( to refer to the many Greek City States that had an assembly of citizens as part of the political process. Suffrage did not include women, slaves, serfs, or Metic s. Thus, voting citizens usually included only a minority of the adult males.
Today it is usually a general term that refers to political organization of a group. It is often used to describe a loosely organized society such as a Tribe or Community , but can mean any political group including a Government or Empire , Corporation or Academy . It is also used in the phrase ''ecclesiastical polity'' as a synonym of Church Government .
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