Commonwealth
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* a [[republic]]; | * a [[republic]]; | ||
* a democratic [[constitutional monarchy]]; | * a democratic [[constitutional monarchy]]; | ||
+ | ==See also== | ||
+ | * [[Common good]] | ||
+ | * [[Common law]] | ||
+ | * [[Confederation]] | ||
+ | * [[Democracy]] | ||
+ | * [[Federation]] | ||
+ | * [[Political alliance|League]] | ||
+ | |||
{{GFDL}} | {{GFDL}} |
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The English noun commonwealth dates from the fifteenth century. The original phrase "common-wealth" or "the common weal" comes from the old meaning of "wealth," which is "well-being". The term literally meant "common well-being". Thus commonwealth originally meant a state or nation-state governed for the common good as opposed to an authoritarian state governed for the benefit of a given class of owners. The word was a calque on the Latin phrase res publica meaning "public affairs" or "the state", from which the English word republic arises.
Today the term is more general and means a political community.
The type of community indicated by the term commonwealth varies. For instance, in different contexts it might indicate:
- a political unit founded in law by agreement of the people for the common good;
- a federated union of constituent states;
- a community of sovereign states;
- a republic;
- a democratic constitutional monarchy;
See also