Glossary — F

Glossary terms beginning with F.

Factor markets: Producer goods markets in which factors of production--inputs such as land, labor, capital, entrepreneurship, and other material instruments used in production of goods and services--are procured.
factors of production: Land (or natural resources), labor, capital goods, sometimes entrepreneurship, and other resources used in the production of goods and services.; Source: Library of Congress
faqih: An expert in religious jurisprudence, specifically a Shia cleric whose mastery of the Quran, the traditions of the Prophet and the Twelve Imans, and the codices of Shia Islamic law permit him to render binding interpretations of religious laws and regulations.
fatwa: An authoritative legal interpretation by a mufti or religious jurist that can provide the basis for court decision or government action.
FDP: Fuerzas de Defensa de Panam*a (Panama Defense Forces). Panama’s military forces. Includes former National Guard as well as all military and police forces. FDP commander was de facto head of government in late 1987.
feddan(s): Equals 1.038 acres.
Fezzan: One of Libya’s three historic regions, located in the southwestern part of the country.
Finnish mark (Fmk): Also called Finnmark. Consists of 100 pennia (singular: penni). In terms of the United States dollar, the average annual exchange rate was Fmk3.22 in 1965, Fmk3.86 in 1975, Fmk3.85 in 1980, Fmk5.30 in 1982, Fmk6.54 in 1984, Fmk5.42 in 1985, Fmk4.79 in 1986, Fmk3.95 in 1987, and Fmk4.17 in 1988.
First Indochina War (1946-54): The anticolonial conflict, also known as the Viet Minh War, between France and the Viet Minh, a Vietnamese communist-dominated coalition of Indochinese nationalist elements led by veteran revolutionary Ho Chi Minh. The French defeat at Dien Bien Phu in May 1954 marked the final episode of the war. The conflict was brought to an end officially by the Geneva Conference of July 1954 and its resulting agreements.
fiscal year (FY): A one-year period for financial accounting purposes, which can coincide with the calendar year. In both Belarus and Moldova, it coincides with the calendar year.; Source: Library of Congress
Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence: Mutual respect for one another’s territorial integrity and sovereignty; mutual nonaggression; mutual noninterference in one another’s internal affairs; equality and mutual benefit; and peaceful coexistence.
Five Relationships: The Confucian concept of ideal social relationships, formulated by classical Chinese philosophers such as Mencius (372-289 B.C.), which states that there should be affection between father and son, righteousness between ruler and minister, attention to their separate functions between husband and wife, proper order between old and young, and faithfulness between friends.
Five-Powers Defence Agreement: A 1971 agreement (not a treaty) in which Australia, Britain, and New Zealand promised military support for Malaysia and Singapore if they were attacked by a foreign power.
five-year plan: A comprehensive plan that set the middle-range economic goals in the Soviet Union. Once the Soviet regime stipulated plan figures, all levels of the economy, from individual enterprises to the national level, were obligated to meet those goals. Such plans were followed from 1928 until 1991.
Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO): A United Nations specialized agency established in 1945 to raise living standards and increase the availability of agricultural products.
forint: National currency of Hungary. As of July 1989, the official exchange rate was 62.28 forints to US$1.
four cardinal principles: Socialism; dictatorship of the proletariat; supporting the party leadership; and Marxism-Leninism-Mao Zedong Thought. In vogue in China since 1979.
Four Modernizations: The core of a development strategy aimed at turning the country into a relatively advanced industrialized nation by the year 2000. The modernizations are those of agriculture, industry, science and technology, and national defense. The concept was embodied first in the Third Five-Year Plan (1966-70), launched in earnest by Zhou Enlai at the Fourth National People’s Congress (1975), and adopted as the official party line at the Third Plenum of the Eleventh Central Committee (December 1978).
FRAMPO: Frente Amplio Popular (Broad Popular Front). Small left-of- center party that was part of pro-government coalition, UNADE (q.v.), in 1984 elections, but lost legal status by failing to win 3 percent of total vote.
Franc Zone: A monetary union among countries whose currencies are linked to the French franc. Members are France and its overseas appendages and fourteen African countries, including Comoros.
franco valuta: A system permitting the private repatriation of hard currency by traders and overseas workers.
Free Officers: Term applied retroactively to the group of young military officers that planned and carried out the July 14 Revolution in 1958.
Free Officers Movement: Secret organization of junior Libyan army officers and enlisted men responsible for carrying out the September 1, 1969, coup against the monarchy.
freedom fighters: See Mukti Bahini.; Source: Library of Congress
French Equatorial Africa (Afrique Equatoriale Française--AEF): The former colonial federation of areas that later became the independent states of Chad, Gabon, Central African Republic, and Congo. A history of French rule and missionary involvement forged organizational ties connecting these areas. The AEF was dissolved in 1958, but upon gaining independence in 1960, Chad joined former AEF members in a multilateral military assistance agreement with France.
Fretilin: Revolutionary Front for an Independent East Timor (Frente Revolucionária do Timor Leste Independente); a guerrilla movement seeking the independence of East Timor. Fretilin was established in 1974.
FROLINAT: Front de Libération Nationale du Tchad (Front for the National Liberation of Chad). Muslim insurgent movement supported by Libya.
front: In Soviet military usage, a front consists of at least two armies and usually more than that number. Two or more fronts constitute a theater of military operations.
FY (fiscal year): Since July 1, 1980, July 1 through June 30.