}
| |
| − | Richard Seddon is the longest-serving Prime Minister of New Zealand
| |
| − |
| |
| − | Norman Kirk died in office in 1974
| |
| − |
| |
| − | Jenny Shipley was the first woman Prime Minister of New Zealand
| |
| − |
| |
| − | Fighters of the left-wing Sandinista National Liberation Front overthrew the regime in the republic of '''Nicaragua''' in 1979. President Somoza fled to the US
| |
| − |
| |
| − | Nnamdi Azikiwe served as the last Governor-General from 1960 to 1963 and the first President of '''Nigeria''' from 1963 to 1966
| |
| − |
| |
| − | Goodluck Jonathan was President of Nigeria from 2010 to 2015. Succeeded by Muhammadu Buhari
| |
| − |
| |
| − | Kin Il-Sung led '''North Korea''' from its founding in 1948 until his death in 1994
| |
| − |
| |
| − | Kim Jong-il was the Supreme Leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), commonly referred to as North Korea, from 1994 to 2011. Succeeded by Kim Jung-un
| |
| − |
| |
| − | Storting –parliament of '''Norway'''. The Storting in its present form was first constituted at Eidsvoll in 1814
| |
| − |
| |
| − | Jonas Gahr Store is the current prime minister
| |
| − |
| |
| − | The first Prime Minister of '''Pakistan''' was Liaquat Ali Khan who was appointed to the position by the first Governor-General, Muhammmad Ali Jinnah in 1947
| |
| − |
| |
| − | Iskander Mirza was the last Governor-General of the Dominion of Pakistan (1955 to 1956) and the first President of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan (1956 to 1958)
| |
| − |
| |
| − | Pakistan was readmitted into the Commonwealth in 2004
| |
| − |
| |
| − | Pervez Musharraf served as the tenth President of Pakistan from 2001 until tendering resignation to avoid impeachment in 2008. Succeeded by Asif Ali Zardari
| |
| − |
| |
| − | Shebhaz Sharif is the current President of Pakistan
| |
| − |
| |
| − | Francisco Lopez was president of '''Paraguay''' from 1862 until his death in 1870. Lopez equipped his army with exact copies of uniforms of Napoleonic army. He ordered for himself an exact replica of Napoleon's crown
| |
| − |
| |
| − | Alfredo Stroessner served as President of Paraguay from 1954 to 1989
| |
| − |
| |
| − | Colorado Party was in power in Paraguay from 1947 to 2008
| |
| − |
| |
| − | Dina Boluarte is the president of '''Peru'''
| |
| − |
| |
| − | Emilio Aguinaldo was the first president of the '''Philippines''', in 1897
| |
| − |
| |
| − | Imelda Marcos is the widow of former Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos best known for her collection of some three thousand pairs of shoes. She served as First Lady from 1965 to 1986
| |
| − |
| |
| − | Ferdinand Marcos was succeeded by Corozon Aquino, the first woman to hold that office, and the first female president in Asia. Her husband, Benigno Aquino, was assassinated in 1983 upon returning to the Philippines from exile in the United States
| |
| − |
| |
| − | Joseph Estrada was the 13th President of the Philippines, from 1998 to 2001. He was peacefully overthrown by the Second People Power Revolution after his aborted impeachment trial in the Senate
| |
| − |
| |
| − | Gloria Arroyo was President of the Philippines from 2001 to 2010
| |
| − |
| |
| − | Rodrigo Duterte succeeded Benigno Aquino III as President of the Philippines in 2017
| |
| − |
| |
| − | Bongbong Marcos is the current president
| |
| − |
| |
| − | Sejm is the lower house of the parliament of '''Poland'''
| |
| − |
| |
| − | Ignacy Paderewski was a Polish pianist, composer, diplomat, politician, and the third Prime Minister of Poland, in 1919
| |
| − |
| |
| − | Solidarity was founded in 1980 at the then Lenin Shipyards, and originally led by Lech Wałesa
| |
| − |
| |
| − | Wojciech Jaruzelski was President of Poland from 1989 to 1990, and was succeeded by Lech Wałesa, the first President elected by popular vote
| |
| − |
| |
| − | Lech Kaczynski served as the President of Poland from 2005 until 2010. He was the identical twin brother of the former Prime Minister of Poland Jaroslaw Kaczynski. Died in an air crash in 2010
| |
| − |
| |
| − | Donald Tusk was Prime Minister of Poland from 2007 to 2014. He resigned to become President of the European Council
| |
| − |
| |
| − | The current Prime Minister of Poland is Mateusz Morawiecki
| |
| − |
| |
| − | The current President of Poland is Andrej Duda
| |
| − |
| |
| − | Antonio Salazar was the President of the Council of Ministers of '''Portugal''' (Prime Minister) and the de facto dictator of the Portuguese Republic from 1932 to 1968
| |
| − |
| |
