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{{wiktionary|shadow government}}
{{Refimprove|date=June 2009}}
⚫ {{distinguish|Shadow Cabinet}}
The term '''shadow government''' has two distinct uses with entirely different meanings. The first refers to a government-in-waiting composed of members of the ] in a parliamentary chamber such as the ]. In this example the ] 'opposes' by means of dialectical debate and argument the government in power.
'''Shadow government''' may refer to:


⚫ ==Government==
In its other use the phrase refers to what is sometimes called "the secret government" or "the invisible government" which postulates that contrary to popular belief, real and actual political power does not reside with publicly elected representatives (for example the ] or the ]) but with persons unknown to the general public who are exercising power behind the scenes. In this sense the official elected government is in reality subservient to the shadow government who are the true executive power.
* An opposition grouping in a parliamentary system that mimics the structure of the actual government, in particular its cabinet (see ])
* A term for plans for an emergency government that takes over in the event of a disaster, see ]
⚫ * A ]
* ], a conspiracy theory of a secret government


==Arts and entertainment==
==Politics==
* ''Shadow Government'', a 2009 film by ]
In a ], the largest opposition party often refers to itself as a shadow government and, if it is sufficiently large, it may also have a ] in which top opposition leaders shadow the policies and actions of the corresponding cabinet ministers. They are prepared to assume the respective ministries of responsibility should their party come to power in an election. For example, in Britain the largest opposition party's defence spokesman might refer to themselves as the Shadow Defence Secretary. Smaller parties may also have spokespeople, but these do not generally use shadow names.
* "The Shadow Government", a song on the 2007 album '']'' by They Might Be Giants
* "The Shadow Government", a sketch on the former radio show '']''
* '']'', 2007 novel by Saudi writer Mundhir al-Qabbani


⚫ ==See also==
It is also used as a somewhat pejorative term to denote a government that takes over in the event of a disaster. ] sometimes have equivalent structures to the present government in hopes that when the guerrilla-group overthrows the present government, the guerrilla-forces will more easily be able to transition from ] to ] capacity. Also, the term "shadow government" can be used loosely to refer to a guerrilla-force that controls and administers the majority of the physical area of a country, rendering the official national government significantly less able to administer its policies.
* ]

* ]
In nations with less apparent strife, several ]s are in place in the event of a disaster strong enough to disrupt the functioning of the government. The ] has ], ] and the ] plans.
* ] (Shadowstats.com), a website that offers alternatives to U.S. government economic statistics

* ]
The tasks and objectives of ] varied from country to country but in many countries the ']' army consisted of a pre-planned cabinet to rule the country in an interim fashion if the country were invaded by ] states, either in-country or in exile.
{{disambiguation}}

In the ] the ] is responsible for planning for government continuity in the event of a catastrophe. None of these safeguards is itself a "shadow government", but they provide, at least in theory, a blueprint for what to do if the governmental structure collapses.

==As secret government==
Conspiracy-oriented literature postulate the existence of a secret government who are the true power behind the apparent government. Examples of such literature include works by ], ], ], ], ], ] and ]. Also popularizing the idea was the hit US television show, ].

In his novel ], ] stated that "The world is governed by very different personages from what is imagined by those who are not behind the scenes". One definition of a shadow government is a "secret government within the government". This secret government is the "real" government that controls the legitimate and visible government's ]. The network of people constituting this secret government are bound by some common agenda known only to each other and/or the people they represent. The agenda may be that of a ] who have infiltrated the government (examples include ], ] men or ]sts). In this case the agenda of the network is known only to those members who are bound by an oath of secrecy.

On the other hand members of the secret government may represent or be agents for groups such as the ], The ], The ], the ] group, ] and ] in co-operation with international banks and financial institutions.

The shadow government is also considered by popular authors to be behind ] projects and ].

One of the most popular conspiracy theories about a shadow government among ideologues of the ] ] is the notion of a "]".

⚫ == See also ==
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==External links==
*Barton Gellman and Susan Schmidt with contribution from Mary Lou White, ''Washington Post'', March 1, 2002; Page A01.
*Spencer S. Hsu, ''Washington Post'', May 10, 2007; Page A12.
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Latest revision as of 18:35, 14 September 2022

Not to be confused with Shadow Cabinet.

Shadow government may refer to:

Government

Arts and entertainment

See also

Topics referred to by the same term Disambiguation iconThis disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title Shadow government.
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