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Machault d'Arnouville, Jean Baptiste de

(Encyclopedia)Machault d'Arnouville, Jean Baptiste de zhäN bätēstˈ də mäshōˈ därno͞ovēlˈ [key], 1701–94, French statesman. He held a succession of government offices and was (1743–45) intendant of V...

physiocrats

(Encyclopedia)physiocrats fĭzˈēəkrătsˌ [key], school of French thinkers in the 18th cent. who evolved the first complete system of economics. They were also referred to simply as “the economists” or “th...

Atta Mills, John Evans

(Encyclopedia)Atta Mills, John Evans, 1944–2012, Ghanaian lawyer, government official, and political leader, grad Univ. of Ghana (1967), London School of Economics (LL.M., 1968), School of Oriental and African St...

Ness, Eliot

(Encyclopedia)Ness, Eliot, 1903–57, American law enforcement officer, b. Chicago, grad. Univ. of Chicago (1925), famous as the leader of the “Untouchables,” the Justice Dept. squad who fought the gangster Al ...

Calonne, Charles Alexandre de

(Encyclopedia)Calonne, Charles Alexandre de shärl älĕksäNˈdrə də kälōnˈ [key], 1734–1802, French statesman, controller general of finances (1783–87). Faced with a huge public debt and a steadily deter...

voting

(Encyclopedia)voting, method of registering collective approval or disapproval of a person or a proposal. The term generally refers to the process by which citizens choose candidates for public office or decide pol...

Peter's pence

(Encyclopedia)Peter's pence, in the Roman Catholic Church, the annual voluntary laymen's contribution to the support of the pope. Formerly Peter's pence was a yearly tax of a penny levied by the Holy See on every h...

Messi, Lionel Andrés

(Encyclopedia)Messi, Lionel Andrés lyonālˈ ändrāsˈ māˈsē [key], 1987–, Argentinian-Spanish soccer player, b. Rosario, Argentina. He showed great talent early, and his family moved to Spain in 2000 when F...

Christian Coalition

(Encyclopedia)Christian Coalition, organization founded to advance the agenda of political and social conservatives, mostly comprised of evangelical Protestant Republicans, and to preserve what it deems traditional...

scutage

(Encyclopedia)scutage skyo͞oˈtĭj [key], feudal payment, usually in cash, given in lieu of actual military service due from a vassal to an overlord. It applied especially to the vassals of the king. Scutage colle...