| − | Manuel de Arriaga was first elected president of the First Portuguese Republic following the abdication of King Manuel II in 1911
| |
| − |
| |
| − | Anibal Silva was President of Portugal from 2006 to 2016. He was previously Prime Minister of Portugal from1985 to 1995. His tenure of ten years was the longest of any Prime Minister since Salazar
| |
| − |
| |
| − | Antonio Costa is the current prime minister
| |
| − |
| |
| − | Iron Guard was a far-right movement and political party in '''Romania''' in the period from 1927 into the early part of World War II
| |
| − |
| |
| − | Nicolae Ceausescu was the first President of Romania, serving from 1974 to 1989. Ceausescu and his wife were then shot by a firing squad on 25 December 1989. He was succeeded by Ion Iliescu
| |
| − |
| |
| − | According to the Constitution of '''Russia''', the country is a federation and semi-presidential republic, wherein the President is the head of state and the Prime Minister is the head of government. The Russian Federation is fundamentally structured as a multi-party representative democracy
| |
| − |
| |
| − | Duma is the lower house of the parliament of Russia
| |
| − |
| |
| − | Politburo was formed in 1919. Called the Presidium between 1952 and 1966
| |
| − |
| |
| − | Nikolai Podgorny served as leader of the Ukrainian SSR, from 1957 to 1963 and as Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet from 1965 to 1977. He was replaced in 1977 by Leonid Brezhnev
| |
| − |
| |
| − | Nikolai Bulganin served as Minister of Defence (1953–55) and Premier of the Soviet Union (1955–58)
| |
| − |
| |
| − | '''Leaders of the Soviet Union and Russia'''
| |
| − | {| class="wikitable"
| |
| − | |1917-1924
| |
| − | |Vladimir Lenin
| |
| − | |-
| |
| − | |1924-1953
| |
| − | |Joseph Stalin
| |
| − | |-
| |
| − | |1953
| |
| − | |Georgy Malenkov
| |
| − | |-
| |
| − | |1953-1964
| |
| − | |Nikita Khrushchev
| |
| − | |-
| |
| − | |1964-1982
| |
| − | |Leonid Brezhnev
| |
| − | |-
| |
| − | |1982-1984
| |
| − | |Yuri Andropov
| |
| − | |-
| |
| − | |1984-1985
| |
| − | |Konstantin Chernenko
| |
| − | |-
| |
| − | |1985-1991
| |
| − | |Mikhail Gorbachev
| |
| − | |-
| |
| − | |1991-1999
| |
| − | |Boris Yeltsin
| |
| − | |-
| |
| − | |1999-2008, 2012-
| |
| − | |Vladimir Putin
| |
| − | |-
| |
| − | |2008-2012
| |
| − | |Dmitry Medvedev
| |
| − | |}
| |
| − | Nikita Khrushchev was First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1953 to 1964 and Chairman of the Council of Ministers from 1958 to 1964. He was removed from power by his party colleagues in 1964, Alexei Kosygin and Leonid Brezhnev becoming Premier and First Secretary respectively
| |
| − |
| |
| − | Leonid Brezhnev was the General Secretary of the Central Committee (CC) of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU), presiding over the country from 1964 until his death in 1982
| |
| − |
| |
| − | On 19 August 1991 Communist hard-liners, haven taken Mikhail Gorbachev hostage, sent tanks into Moscow. They were stopped by Boris Yeltsin, leading to the fall of the Soviet Union
| |
| − |
| |
| − | Boris Yeltsin was the first popularly elected leader in Russian history, in 1991
| |
| − |
| |
| − | Vladimir Putin was Prime Minister of Russia from 1999 to 2000. He has been President since 2012. He married Lyudmila Shkrebneva in 1983
| |
| − |
| |
| − | Mikhail Mishustin is the current Prime Minister of Russia
| |
| − |
| |
| − | The Captains Regent are the two heads of state of '''San Marino'''. They are elected every six months by the Grand and General Council – the country's parliament
| |
| − |
| |
| − | Leopold Senghor was the first President of '''Senegal''', from 1960 to 1980
| |
| − |
| |
| − | Slobadan Milosevic was the President of '''Serbia''' from 1989 to 1997 and President of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia from 1997 to 2000
| |
| − |
| |
| − | Milton Margai was the first prime minister of '''Sierra Leone'''. He was the main architect of the post-colonial constitution of Sierra Leone and guided it to independence in 1961
| |
| − |
| |
| − | Lee Kuan Yew was the first Prime Minister of the Republic of '''Singapore''' from 1959 to 1990
| |
| − |
| |
| − | British Somaliland became independent in 1960 as the State of Somaliland, and the Trust Territory of '''Somalia''' (the former Italian Somaliland) followed suit five days later. On 1 July 1960, the two territories united to form the Somali Republic
| |
| − |
| |
| − | Jan Smuts served as Prime Minister of the Union of '''South Africa''' from 1919 until 1924 and from 1939 until 1948. He was the only person to sign the peace treaties ending both the First and Second World Wars
