National Congress of Parents and Teachers, American organization concerned with the educational, social, and economic well-being of children. The PTA was founded on Feb. 17, 1897, as the National Congress of Mothers; membership was later broadened to include teachers, fathers, and other citizens.

Omar al-Bashir: Military retirement, continued rule, and secession: …accept the nomination of the National Congress Party (NCP; successor party of the NIF) and stand in the upcoming (April 2010) presidential election, part of the country’s first multiparty elections in more than 20 years. Bashir was reelected in April with about 68 percent of the vote. However, the poll…

National Assembly, any of various historical French parliaments or houses of parliament. From June 17 to July 9, 1789, it was the name of the revolutionary assembly formed by representatives of the Third Estate; thereafter (until replaced by the Legislative Assembly on Sept. 30, 1791) its formal

Philadelphia: The city layout: Also nearby is the National Constitution Center, which was opened on July 4, 2003, to promote the better understanding of the U.S. Constitution.

Council of Guardians: …Council and appointed by the Majles (parliament). The Council of Guardians reviews all legislation passed by the Majles to determine its constitutionality. If a majority of the council does not find a piece of legislation in compliance with the constitution or if a majority of the council’s Islamic canon lawyers…

National Consumers League (NCL), American organization founded in 1899 to fight for the welfare of consumers and workers who had little voice or power in the marketplace and workplace. Many of the NCL’s goals, such as the establishment of a minimum wage and the limitation of working hours, directly

National Convention, assembly that governed France from September 20, 1792, until October 26, 1795, during the most critical period of the French Revolution. The National Convention was elected to provide a new constitution for the country after the overthrow of the monarchy (August 10, 1792). The

western Africa: The formation of African independence movements: …of the west, and the National Convention of Nigerian Citizens (NCNC), whose prime support came from the Igbo of the east. These parties expected the whole country quickly to follow the Ghanaian pattern of constitutional change. But any elective central assembly was bound to be dominated by the north, which…

Budapest: The modern city: …the autumn of 1918, the National Council, a revolutionary body headed by Count Mihály Károlyi and supported by antiwar radicals and socialists, took power in Budapest. The following March the Károlyi regime collapsed; communists seized power in the capital and held it for four months while also controlling the central…

Namibia: Government: The second house, the National Council, serves in an advisory capacity on legislative matters and comprises three representatives from each of Namibia’s 14 administrative regions. National Council members are elected by Regional Councils and serve six-year terms.

Austria: Constitutional framework: The National Council, wielding the primary legislative power, is elected by all citizens who are at least 16 years of age, and every citizen over age 26 is eligible to run for office. The distribution of seats in the National Council is based on a system…

Guinea: Conté’s death, 2008 military coup, and 2010 elections: The National Council for Democracy and Development (Conseil National pour la Démocratie et le Développement; CNDD), with Capt. Moussa Dadis Camara as president, was created to serve as a transitional government. The CNDD promised to hold elections within one year and vowed to fight rampant corruption.…

Burundi: The path toward peace: …Nkurunziza, a Hutu, representing the National Council for the Defense of Democracy–Forces for the Defense of Democracy (Conseil National pour la Défense de la Démocratie–Forces pour la Défense de la Démocratie; CNDD–FDD), was elected president. Under the terms of the constitution, as the first post-transition president, he was elected by…

Uruguay: Modernization and reform: …between the president and a National Council of Administration.

Zitkala-Sa: She founded the National Council of American Indians in 1926, and, as the organization’s president, she advocated citizenship rights, better educational opportunities, improved health care, and cultural recognition and preservation. Her investigation of land swindles perpetrated against Native Americans resulted in her appointment as an adviser to the…

National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A. (NCC), an agency of Protestant, Anglican, and Eastern Orthodox denominations that was formed in 1950 in the United States by the merger of 12 national interdenominational agencies. The National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A.

