Big Political Words People Use And What They Mean

If you listen to political pundits, you hear them constantly labeling people based on their political beliefs, and often they throw around various labels that most people don’t understand. I would even argue that those using the terms usually don’t understand what they’re saying, either. Below are the most common political terms used and their definitions.

An economic and political system in which a country's trade and industry are controlled by private owners for profit. America has a capitalistic system.

An economic and political structure that advocates that the means of production, distribution, and exchange should be owned or regulated by the community as a whole.

A political theory derived from Karl Marx, advocating class war and leading to a society where all property is publicly owned, and each person works and is paid by the State according to their abilities and needs.

The political and economic theories of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, which their followers later developed to form the basis for the theory and practice of communism.

A government ruled by a dictator who controls the lives of the people and in which people are not allowed to disagree with the government.

A pure democracy allows all citizens to vote, and the majority rules, typically through elected representatives.

Similar to a democracy, but the elected representatives have more power to vote the way they want vs. always going with the majority of their constituents. America is a democratic republic.