| |
| − |
| |
| − | Pass laws in South Africa were designed to segregate the population and were one of the dominant features of the country's apartheid system. Introduced in South Africa in 1923, they were designed to regulate movement of black Africans into urban areas. Outside of designated homelands, black South Africans had to carry pass books at all times. The system of pass laws was repealed in 1986
| |
| − |
| |
| − | Helen Suzman was the only anti-apartheid MP in South Africa in 1960s
| |
| − |
| |
| − | Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) was founded by Chief Buthelezi in 1975
| |
| − |
| |
| − | The Tricameral Parliament was the name given to the South African parliament and its structure from 1984 to 1994. While still entrenching the political power of the White section of the South African population (or, more specifically, that of the National Party), it did give a limited political voice to the country's Coloured and Indian population groups. The majority Black population group was still excluded
| |
| − |
| |
| − | Walter Sisulu, ANC general secretary, released from Robbin Island in 1989, died in 2003
| |
| − |
| |
| − | '''Presidents of South Africa'''
| |
| − | {| class="wikitable"
| |
| − | |1994-1999
| |
| − | |Nelson Mandela
| |
| − | |-
| |
| − | |1999-2008
| |
| − | |Thabo Mbeki
| |
| − | |-
| |
| − | |2008-2009
| |
| − | |Kgalema Motlanthe
| |
| − | |-
| |
| − | |2009-2018
| |
| − | |Jacob Zuma
| |
| − | |-
| |
| − | |2018-
| |
| − | |Cyril Ramaphosa
| |
| − | |}
| |
| − | African National Congress (ANC) is South Africa's governing political party, supported by its Tripartite Alliance with the Congress of South African Trade Unions and the South African Communist Party, since the establishment of multi-racial democracy in 1994
| |
| − |
| |
| − | Democratic Alliance (DA) is a South African political party and has been the official opposition at national level since the 1999 general election
| |
| − |
| |
| − | Goodwill Zwelithini kaBhekuzulu was King of the Zulu nation under the Traditional Leadership clause of South Africa's republican constitution from 1968 until his death in 2021. Succeeded by Misuzulu Zulu
| |
| − |
| |
| − | Syngman Rhee was the first president of '''South Korea''', from 1948 to 1960
| |
| − |
| |
| − | Cortes Generales is the legislature of '''Spain'''. It is a bicameral parliament, composed of the Congress of Deputies (the lower house) and the Senate (the upper house)
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| − |
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| − | Felipe Gonzalez was Prime Minister of Spain from 1982 to 1996
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| − |
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| − | Jose Zapatero was Prime Minister of Spain from 2004 to 2011
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| − |
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| − | Pedro Sanchez succeeded Mariano Rajoy in 2018 as Prime Minister of Spain
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| − |
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| − | ETA is a Basque organization founded in 1959. It wants four Spanish provinces and three French ones to secede and form an independent state, hence the slogan ‘4 + 3 = 1’
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| − |
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| − | Ceylon gained independence in 1948. D. S. Senanayake was the first Prime Minister of Ceylon. Became '''Sri Lanka''' in 1972
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| − |
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| − | Sri Lanka is the oldest democracy in Asia
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| − |
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| − | Following the parliamentary election in 1960, Sirimavo Bandaranaike became the prime minister and the world's first elected female head of government
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| − |
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| − | Ranasinghe Premadasa was the third President of Sri Lanka, from 1989 to 1993. He was assassinated in Colombo in a suicide bombing
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| − |
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| − | Maithripala Sirisena succeeded Mahinda Rajapaksa as President of Sri Lanka in 2015
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| − |