Ezra Taft Benson: …as executive secretary of the National Council of Farmer Cooperatives, a lobbying group located in Washington, D.C. Benson was an active member of the Mormon church, and in 1943 he was ordained a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, the highest governing body of the church after the…

National Council of Hispanic Women (NCHW), organization of both individuals and organizations, such as universities and corporations, founded in 1985 with the mission of empowering Hispanic women and giving them a greater role in American society. The main goal of the organization is to have a more

Global Health Council, global nonprofit alliance devoted to improving health around the world. It comprises corporations, foundations, government agencies, nongovernmental organizations, and universities. The National Council of International Health was created in 1972 and was renamed the Global

National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW), oldest volunteer Jewish women’s organization in the United States, founded in 1893. Prompted by Jewish values, the organization works with both the Jewish community and the general public to safeguard rights and freedoms for people worldwide. This objective

National Council of Negro Women (NCNW), American umbrella organization, founded by Mary McLeod Bethune in New York City on December 5, 1935, whose mission is “to advance opportunities and the quality of life for African American women, their families and communities.” Disappointed with the lack of

Nnamdi Azikiwe: …as a founder of the National Council of Nigeria and the Cameroons (NCNC), which became increasingly identified with the Igbo people of southern Nigeria after 1951. In 1948, with the backing of the NCNC, Azikiwe was elected to the Nigerian Legislative Council, and he later served as premier of the…

South Africa: The 1996 constitution: The National Council of Provinces, which replaced the Senate as the upper house, is made up of 10-member delegations (each with six permanent and four special members, including the provincial premier) chosen by each of the provincial assemblies. For most votes each delegation casts a single…

Croatia: From World War I to the establishment of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes: …power to the newly created National Council of Slovenes, Croats, and Serbs in Zagreb. One dissenting voice was that of Stjepan Radić, leader of the Croatian Peasant Party, who opposed unconditional unification with no reference to the will of the people of Croatia and with no guarantees of national equality…

National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A. (NCC), an agency of Protestant, Anglican, and Eastern Orthodox denominations that was formed in 1950 in the United States by the merger of 12 national interdenominational agencies. The National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A.

free church: …in 1896 to form the National Council of the Evangelical Free Churches. In 1940 this group merged with the Federal Council of the Evangelical Churches to form the Free Church Federal Council (commonly known as the Free Churches Group).

resistance: In 1943 the clandestine National Council of the Resistance (Conseil National de la Résistance) was established as the central organ of coordination among all French groups. Early the following year, various belligerent forces known as maquis (named from the underbrush, or maquis that served as their cover) were formally…

South Africa: Labor and taxation: …federations include the Black consciousness-rooted National Council of Trade Unions and the mainly white Federation of South African Labour.

Kate Sheppard: …1896 Sheppard helped establish the National Council of Women (NCW) and became its first president. Among the issues she supported were greater equality in marriage and the right of women to run for Parliament. Although poor health forced her to step down as president of the NCW in 1903, she…

John Brennan: …the organization that became the National Counterterrorism Center, which he led as interim director before retiring from the CIA in 2005.

the Nationals, Australian political party that for most of its history has held office as a result of its customary alliance with the Liberal Party of Australia. It often acted as a margin in the balance of power, but its own power declined over the years. In 1934 it could command 16 percent of the

Scots Confession: The Second Scots Confession, also called the King’s Confession and the National Covenant (1581), was a supplement to the First Scots Confession. It was a strongly antipapal statement adopted by the king, council, and court and by all the Scottish people in 1581. It was also…

National Covenant, solemn agreement inaugurated by Scottish churchmen on Feb. 28, 1638, in the Greyfriars’ churchyard, Edinburgh. It rejected the attempt by King Charles I and William Laud, archbishop of Canterbury, to force the Scottish church to conform to English liturgical practice and church

Oklahoma: The arts: The National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, at Oklahoma City, is noted for its Western art and its exhibits of cowboy paraphernalia. The Will Rogers Memorial Museum, in Claremore, features exhibits depicting early Oklahoma and Rogers’s career as a cowboy, humorist, and actor.

