Columbia Encyclopedia

(Encyclopedia) Durkheim, Émile dûrkˈhīm, Fr. āmēlˈ dürkĕmˈ [key], 1858–1917, French sociologist. Along with Max Weber he is considered one of the chief founders of modern sociology. Educated in France an...

(Encyclopedia) Humphrey, Hubert Horatio, 1911–78, U.S. Vice President (1965–69), b. Wallace, S.Dak. After practicing pharmacy for several years, Humphrey taught political science and became involved in state pol...

(Encyclopedia) cost of living, amount of money needed to buy the goods and services necessary to maintain a specified standard of living. The cost of living is closely tied to rates of inflation and deflation. In es...

(Encyclopedia) Central American Federation or Central American Union, political confederation (1825–38) of the republics of Central America—Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Salvador. United under ...

(Encyclopedia) Tsvangirai, Morgan chänˌgərīˈ [key], 1952–2018, Zimbabwean trade unionist and political leader. In the 1970s, while working in a nickel mine, he joined the Associated Mineworkers Union. Rising ...

(Encyclopedia) Liberal party, former British political party, the dominant political party in Great Britain for much of the period from the mid-1800s to World War I. By 1914 the Liberal government had passed subst...

(Encyclopedia) Clarksburg, city (2020 pop. 14,929), seat of Harrison co., N central W.Va., at the confluence of Elk Creek and the West Fork of the Monongahela River; i...

(Encyclopedia) Zaev, Zoran, 1976–, Macedonian political leader. An economist, he joined the center-left Social Democratic Union of Macedonia in 1996. Zaev was a member of Macedonia's Assembly (2003–5), then mayo...

(Encyclopedia) Ruggles, Samuel Bulkley, 1800–1881, American public figure, b. New Milford, Conn. He was a successful lawyer in New York City, but between 1831 and 1851 gave up his practice to devote himself to pub...

(Encyclopedia) Grybauskaite, Dalia, 1956–, Lithuanian politician, president of Lithuania (2009–14). A member of the Communist party of the Soviet Union (1983–89) and the Communist party of Lithuania (1989–90...