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| − | '''Sudan''' gained independence in 1956 from UK and Egypt
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| − |
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| − | '''Suriname''' became independent in 1975
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| − |
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| − | Riksdag is the unicameral parliament of '''Sweden'''
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| − |
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| − | Olaf Palme was assassinated in Stockholm in 1986
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| − |
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| − | Stefan Lofven succeeded Fredrik Reinfeldt as Prime Minister of Sweden in 2014
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| − |
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| − | Ulf Kristersson is the current prime minister
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| − |
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| − | Federal Council is the seven-member executive council which constitutes the federal government of '''Switzerland''' and serves as the Swiss collective head of state
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| − |
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| − | Switzerland is the closest state in the world to a direct democracy. For any change in the constitution, a referendum is mandatory (mandatory referendum); for any change in a law, a referendum can be requested (optional referendum)
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| − |
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| − | Hafez al-Assad was president of '''Syria''' from 1971 to 2000. He was succeeded by his son, current president Bashar al-Assad
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| − |
| |
| − | Julius Nyerere served as the first President of '''Tanzania''', from the country's founding in 1961 until his retirement in 1985
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| − |
| |
| − | '''Trinidad and Tobago''' gained independence in 1962
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| − |
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| − | Habib Bourguiba was the Founder and the first President of the Republic of '''Tunisia''' from 1957 until 1987
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| − |
| |
| − | Tunisia gained independence from France in 1956
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| − |
| |
| − | Najla Bouden is the current prime minister and Kais Saied is the current president
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| − |
| |
| − | Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been president of '''Turkey''' since 2014
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| − |
| |
| − | Milton Obote, Prime Minister of '''Uganda''' from 1962 to 1966 and President of Uganda from 1966 to 1971 and from 1980 to 1985, was a Ugandan political leader who led Uganda to independence from the British colonial administration in 1962
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| − |
| |
| − | Idi Amin was President of Uganda from 1971 to 1979. He died in Saudi Arabia in 2003
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| − |
| |
| − | Yoweri Museveni has been president since his forces toppled the previous regime in 1986
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| − |
| |
| − | In 1828 the Treaty of Montevideo, fostered by the United Kingdom, gave birth to '''Uruguay''' as an independent state. The nation's first constitution was adopted in 1830
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| − |
| |
| − | Tabere Vasquez succeeded Jose Mujica as President of Uruguay in 2015
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| − |
| |
| − | Nicolas Maduro has been president of '''Venezuela''' since 2013
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| − |
| |
| − | On 2 July 1976, North and South Vietnam were merged to form the Socialist Republic of '''Vietnam'''
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| − |
| |
| − | Ngo Dinh Diem was the first president of South Vietnam, from 1955 to 1963. He was assassinated during a coup d’etat
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| − |
| |
| − | Ho Chi Minh was prime minister (1946–55) and president (1945–69) of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (North Vietnam)
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| − |
| |