Credit unions may feel more community focused than big banks, but they still depend on a strong regulatory and insurance framework to keep consumers’ money safe. At the center of that system is the National Credit Union Administration (NCUA), the federal agency that regulates credit unions,

cricket: The Cricket Council and the ECB: …County Cricket Board (TCCB), the National Cricket Association (NCA), and the MCC, was the result of these efforts. The TCCB, which amalgamated the Advisory County Cricket Committee and the Board of Control of Test Matches at Home, had responsibility for all first-class and minor-counties cricket in England and for overseas…

police: Computerization: In the United States the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) was established in 1967; police records were subsequently computerized and made available to police agencies throughout the country. The NCIC’s database enables local police departments to apprehend offenders who might otherwise evade capture. The database contains fingerprints, a registry of…

Jacques d’Amboise: …became director of the nonprofit National Dance Institute (NDI), which he founded (1976) in order to take the teaching of dance into an ever-widening circle of public schools. The NDI, which was based in New York City, later became involved with a number of associate organizations across the country. D’Amboise’s…

Switzerland: Daily life and social customs: August 1 is National Day (German: Bundesfeier; French: Fête Nationale; and Italian: Festa Nazionale), which commemorates the agreement between representatives of the Alpine cantons of Uri, Schwyz, and Nidwalden, who signed an oath of confederation in 1291. The holiday itself, however, dates only from 1891, and it became…

National Day, holiday celebrated on October 1 to mark the formation of the People’s Republic of China. The holiday is also celebrated by China’s two special administrative regions: Hong Kong and Macau. Traditionally, the festivities begin with the ceremonial raising of the Chinese national flag in

history of Latin America: Debt crisis: …full service on its foreign debt, which had grown to dangerously high levels. Both Mexico and Venezuela, as major petroleum exporters, benefited from rising international oil prices during the 1970s, but, instead of concluding that foreign credit was no longer necessary, they assumed that any amount of indebtedness would be…

international trade: National defense: …argument is fairly clear: the national-defense argument is frequently a red herring, an attempt to “wrap oneself in the flag,” and insofar as an industry is essential, the tariff is a dubious means of ensuring its survival. Economists say instead that essential industries ought to be given a direct subsidy…

Narodna Odbrana, Serbian nationalist organization, founded in 1908, that gathered recruits from Bosnia-Herzegovina, Serbia, and Croatia and tried to foment an anti-Habsburg revolution in Bosnia. Although it officially transformed itself into a cultural society in 1909, it continued its clandestine

United States: National security: The National Security Act of 1947 created a coordinated command for security and intelligence-gathering activities. The act established the National Security Council (NSC) and the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), the latter under the authority of the NSC and responsible for foreign intelligence. The National Security Agency,…

Cooperative Threat Reduction: …Nunn and Lugar cosponsored the National Defense Authorization Act. The act originally provided U.S. funding for either the elimination of Soviet nuclear weapons or their removal to carefully guarded sites, storage of nuclear material obtained from decommissioned missiles, and efforts to prevent the sale or illegal dispersal of destructive weapons.…

Mike Lee: He notably voted against the National Defense Authorization Act of 2014, which allowed the government to detain without trial anyone—including U.S. citizens—suspected of fighting with al-Qaeda and other forces hostile to the United States. Lee also supported the government shutdown of 2013, along with many members of his party, but…

Kim Jong-Un: Childhood and rise to power: …a post on the powerful National Defense Commission (NDC); the chairmanship of the NDC, defined in the constitution as the country’s highest office, was held by Kim Jong Il. By mid-2009 Kim Jong-Un was being referred to within the country by the title “Brilliant Comrade,” and in June it was…

Serbia: Security: …the other republics, established a National Defense Council, which in time of war “or any other peril” could assume sweeping police powers—even making its own determination that such a situation exists. As a result, a small number of military officers held a considerable amount of power. The council invoked its…

