History Main / PoliticsTropes

* SentencedWihtoutTrial: Sentencing someone without giving them a trial.

Political facts and useful notes can be found on the UsefulNotes index. '''Please be [[{{Newspeak}} double-plus]] mindful of the Administrivia/RuleOfCautiousEditingJudgement.'''

* AllIssuesArePoliticalIssues: Some people view all problems through their political lens.

* ApocalypticGagOrder: An apocalyptic event is on the way but the government denies it or keeps knowledge of it under wraps.

* BanOnPolitics: Discussion of politics is forbidden or taboo in this place.

++ PatrioticTropes

++ PoliticalCartoons

** RoyalMess: Royal authority is depicted in ways rarely if ever seen in reality.

** StrawmanNewsMedia: Journalism is portrayed as a corrupt industry which only exists to brainwash people with biased propaganda serving corporate/political interests.

** WartimeCartoon: Animated films as pro-war propaganda, meant to instill viewers with militaristic and nationalistic sentiments against the enemy.

** AntiPoliceSong: A song specifically protesting against [[DirtyCop corruption]] or [[PoliceBrutality violence]] by law enforcement.
** HailToTheThief: A satirical song which mocks a particular politician.

* BlondeRepublicanSexKitten: A conventionally-attractive woman, often blonde, who is touted as the face of conservative groups.

** AntagonisticGovernor: The corrupt leader of a sub-national (provincial/regional/state) government.
** CorruptBureaucrat: An unelected government official who uses their position to enrich themselves and undermine beneficial policies.
** EvilChancellor: The king's top royal adviser is evil and disloyal to their boss.
** MayorPain: The leader of a local/municipal government is either corrupt, incompetent, or both.
** PresidentEvil: The nation's president is ruthlessly corrupt and sinister.
** SleazyPolitician: A government official who takes bribes and embezzles state funds to personally enrich themselves or their family and friends, all at the expense of their taxpaying constituents.

** IntimidatingRevenueService: Especially nobody likes having to deal with tax collection agencies.

** TheCaligula: A [[AxCrazy completely]] [[{{Cloudcuckoolander}} insane]] king who is definitely not mentally fit to lead.
** EvilOverlord: The emperor is a cruel tyrant who [[DespotismJustifiesTheMeans rules through fear and brutality]].
*** TheEvilPrince: A ruthlessly ambitious royal who plots to take the throne for himself and get crowned as the Evil Overlord.

** InvisiblePresident: The president exists, but we never see them.
** PenPushingPresident: The president is buried under so much paperwork they never get to do anything else.
** PresidentEvil: The president is ruthlessly corrupt and sinister.
** PresidentSuperhero: When {{superhero}}es decide to run for the highest political office in their country.

** OnlyServesForLife: A ruler for life learns the hard way that their reign will be cut short when their life ends prematurely.
** PresidentForLife: A nation's democratically-elected president changes the rules to ensure they stay in the position for life.
* PersecutedIntellectuals: Smart people are discriminated against.

** PoliticallyActivePrincess: A female member of the monarchy (but not TheHighQueen) who is involved with politics.
** TheWisePrince: A male member of the monarchy (but not the king) who is learned and kind, and manages to rule with some degree of competence.

** StrawCivilian: A civilian (usually a [[ObstructiveBureaucrat government official/employee]]) who is portrayed as an obstacle to the military or war effort.
** StrawFeminist: The stereotype that feminists are misandrists who use fighting for equal rights as an excuse to demean, insult, harm, and discriminate against men.
** StrawHypocrite: When the political strawman fails to practice whatever they preach, with hints that their beliefs and goals are just an insincere facade for more selfish motives.
** StrawMisogynist: The stereotype of sexist men who strongly believe that women don't deserve equal human rights and should just StayInTheKitchen.
** StrawVegetarian: Unflattering stereotypes of vegans and other vegetarians who refuse to consume meat for ideological reasons.
*** AnimalWrongsGroup: Animal rights activism is often portrayed as just a useless movement for whiny vegans who think animals deserve to be treated equally to humans, if not outright valuing animals over people.
** StrawmanU: Unflattering stereotypes of (usually left-wing) political activism amongst college/university students or their professors.
** WindmillPolitical: Someone whose ideology is based around nonexistent issues or problems.
*** WindmillCrusader: Someone is obsessed with taking down a threat that doesn't really exist.

** ANaziByAnyOtherName: A not-so-subtle expy or parody of Nazis and their ideology.

* EatTheRich: Blame is placed on the wealthy upper-class elites for causing all of society's problems, and therefore they all need to be punished.

