Commonwealth

Commonwealth, from the phrase “common wealth” (public good), form of government based on the power and consent of the people. In the United States, the states of Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Kentucky were historically known as commonwealths, as is Puerto Rico. The federated states of Australia are known as the Commonwealth of Australia, and various other nations are associated with Britain in the Commonwealth of Nations. In English history, the Commonwealth is the period of republican government (1649–60) that followed the execution of Charles I.