National Defense Education Act (NDEA), U.S. federal legislation passed by Congress and signed into law by Pres. Dwight D. Eisenhower on September 2, 1958, that provided funding to improve American schools and to promote postsecondary education. The goal of the legislation was to enable the

Vannevar Bush: Architect of the military-industrial complex: …about forming an organization, the National Defense Research Committee (NDRC), to organize research of interest to the military and to inform the armed services about new technologies. The NDRC was formed with Bush as its chairman on June 27, 1940. One year later, the Office of Scientific Research and Development…

National Defense University (NDU), American graduate-level institution of higher education for members of the U.S. military and allied countries’ militaries that was designed to prepare military and civilian leaders to face present and emerging security threats through education in military

Poland: Accommodation with the ruling governments: …Democratic movement originated with a Polish League organized in Switzerland; by 1893 the organization had transformed into the clandestine National League, based in Warsaw. It stressed its all-Polish character, rejected loyalism, and promoted national resistance, even uprisings, when opportune. Its nationalist ideology tinged with populism gradually evolved into “integral” nationalism,…

National Democratic Alliance (NDA), alliance of right-leaning political parties in India, led by the pro-Hindutva Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) held power first from 1999 until 2004 under the leadership of Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and again from

Grenada: Independence of Grenada: …in March 1990, Braithwaite, whose National Democratic Congress (NDC) fell one seat shy of a parliamentary majority, was appointed prime minister by Scoon.

John Mahama: …Ghanaian politician affiliated with the National Democratic Congress (NCD) political party who became vice president of Ghana in 2009. After the death of Pres. John Evans Atta Mills in July 2012, Mahama ascended to the presidency. He was elected president later that year and served until 2017. He was reelected…

Jamaica: The independent country: …(creating a third party, the National Democratic Movement). The start of disengagement by the political parties from gang leaders and the establishment of the Electoral Commission contributed significantly to a decrease in political violence.

Democratic Action (AD), social-democratic political party of Venezuela. Democratic Action was founded in 1936–37 as the National Democratic Party during a period when Venezuela’s government had relaxed its restrictive laws regulating political organizations. By the end of 1937, however, the

Egypt: The Mubarak regime: His National Democratic Party (NDP) continued to increase its majority of delegates in the People’s Assembly in the elections held every five years. The Muslim Brotherhood, unofficially allowed to revive under Sadat but never authorized to become a political party, threw its popular support to the…

Samuel Ladoke Akintola: He formed the Nigerian National Democratic Party but was never able to win the votes of the majority of the region. His blatantly rigged election in 1965 was undoubtedly an immediate cause of the January 1966 coup in which he was slain.

Joshua Nkomo: …in 1960 and founded the National Democratic Party (NDP); in 1961, when the NDP was banned in turn, he founded ZAPU. The white-minority government of Rhodesia held Nkomo in detention from 1964 until 1974. After his release he traveled widely in Africa and Europe to promote ZAPU’s goal of Black…

Suriname: Suriname since independence: …served as president of the National Democratic Party (Nationale Democratische Partij; NDP) and was widely viewed as the real power behind Jules Wijdenbosch, who was elected president of the country in 1996. In 1997 the government of the Netherlands issued an arrest warrant for Bouterse on charges of drug smuggling,…

National Democratic Party of Germany (NPD), right-wing German nationalist party that called for German unification during the Cold War and advocated law and order as well as an end to German “guilt” for World War II. The party’s founders included many former supporters of the Nazis. In the 1950s,

Algeria: Constitutional referendum and the election of Abdelaziz Bouteflika: …a new government party, the National Democratic Rally (Rassemblement National et Démocratique; RND), was formed. Benefiting from unlimited government support, including the use of official buildings and funds, the RND quickly gained power. In the June elections for the National People’s Assembly, the RND won 156 out of 380 seats,…

Eric Holder: …he became chairman of the National Democratic Redistricting Committee.