| − | Le Duc Tho was Head of the Central Organizing Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam from 1976 to 1982
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| − |
| |
| − | Kenneth Kaunda served as the first President of '''Zambia''', from 1964 to 1991
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| − |
| |
| − | Bishop Muzarewa became the first black Prime Minister of '''Zimbabwe''' in 1979
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| − |
| |
| − | Canaan Banana served as the first President of Zimbabwe from 1980 until1987, when Mugabe took over
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| − |
| |
| − | Ian Smith was the leader of the Rhodesian Front party
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| − |
| |
| − | Ian Smith declared UDI in Rhodesia in 1965
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| − |
| |
| − | Ian Smith and Harold Wilson held two rounds of direct negotiations, both of which were held aboard Royal Navy ships off Gibraltar. The first took place aboard HMS ''Tiger'' in 1966, while the second, aboard HMS ''Fearless'', were held in 1968
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| − |
| |
| − | The Zimbabwe African National Union – Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF) is a Zimbabwean Socialist party that has been the ruling political party in Zimbabwe since independence in 1980, led by Robert Mugabe, first as Prime Minister with the party simply known as ZANU, and then as President from 1988 after taking over ZAPU (Zimbabwe African People’s Union, led by Joshua Nkomo) and renaming the party ZANU-PF
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| − |
| |
| − | Prior to its split in 2005, the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) was a Zimbabwean political party organized under the leadership of Morgan Tsvangirai. The party split over whether to contest the 2005 senate election
| |
| − |
| |
| − | Emmerson Mnangagwa replaced Robert Mugabe as President of Zimbabwe in 2017
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| − |
| |
| − | == United Nations ==
| |
| − | United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization established in 1945 to promote international co-operation. A replacement for the ineffective League of Nations, the organization was created following the Second World War to prevent another such conflict. At its founding, the UN had 51 member states; there are now 193. The headquarters of the United Nations is in Manhattan, New York City
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| − |
| |
| − | === Secretary-General of the United Nations ===
| |
| − | {| class="wikitable"
| |
| − | |1945–1946
| |
| − | |Gladwyn Jebb
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| − | |UK
| |
| − | |Acting Secretary-General
| |
| − | |-
| |
| − | |1946–1952
| |
| − | |Trygve Lie
| |
| − | |Norway
| |
| − | |Only Secretary-General to resign
| |
| − | |-
| |
| − | |1953–1961
| |
| − | |Dag Hammarskjold
| |
| − | |Sweden
| |
| − | |Only Secretary-General to die in office
| |
| − | |-
| |
| − | |1961–1971
| |
| − | |U Thant
| |
| − | |Burma
| |
| − | |Longest serving
| |
| − | |-
| |
| − | |1971–1982
| |
| − | |Kurt Waldheim
| |
| − | |Austria
| |
| − | |Third term vetoed by China
| |
| − | |-
| |
| − | |1982–1991
| |
| − | |Javier Perez de Cuellar
| |
| − | |Peru
| |
| − | |
| |
| − | |-
| |
| − | |1992–1996
| |
| − | |Boutros Boutros-Ghali
| |
| − | |Egypt
| |
| − | |Second term vetoed by USA
| |
| − | |-
| |
| − | |1997–2006
| |
| − | |Kofi Annan
| |
| − | |Ghana
| |
| − | |
| |
| − | |-
| |
| − | |2007–2016
| |
| − | |Ban Ki-Moon
| |
| − | |South Korea
| |
| − | |
| |
| − | |-
| |
| − | |2017–
| |
| − | |Antonio Guterres
| |
| − | |Portugal
| |
| − | |
| |
| − | |}
| |
| − | Limit of two terms introduced after 1982
| |
| − |
| |
| − | Alexander Cadogan was Britain's representative to the United Nations from 1946 to 1950
| |
| − |
| |
| − | == Revolutions ==
| |
| − | Colour revolutions or Flower revolutions are the names given collectively to a series of related movements that developed in post-communist societies in Central and Eastern Europe, and Central Asia. So far these movements have been successful in Serbia (the 2000 Bulldozer Revolution), Georgia (the 2003 Rose Revolution), Ukraine (the 2004 Orange Revolution), and (though more violent than the previous ones) Kyrgyzstan (the 2005 Tulip Revolution). The Cedar Revolution in Lebanon, unlike the revolutions in Eastern Europe and Central Asia, followed not a disputed election, but rather the assassination of opposition leader Rafik Hariri in 2005.
