excessive concentration of power in the hands of central authorities
1Sicilian Mafia Commission — The Sicilian Mafia Commission, known as Commissione or Cupola, is a body of leading Mafia members to decide on important questions concerning the actions of, and settling disputes within the Sicilian Mafia or Cosa Nostra. It is composed of… …
2History of the Roman Catholic Church — The History of the Catholic Church from apostolic times covers a period of nearly 2,000 years, [August Franzen, Kleine Kirchengeschichte Neubearbeitung, Herder,Freiburg,1988, p.11] making it the world s oldest and largest institution. It dates… …
3Administrative divisions of Portugal — The border between the municipalities of Lisbon and Oeiras; shared also by the civil parishes of Santa Maria de Belém (Lisbon) and Algés (Oeiras) Administratively, Portugal is a unitary and decentralized State. Nonetheless, operationally, it is… …
4Provinces of Portugal — The Provinces of Portugal, although today not recognized in law and disused, continue to exist as socio cultural divisions within the territory. Along its history, Portugal has had various administrative reorganizations that subdivided its… …
5HISTORICAL SURVEY: THE STATE AND ITS ANTECEDENTS (1880–2006) — Introduction It took the new Jewish nation about 70 years to emerge as the State of Israel. The immediate stimulus that initiated the modern return to Zion was the disappointment, in the last quarter of the 19th century, of the expectation that… …
6History of science and technology in the People's Republic of China — For more than a century China s leaders have called for rapid development of science and technology, and science policy has played a greater role in national politics in China than in many other countries. China s scientific and technical… …
7Economic history of the People's Republic of China — Throughout most of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, as during much of earlier Chinese history, the economy was barely able to meet the basic needs of the country s huge population the largest in the world. In normal years the economy… …
8United States — a republic in the N Western Hemisphere comprising 48 conterminous states, the District of Columbia, and Alaska in North America, and Hawaii in the N Pacific. 267,954,767; conterminous United States, 3,022,387 sq. mi. (7,827,982 sq. km); with… …
9Concerns and controversies over the 2008 Summer Olympics — 2008 Summer Olympics Bid process Venues Marketing Concerns and controversies Torch relay (route) Opening ceremony (flag bearers) Medal table (medalists) Closing ceremony Event calendar …
10Socialism — • A system of social and economic organization that would substitute state monopoly for private ownership of the sources of production and means of distribution Catholic Encyclopedia. Kevin Knight. 2006. Socialism Socialism …
