Level 1: Society and Politics

Bill - a draft of a law before it is approved.

Example:

The bill was rejected by the Parliament since most members of the Parliament voted against the new law.

By-election - a type of election that usually happens in-between regular ones.

Example:

The by-election to the Senate will take place this Sunday.

Campaign - a contest between a few politicians before the elections.

Example:

The French presidentialelection campaign this year seems to be much stronger than the previous one.

Candidate - a person who opts to be selected for a certain position in the government by means of voting.

Example:

The candidate we voted for got only 40% of the votes and lost to his opponent who got 60%.

Dictator - a leader who has unlimited power over a country and often was not elected by the people but forcefully took the power.

Example:

The world’s history knew many dictators, such as Joseph Stalin.

Election - the process of choosing people for political positions by means of voting.

Example:

The President said to the media that he will not participate in the next elections and will retire.

Electoral register - the list of people who live in a certain area and can vote.

Example:

The electoral register here has only 1,500 people since it is a rather small town.

First past the post - a voting system where the candidate who gets the most votes wins.

Example:

In the United States, the first past the post system is not used, which is why pretty often a candidate for President who has overall more votes loses. This happens because the country uses the electoral college system.

Government - a group of people who are in charge of a village, city, or country.

Example:

People often blame all their problems on the government without even realizing that it has absolutely no power over most of those problems.

King - a male head of state who inherits his position by the right of birth.

Example:

Many people do not realize it, but today the king of England does not have any political power. It’s actually the Prime Minister who rules the country.

Law - a set of rules people should follow in a certain country.

Example:

Possession and distribution of drugs is prohibited by law in most countries in the world.

Party - a political organization that shares certain beliefs and values as well as often coordinated candidates for elections.

Example:

The Labour Party has already selected its candidate.

Policy - a course a certain political party or government follows.

Example:

The one-child policy in China created a huge gap between the male and female populations.

Politician - a person who works in politics.

Example:

As a rule, to become a politician, one needs to succeed in another professional field and have quite a lot of money.

President - the head of state in a republic who is elected by a country's citizens.

Example:

The President of the United States has already signed the new law.

Prime Minister - the head of the government.

Example:

The Prime Minister has been accused of bribery and illegal weapon trafficking.

Queen - a female head of state who inherits her position by the right of birth.

Example:

Marie Antoinette is perhaps the most famous queen of France, but the fun fact is she wasn’t even French.

Regime - an authoritarian government.

Example:

The regime of the President must be ended.

To elect - to choose a president, parliament, etc. using a vote.

Example:

This time we should elect a better parliament.

To vote - to select a candidate or a party at the elections.

Example:

I voted for the Democratic Party.

Citizenship - the status of being a citizen of a certain country.

Example:

I’ve been living in the US for more than ten years, but I still do not have citizenship.

Healthcare - provision of medical care.

Example:

Our healthcare system needs major changes and improvements.

Homelessness - the condition of having no home or other place to live.

Example:

The high homelessness rate is one of the biggest problems in our country.

Society - people who lived in an ordered community; people as a group.

Example:

Modern society has to deal with way more complicated problems than our ancestors did.

Social class - a social group that is formed according to socioeconomic status.

Example:

Even in democratic countries, social class determines people’s destiny since, as a rule, people from the low class do not have money for education and therefore have almost no chances of transferring to the middle class, not to mention the upper class.