| |
| − |
| |
| − | Purple Revolution – a name first used by some hopeful commentators and later picked up by United States President George W. Bush to describe the coming of democracy to Iraq following the 2005 Iraqi legislative election
| |
| − |
| |
| − | Blue Revolution – a term used by some Kuwaitis to refer to demonstrations in Kuwait in support of women's suffrage beginning in March of 2005
| |
| − |
| |
| − | Singing Revolution is the commonly used name for events between 1987 and 1990 that led to the regaining of independence of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania
| |
| − |
| |
| − | Jasmine Revolution was an intensive campaign of civil resistance, including a series of street demonstrations taking place in Tunisia. The events began in December 2010 and led to the ousting of President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali in January 2011
| |
| − |
| |
| − | == Europe ==
| |
| − | The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) in Strasbourg was set up under the European Convention on Human Rights of 1950 in order to monitor compliance by Signatory Parties. The European Convention on Human Rights is one of the most important conventions adopted by the Council of Europe. All 47 member states of the Council of Europe are signatories of the Convention
| |
| − |
| |
| − | Single European Act (1986) was the first major revision of the Treaty of Rome that formally established the single European market and the European Political Cooperation
| |
| − |
| |
| − | Maastricht Treaty (1992) led to the creation of the European Union and was the result of separate negotiations on monetary union and on political union
| |
| − |
| |
| − | The 1985 Schengen Agreement is an agreement among most European countries which allows for the abolition of systematic border controls between the participating countries
| |
| − |
| |
| − | European Commission is the executive branch of EU
| |
| − |
| |
| − | Council of Ministers is the principle decision making institution in the EU
| |
| − |
| |
| − | European Council (referred to as a European Summit) is the highest political body of the EU
| |
| − |
| |
| − | Council of Europe headquarters is in Strasbourg
| |
| − |
| |
| − | The Paris Charter was adopted by a summit meeting of most European governments in addition to those of Canada, the United States and the Soviet Union, in Paris in 1990. The charter was established on the foundation of the Helsinki Accords, and was further amended in the 1999 Charter for European Security. Together, these documents form the agreed basis for the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe. However not all OSCE member countries have signed the treaty
| |
| − |
| |
| − | Copenhagen criteria are the rules that define whether a nation is eligible to join the European Union
| |
| − |
| |
| − | === President of the European Commission ===
| |
| − | {| class="wikitable"
| |
| − | |1958-1967
| |
| − | |Walter Hallstein
| |
| − | |Germany
| |
| − | |-
| |
| − | |1967-1970
| |
| − | |Jean Rey
| |
| − | |Belgium
| |
| − | |-
| |
| − | |1970-1972
| |
| − | |Franco Maria Malfatti
| |
| − | |Italy
| |
| − | |-
| |
| − | |1972-1973
| |
| − | |Sicco Mansholt
| |
| − | |Netherlands
| |
| − | |-
| |
| − | |1973-1977
| |
| − | |Francois-Xavier Ortoli
| |
| − | |France
| |
| − | |-
| |
| − | |1977-1981
| |
| − | |Roy Jenkins
| |
| − | |United Kingdom
| |
| − | |-
| |
| − | |1981-1985
| |
| − | |Gaston Thorn
| |
| − | |Luxembourg
| |
| − | |-
| |
| − | |1985-1995
| |
| − | |Jacques Delors
| |
| − | |France
| |
| − | |-
| |
| − | |1995-1999
| |
| − | |Jacques Santer
| |
| − | |Luxembourg
| |
| − | |-
| |
| − | |1999-2004
| |
| − | |Romani Prodi
| |
| − | |Italy
| |
| − | |-
| |
| − | |2004-2014
| |
| − | |Jose Manuel Barraso
| |
| − | |Portugal
| |
| − | |-
| |
| − | |2014-2019
| |
| − | |Jean-Claude Juncker
| |
| − | |Luxembourg
| |
| − | |-
| |
| − | |2019-
| |
| − | |Ursula von der Leyen
| |
| − | |Germany
| |
| − | |}
| |
| − |
| |
| − | === President of the European Council ===
| |
| − | {| class="wikitable"
| |
| − | |2009-2014
| |
| − | |Herman van Rompuy
| |
| − | |Belgium
| |
| − | |-
| |
| − | |2019-2019
| |
| − | |Donald Tusk
| |
| − | |Poland
| |
| − | |-
| |
| − | |2019-
| |
| − | |Charles Michel
| |
| − | |Belgium
| |
| − | |}
| |
| − | European Court of Justice is in Luxembourg
| |
| − |
| |
| − | EU elections are held every five years
| |
| − |
| |
| − | European Free Alliance (EFA) consists of various regionalist political parties in Europe advocating either full political independence (statehood), or some form of devolution or self-governance for their country or region. Founded in 1981
| |
| − |
| |
| − | From 1 January 2007 (when Romania and Bulgaria joined the EU), there were 785 MEPs, but their number fell back to 736 at the elections in 2009, though this will eventually rise to 751, with each member state having at least six and at most 96. Elections occur once every five years
| |
| − |
| |
| − | The European People’s Party (EPP) has been the largest party in the European Parliament since 1999, the European Council since 2002 and is also by far the largest party in the current European Commission