* KangarooCourt: An authoritarian sham court.
* KillThePoor: When the "war on poverty" becomes a horrifyingly literal campaign to persecute the poorest of lower-class folks.
* LegalizedEvil: Acts of evil and malevolence against another are permitted and unpunished under the law of the land.

* TwentyFifthAmendment: The 25th Amendment to the United States Constitution, which details the [[UsefulNotes/ThePresidentsOfTheUnitedStates U.S. presidential]] [[SuccessionCrisis line of succession]].

** ScareCampaign: Fearmongering propaganda against your opponents can be a great way of energizing your own supporters to rally behind you.

** DraftDodging: Someone refuses to follow draft laws which compel them to enlist in the military, whether out of moral/political/religious beliefs or for more personal (self-serving) reasons.

** MilitaryCoup: When military commanders seize power from (usually civilian) government leaders.

** WouldBeRudeToSayGenocide: The denial, whitewashing, or justification of a genocide.

* {{Newspeak}}: Politically-charged alterations of language, especially in the context of certain groups trying to manipulate people's speech and thoughts through propaganda.

** CulturePolice: Law enforcement agencies that enforce cultural policies, such as by censoring any media the government deems unacceptable.
*** ChurchPolice: TheTheocracy has an agency which enforces religious laws, cracking down on infidels and sinners.
** SecretPolice: A covert intelligence/law-enforcement agency that is responsible for monitoring and suppressing political dissent.
*** StateSec: A paramilitary police force designed for terrorizing all enemies of the state.

** CrushingThePopulace: When such an action is done by a government trying to maintain control over rebelling citizens through brutal methods.
** ReignOfTerror: When such an action is done by a rebel movement trying to overthrow the old regime and eliminate all their loyalists.

** SlaveLiberation: Freeing people who live in forced servitude, whether by peaceful or violent means.

** DiplomaticCoverSpy: When employees of an embassy or consulate hide behind the cover of diplomatic immunity to engage in espionage.

* ExpandedStatesOfAmerica: The USA has expanded and incorporated other countries into itself.

** HegemonicEmpire: An Empire built through soft power (economics and culture) instead of hard power (military).

** MultipleGovernmentPolity: A federalized entity of multiple distinct states united together.

** WallsOfTyranny: The border walls aren't just for keeping foreigners outside; they're also meant to keep ''citizens trapped inside''.

* LensmanArmsRace: Two nations trying to outdo one another in military might and weaponry end up creating fantastically-powerful (and destructive) technology.

** NGOSuperpower: A non-state actor that is so powerful and influential, that it can rival or challenge actual governments in geopolitical affairs.

** UnitedNationsIsASuperpower: The UsefulNotes/UnitedNations are far more powerful than they are in reality, wielding actual power over individual nation-states.

** SillyReasonForWar: When that ''casus belli'' is overly contrived, petty, or downright illogical.

** EnforcedColdWar: The ongoing proxy conflict stays "cold", because turning it into an outright "hot" war would be more counterproductive to international interests.
** SpaceColdWar: A fictional proxy conflict which parallels the historical UsefulNotes/ColdWar between the USA and the USSR.

** TheQuisling: A nation's puppet leader who is appointed by a foreign military occupation.
** RegimeChange: The forceful overthrow and replacement of a national government, supported by a foreign power; usually done by covertly sponsoring [[TheCoup a coup or revolution]], and sometimes much more overtly through invasion and occupation by that foreign power.
** VoluntaryVassal: A state is willingly subservient to another, more powerful one. Usually allowed to run their own domestic affairs, but foreign policy and trade terms are effectively dictated by their master.

** TheQueenWillBeWatching: A head of state, dignitary, or other important person catches a performance by a theatre group or attends a movie premiere.

** AmericaTakesOverTheWorld: The whole world is led by the USA.
** ChinaTakesOverTheWorld: The whole world is led by China.
** JapanTakesOverTheWorld: The whole world is led by Japan.
** RussiaTakesOverTheWorld: The whole world is led by Russia or the USSR.

* FalseFlagOperation: Some entity (such as a government) stages some sort of violent act, and then frames their enemies for it as a pretext to declare a war against them. A very common component of countless UsefulNotes/ConspiracyTheories.

* ConspiracyTheorist: Someone who believes in UsefulNotes/ConspiracyTheories. They especially like to claim that various alleged {{Government Conspirac|y}}ies are completely real.

** AcceptablePoliticalTargets: The mockery of political ideologies and movements that the author disagrees with.

* DiversionaryForeignPolicy: The deliberate invasion of a foreign party to quell domestic disputes.

* {{Newspeak}}: Politically-charged alterations of language, especially in the context of totalitarian dystopias trying to manipulate people's speech and thoughts through propaganda.

* StagedPopulistUprising: A populist uprising that is actually being led by an outsider who isn't loyal to the people's cause.