North Macedonia: Independence of North Macedonia: …seats, and the newly formed National Democratic Revival (RK), with about 3 percent and 2 seats. This proved to be a period of extensive political turmoil, which included a prolonged boycott of the parliament by the SDSM.

Russia: Russification policies: …course illegal, political parties appeared—the National Democrats and the Polish Socialist Party, both fundamentally anti-Russian.

dentistry: Organizations: In addition, the National Dental Association exists to represent ethnic minorities in dentistry in the United States. The National Dental Association was formed in 1932 by African American dentists, who were experiencing racial discrimination and were prevented from becoming members of organized dental societies. Today the American Dental…

education: Education and civil society: …Meyer and Michael Hannan in National Development and the World System: Educational, Economic, and Political Change, 1950–1970 (1979), formal systems of education not only represent the means by which nation-states have modernized and prospered economically but are also the surest route to enhancing the talents of individuals. As a requirement…

Raila Odinga: Early life and political activity: …left FORD–K and joined the National Development Party (NDP).

National Dialogue Quartet, coalition of Tunisian civil society organizations—the Tunisian General Labour Union (Union Générale Tunisienne du Travail; UGTT), the Tunisian Order of Lawyers (Ordre National des Avocats de Tunisie), the Tunisian Confederation of Industry, Trade and Handicrafts (Union

Angola: Resources and power: The National Diamond Enterprise of Angola, a parastatal company, is responsible for approving diamond concessions, and it also licenses buyers. In 1992–94 most Angolan diamonds on the market were mined and smuggled from regions controlled by UNITA. The Angolan government gained control of this area in…

Sierra Leone: Resources and power: The National Diamond Mining Company (Diminco) also mined diamonds until 1995. Mining methods range from mechanical grab lines with washing and separator plants to crude hand digging and panning. Many diamonds are found in river gravels, especially along the Sewa-Bafi river system. Official exports of diamonds…

National Diet Library, the national library of Japan, formed at Tokyo in 1948 and combining the libraries of the upper and lower houses of the Diet (national legislature) with the collections of the former Imperial Library (established 1872). The library’s building opened in 1961, adjacent to the

Library of Congress: …library is also leading the National Digital Information Infrastructure and Preservation Program, a collaborative effort mandated in 2000 by Congress to preserve the country’s digital assets.

Library of Congress: …Library of Congress launched the National Digital Library Program (NDLP), making freely available on the Internet high-quality electronic versions of American historical material from the library’s special collections. By the end of the library’s bicentennial year in 2000, more than five million items (manuscripts, films, sound recordings, and photographs) had…

drug use: National controls: …to the creation of the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP). The ONDCP establishes drug-control policy and sets national goals for reducing the illicit use and trafficking of drugs. It is also responsible for producing the National Drug Control Strategy (NDCS). The NDCS is designed to facilitate effective drug-control…

drug use: National controls: …also responsible for producing the National Drug Control Strategy (NDCS). The NDCS is designed to facilitate effective drug-control measures at local levels by providing information on drugs and drug abuse for community members and by making various resources for drug control available to local officials.

duckpins: …it is governed by the National Duck Pin Bowling Congress (founded Sept. 8, 1927). The game was introduced in 1900 at a bowling alley owned by professional baseball players Wilbert Robinson and John J. McGraw.

Kevin Hassett: Trump 2.0 and criticism: …time as chief of the National Economic Council.

economic planning: Origins of planning: …1961, to set up a National Economic Development Council to draft a five-year economic plan that would emphasize much more rapid economic growth. The Netherlands, which had been very successful since the war in achieving balanced economic growth, initiated five-year plans in 1963 through the medium of the Central Planning…

economic system: Centralized states: Very little is known of the origin of the second of the great systems of social coordination—namely, the creation of a central apparatus of command and rulership. From ancient clusters of population, impressive civilizations emerged in Egypt, China, and India during the 3rd…

National Education Association (NEA), American voluntary association of teachers, administrators, and other educators associated with elementary and secondary schools and colleges and universities. It is the world’s largest professional organization. Its headquarters are in Washington, D.C. The

Wales: Cultural institutions: …annually in August at the National Eisteddfod of Wales, a competitive and highly individualized festival held alternately in North and South Wales. The Eisteddfod consists of competitions in all aspects of music, literature, drama, and art, together with a series of dramatic performances and concerts, all in the Welsh language.…

Voter News Service: …service was replaced by the National Election Pool (NEP).