| |
| − |
| |
| − | Frontex is an agency of the European Union established in 2004 to manage the cooperation between national border guards securing its external borders. Based in Warsaw
| |
| − |
| |
| − | Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty enables a country to withdraw from EU
| |
| − |
| |
| − | Dublin Regulation is an EU law that determines the EU Member State responsible to examine an application for asylum seekers seeking international protection under the Geneva Convention and the EU Qualification Directive, within the European Union
| |
| − |
| |
| − | == Africa ==
| |
| − | The African Union (AU) is an organization consisting of fifty-three African states. Established in 2001, the AU was formed as a successor to the amalgamated African Economic Community (AEC) and the Organization of African Unity (OAU)
| |
| − |
| |
| − | The only African state that is not a member of the African Union is Morocco, which left the AU's predecessor, the OAU, in 1984, when the other member states supported the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic. The AU's secretariat, the African Union Commission, is based in Addis Ababa
| |
| − |
| |
| − | The Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic is a government in exile founded by the Polisario Front in 1976. It does not currently control the majority of its claimed territory, the former Spanish colony of Western Sahara. Currently, Morocco administers the majority of the territory as its Southern Provinces, called 'Occupied Territory' by the Polisario; the SADR claims to control the rest as what it describes as the Free Zone, seen as a buffer zone by Morocco
| |
| − |
| |
| − | == Middle East ==
| |
| − | The term Green Line is used to refer to the 1949 Armistice lines established between Israel and its neighbours (Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria) after the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. The Green Line separates Israel not only from these countries but from territories Israel would later capture in the 1967 Six-Day War, including the West Bank, Gaza Strip, Golan Heights and Sinai Peninsula (the latter has since been returned to Egypt). Its name is derived from the green pencil used to draw the line on the map during the talks
| |
| − |
| |
| − | Arab Socialist Ba’ath Party was founded in Damascus in 1940 by the Syrian intellectuals Michel Aflaq and Salah al-Bitar
| |
| − |
| |
| − | Khaled Mashal been the main leader of the Palestinian organization Hamas since 2004
| |
| − |
| |
| − | Fatah is a leading secular Palestinian political party and the largest faction of the confederated multi-party Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO)
| |
| − |
| |
| − | == South America ==
| |
| − | Union of South American Nations (UNASUR) is an intergovernmental union integrating two existing customs unions: Mercosur and the Andean Community of Nations, as part of a continuing process of South American integration. It is modelled on the European Union
| |
| − |
| |
| − | Mercosur is composed of five sovereign member states: Argentina; Brazil; Paraguay; Uruguay; and Venezuela
| |
| − |
| |
| − | == Commonwealth ==
| |
| − | Commonwealth of Nations is a political association of 54 member states, most of which are former territories of the British Empire
| |
| − |
| |
| − | Commonwealth Secretary-General is the head of the Commonwealth Secretariat, the central body which has served the Commonwealth of Nations since its establishment in 1965, and responsible for representing the Commonwealth publicly
| |
| − |
| |
| − | === Commonwealth Secretary-General ===
| |
| − | {| class="wikitable"
| |
| − | |1965-1975
| |
| − | |Arnold Smith
| |
| − | |Canada
| |
| − | |-
| |
| − | |1975-1990
| |
| − | |Sonny Ramphal
| |
| − | |Guyana
| |
| − | |-
| |
| − | |1990-2000
| |
| − | |Emeka Anyaoku
| |
| − | |Nigeria
| |
| − | |-
| |
| − | |2000-2008
| |
| − | |Dom McKinnon
| |
| − | |New Zealand
| |
| − | |-
| |
| − | |2008-2016
| |
| − | |Kamalesh Sharma
| |
| − | |India
| |
| − | |-
| |
| − | |2016-
| |
| − | |Patricia Scotland, Baroness Scotland of Asthal
| |
| − | |Dominica/UK
| |
| − | |}
| |
| − |
| |
| − | == Group of Seven (G7) ==
| |
| − | The forum originated with a 1975 summit hosted by France that brought together representatives of six governments: France, West Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States, thus leading to the name Group of Six or G6. The summit became known as the Group of Seven or G7 in 1976 with the addition of Canada. Russia was added to the group from 1998 to 2014, which then became known as the G8. The European Union was represented within the G8 since the 1980s but could not host or chair summits
| |
| − |
| |
| − | Russia was suspended following the annexation of Crimea in 2014 and the group has returned to its previous name of Group of Seven or G7
| |
| − |
| |
| − | France and the UK have expressed a desire to expand the group to include five developing countries, referred to as the Outreach Five (O5) or the Plus Five: Brazil, China, India, Mexico, and South Africa. These countries have participated as guests in meetings that are sometimes called G8+5
| |
