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filibuster

(Encyclopedia)filibuster, term used to designate obstructionist tactics in legislative assemblies. It has particular reference to the U.S. Senate, where the tradition of unlimited debate is very strong. It was not ...

Tweed, William Marcy

(Encyclopedia)Tweed, William Marcy, 1823–78, American politician and Tammany leader, b. New York City. A bookkeeper, he became (1848) a volunteer fireman and as a result acquired influence in his ward. He was an ...

American Revolution

(Encyclopedia)American Revolution, 1775–83, struggle by which the Thirteen Colonies on the Atlantic seaboard of North America won independence from Great Britain and became the United States. It is also called th...

Puerto Rico

(Encyclopedia)CE5 Puerto Rico rēˈkō [key], island (2015 est. pop. 3,674,000), 3,508 sq mi (9,086 sq km), West Indies, c.1,000 mi (1,610 km) SE of Miami, Fla. Officially known as the Commonwealth of Puerto Ric...

Liechtenstein

(Encyclopedia)Liechtenstein lĭkhˈtənshtīnˌ [key], officially Principality of Liechtenstein, principality (2015 est. pop. 37,000), 62 sq mi (160 sq km), W central Europe. It is situated in the Alps between Aust...

Thaksin Shinawatra

(Encyclopedia)Thaksin Shinawatra täkˈsĭn shĭˈnäwät [key], 1949–, Thai business executive and political leader, b. Chiang Mai. Born into a wealthy merchant family, he went into the Thai police service in 19...

Schröder, Gerhard

(Encyclopedia)Schröder, Gerhard shröˈdər [key], 1944–, chancellor of Germany (1998–2005), b. Mosenburg, Germany. A telegenic lawyer and Social Democrat, he entered politics as a Marxist student in the 1960...

Cook Islands

(Encyclopedia)Cook Islands, island group (2021 est. pop. 17,564), 90 sq mi (234 sq km), S Pacific, SE of Samoa; a self-governing state in free association with New Ze...

Channel Islands, British dependency

(Encyclopedia)Channel Islands, archipelago (2015 est. pop. 164,000), 75 sq mi (194 sq km), 10 mi (16 km) off the coast of Normandy, France, in the English Channel. The main islands are Jersey, Guernsey, Alderney, a...

Gracchi

(Encyclopedia)Gracchi grăkˈī [key], two Roman statesmen and social reformers, sons of the consul Tiberius Sempronius Gracchus and of Cornelia. The brothers were brought up with great care by their mother. Tiberi...