Reginald Aubrey Fessenden: …Pittsburgh financiers in organizing the National Electric Signaling Company to manufacture his inventions, which they intended to sell to customers such as the U.S. Navy or shipping companies whose far-flung operations would benefit from wireless telegraph communication. The company was also interested in competing with Guglielmo Marconi in transmitting across…

Saab AB: …purchased by the start-up company National Electric Vehicle Sweden (NEVS).

Endesa: …and the Italian energy company Enel. Two years later Enel purchased Acciona’s stake, thereby taking full control of Endesa.

National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), an independent agency of the U.S. government that supports the creation, dissemination, and performance of the arts. It was created by the U.S. Congress in the National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act of 1965. The agency funds a variety of

National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), an independent agency of the U.S. government that supports research, education, preservation, and public programs in the humanities. It was created by the U.S. Congress in the National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act of 1965. The

Canada: Second premiership: …was the basis of the National Energy Program (NEP), introduced in the fall of 1980, which was designed to speed up the “Canadianization” of the energy industry and vastly increase Ottawa’s share of energy revenues. The NEP created a fierce conflict between the central government and the energy-producing provinces (particularly…

National Enquirer, American weekly newspaper best known for its celebrity gossip, crime news, and investigative reporting. The Enquirer is commonly termed a “supermarket tabloid” because of its wide availability at grocery-store checkout counters. It is also sold on newsstands and through

National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the first major U.S. environmental law. Enacted in 1969 and signed into law in 1970 by President Richard M. Nixon, NEPA requires all federal agencies to go through a formal process before taking any action anticipated to have substantial impact on the

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration:

John Mercer Langston: He helped to found the National Equal Rights League in 1864, and he later served as its president. He was also a member of Oberlin’s city council from 1865 to 1867 and its department of education in 1867–68.

Robert Owen: Leadership of the trade union movement: …to the formation of the National Equitable Labour Exchange, which applied the principle that labour is the source of all wealth.

Gamaliel Bailey: …1847 Bailey became editor of The National Era, established in Washington, D.C., by the American and Foreign Anti-Slavery Society. With its considerable circulation, this paper exerted a strong political and moral influence. Among its contributors were Nathaniel Hawthorne, John Greenleaf Whittier, and Theodore Parker; in its pages Harriet Beecher Stowe’s…

National Etruscan Museum, museum in Rome devoted principally to antiquities of the pre-Roman period from ancient Umbria, Latium, and southern Etruria. Since 1889 the museum has been housed in the Villa Giulia, or Villa di Papa Giulio (Pope Julius), which was built in the mid-16th century for Pope

Labour Party: Policy and structure: …conference is to elect the National Executive Committee (NEC), which oversees the party’s day-to-day affairs. Twelve members of the NEC are elected by trade union delegates, seven by CLPs, five by women delegates, one by youth delegates, and one by delegates from affiliated socialist societies.

Berlin: Transportation: The Bundesautobahn (National Expressway) in Berlin is part of a national superhighway network inaugurated before World War II. The system is linked with the Berliner Ring, a circle of autobahns around the city with Berlin in the centre of access spokes. Even before 1990, both Germanys…

Chile: New political groupings: …their party to form the National Falange (Falange Nacional). In 1957 the National Falange fused with the Social Christian Party (which had also seceded from the Conservatives) to form the Christian Democratic Party, whose program tended toward serious reforms in the archaic economic and social structures. The Communist Party regained…