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Politics and government

How governments are chosen, how laws are made and checked, and how countries work together and apart. The notes explain the rules and the institutions, give each side of an argument its strongest case, and take none.

22 notes from Graphite. Free to read, with no account. Nothing here is for sale.

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Where to begin.

The note that answers the topic’s biggest question, then the two it leads to most directly.

  1. Start here

    What is democracy? How people govern themselves

    Democracy is government in which power comes from the people, who choose and remove their rulers in free elections. How it works, its main forms, and how it is measured.

    Graphite6 min read

  2. Then

    What powers does the president have? The limits, explained

    The US president commands the military, enforces federal law, vetoes bills, appoints officials and grants pardons, but Congress, the courts and voters can check each power.

    Graphite7 min read

  3. And then

    What is a midterm election? Why the US votes mid-term

    A midterm election is the US general election held halfway through a president's four-year term, when every House seat, about a third of the Senate and most governors are on the ballot.

    Graphite6 min read

Every note

All 22 notes in Politics and government.

The three above, then the rest. Each answers one question and links to the notes it leads to.

  1. What is the European Union? How the EU works

    The European Union is a union of 27 European countries that share a single market, common laws and, for 21 of them, the euro. How it began, who decides, and how countries join or leave.

    Graphite7 min read

  4. What is the United Nations? What the UN does and can't do

    The United Nations is an organization of 193 countries, founded in 1945 to keep peace and foster cooperation. How its Security Council, General Assembly and agencies work, and where its power ends.

    Graphite7 min read

  6. What is a government shutdown? Why it happens in the US

    A government shutdown is what happens when Congress hasn't passed funding in time: by law, federal agencies must stop work that isn't essential, and many employees go unpaid until it ends.

    Graphite6 min read

  8. What is communism? Marx's idea and how states tried it

    Communism is the idea of a classless society where property is held in common, set out by Marx and Engels in 1848. One-party states that claimed it ran much of the world in the 20th century.

    Graphite6 min read

  11. What is the Constitution? The US rulebook in plain words

    The US Constitution is the 1787 document that sets up the federal government and splits its power three ways and between nation and states. It has 27 amendments, the first ten the Bill of Rights.

    Graphite6 min read

  12. What does Congress do? The House and Senate explained

    Congress makes federal law, controls the government's money, oversees the executive and alone can declare war. The House and Senate share those jobs but differ in size, terms and powers.

    Graphite6 min read

  13. What is the G7? And how it differs from the G20

    The G7 is an informal club of seven large, rich democracies whose leaders meet every year. The G20 adds big emerging economies, the EU and the African Union.

    Graphite6 min read

  15. How does the Electoral College work? 270, explained

    The Electoral College is how the US elects a president: each state gets electors equal to its seats in Congress, most give all of them to the state's winner, and 270 of 538 wins.

    Graphite6 min read

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