The Petrograd Soviet was established following the February/March Revolution of 1917 as a committee for the protection of workers in Petrograd. It grew rapidly in influence and came to challenge the Provisional Government and the Duma for control over Russian government.

During the Great Depression and the Presidency of Franklin D. Roosevelt the American government changed policy direction dramatically. The federal government took on a much greater responsibility to protect the economy and provide for social welfare. In many ways we are still living in a world dramatically altered by this policy shift.

The United Nations was formed in the aftermath of the Second World War. The permanent members of the United Nations Security Council reflect the victors of World War Two. They are China, France, the United Kingdom, the United States of America, and the Soviet Union. Japan is not a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council.

The first Prime Minister of India was Jawaharlal Nehru. Nehru was an important figure in the Indian National Congress and in the fight for Indian independence. He is also an important stabilizing figure in the early years of the Indian state. Nehru served as Prime Minister from 1947 until the early 1960s.

Muammar al-Gaddafi’s reign in Libya lasted from 1969 until he was forcefully deposed in the Civil War of 2011. His reign is marked by islamic fundamentalism, as well as a rudimentary form of socialism. During his reign he frequently sponsored revolutionary activities in other countries in North Africa and the Middle East

Muhammad Ali Jinnah was the leader of the Muslim League in India during the campaign for Indian independence from Britain. Following the Great Partition, and the separation of Pakistan from India, Jinnah led the establishment of the state of Pakistan before his death in 1948. He is deeply respected in Pakistan and is considered the Father of the Nation.

The Khmer Rouge, under the leadership of Pol Pot, led Cambodia during the genocidal time period of the 1970s, known as the Killing Fields. A left-wing nationalist and communist party, it largely focused on agrarian socialism and a rejection of modern industry and capitalism. The party was dissolved in 1981 after officially losing power in 1979 to leftists who were unhappy with the ruling style of Pol Pot.

Historians and political scientists define a theocracy as a system of government in which a select group of religious officials hold political dominance. It is not enough for a state to have one official religion – in order to be classified as theocracy, a state must also have religious doctrines and/or principles fully integrated into its governmental structure and system of law. Over the course of history, many countries have been ruled by theocracies; for example, England, from 1653 to 1658, was ruled as theocratic one-man dictatorship under the ultra-Anglican Oliver Cromwell. Other historic theocratic examples include Zoroastrian Persia and the Roman Catholic Holy Roman Empire. Today, a few theocracies still exist – the two most prominent modern examples are the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Vatican State, and Sudan.

According to historians and political scientists, charismatic legitimacy is a type of governing legitimacy in which a nation’s people believe that their leader has the right to govern them on the basis of his or her strength of personality, popularity, and charisma. (This is in contrast to a leader’s right to govern based on fair elections or the systematic rule of law.) Charismatically-legitimate leaders often make use of a cult of personality (reinforced through propaganda and frequent public appearances, speeches, and/or proclamations) in order to maintain their grip on power. It is therefore no coincidence that most such leaders can also be accused of being dictators, since charismatic legitimacy sees the rule of law, constitutional processes, or other legal systems as insufficient (or even irrelevant) bases for political power. Prominent historical leaders who have all ruled, either entirely or at least partially, upon the basis of charismatic legitimacy include: the Soviet Union’s Joseph Stalin, Communist China’s Mao Zedong, France’s Napoleon Bonaparte, and Iran’s Ayatollah Khomeini.

Fascism is a system of government which is founded on an extreme form of nationalism. It usually involves a charismatic leader (like Hitler or Mussolini) and involves state control of all areas of social life. Usually it also involves the control of industry and labor by the state. It always involves the prohibition of opposition parties.