regulatory agency Independent government commission charged by the legislature with setting and enforcing standards for specific industries in the private sector. The concept was invented by the U.S. government in 1887, and regulatory agencies exist almost exclusively in the U.S. The theory is that a commission of experts on the industry being regulated is better equipped to regulate it than the legislature or executive departments. Designed to operate with a minimum of executive or legislative supervi¬ sion, agencies have executive, legislative, and judicial functions, and their regulations have the force of law. Important regulatory agencies include the Food and Drug Administration, OSHA, the Federal Communications Commission, and the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Rehnquist \'ren-,kwist\, William H(ubbs) (b. Oct. 1, 1924, Milwau¬ kee, Wis., U.S.—d. Sept. 3,2005, Arlington, Va.) U.S. jurist who served as chief justice of the United States (1986-2005). He received his law degree from Stanford University and served as clerk to Supreme Court justice Rob¬ ert Jackson. He later practiced law in Phoenix, Ariz. (1953-69), where he became active in the conservative wing of the Republican Party. At the U.S. Justice Department (1969-71), he opposed civil rights legislation and advocated greatly enlarged police powers. He was nominated for the Supreme Court by Pres. Richard Nixon in 1972. During the 1970s and into the ’80s, Rehnquist formed the anchor of the court’s conservative minority bloc. His polished legal opinions and consistently conservative stance on almost all legal issues led Pres. Ronald Reagan to appoint him chief justice in 1986. Rehnquist dramatically reduced the court’s caseload and improved its efficiency. With the support of other conservatives, he led the court in curbing the ability of Congress to expand federal authority and in curtailing affirmative action programs. He presided over the U.S. Senate during the impeachment trial of Pres. Bill Clinton (1999).
Reich \'rlk\, Steve orig. Stephen Michael Reich (b. Oct. 3, 1936, New York, N.Y., U.S.) U.S. composer. He majored in philosophy at Cor¬ nell University. After musical study with Darius Milhaud and Luciano Berio, he pursued interests in Balinese and African music, learning drumming in Ghana. His early music explored the process of simultaneous repeated patterns gradually slipping out of phase (“process music”). With Terry Riley (b. 1935) and Philip Glass, he was among the most prominent of the early “minimalists” of the 1970s. His early works include Drumming (1971) and Music for 18 Musicians (1976); later works such as The Desert Music (1983) and Different Trains (1988) show a considerably expanded compositional vocabulary.
Reich \'rikV Wilhelm (b. March 24, 1897, Dobrzcynica, Galicia, Austria-Hungary—d. Nov. 3, 1957, Lewisburg, Pa., U.S.) Austrian-U.S. psychologist. Trained at the Berlin Psychoanalytic Institute, he joined the faculty of the Vienna Psychoanalytic Institute in 1924. In The Function of the Orgasm (1927), he argued that the failure to achieve orgasm could produce neurosis. An advocate of sexual education and freedom as well as of radical left-wing politics, he left Germany in 1933 and settled in the U.S. in 1939. After breaking with the psychoanalytic movement in 1934, he developed a pseudoscientific system called orgonomy. He conceived of mental illness and some physical illnesses as deficiency of cosmic energy (measured in units called “orgones”), which he treated by placing the patient in a cabinet with reflective inner surfaces known as the orgone box. Reich’s views brought him into conflict with U.S. authorities in the early 1950s; he was convicted of contempt of court and died in prison.
Reichstag \'r!ks-,tak\ fire (Feb. 27, 1933) Burning of the German par¬ liament building (Reichstag) in Berlin. Allegedly set by a Dutch commu¬ nist, the fire was used by Adolf Hitler to turn public opinion against his opponents, especially the communists. He enacted a decree suspending constitutional protection of personal rights, which effectively began the Nazi Party dictatorship. The fire was widely believed to have been set by the Nazis themselves, while others have argued there was no proof of Nazi complicity; it remains the subject of debate and research.
Reid, Thomas (b. April 26, 1710, Kincardineshire, Scot.—d. Oct. 7, 1796, Glasgow) Scottish philosopher. He served as a Presbyterian pastor from 1737 to 1751. His lengthy studies of David Hume convinced him that Hume’s skepticism was false, because it was incompatible with common sense. According to Reid, both human behaviour and ordinary language provide overwhelming evidence to support the reality of a material world and the existence of an enduring self as the subject of continuously chang¬ ing mental experience. His works include An Inquiry into the Human Mind (1764), Essays on the Intellectual Powers of Man (1785), and Essays on the Active Power of Man (1788).
Reign of Terror French La Terreur (1793-94) Period in the French Revolution. It was established by the government on Sept. 5, 1793, to take harsh measures against those suspected of being enemies of the Revolu¬ tion (including nobles, priests, and hoarders). Controlled by the radical Committee of Public Safety and Maximilien Robespierre, the Terror eliminated enemies on the left (Jacques Hebert and his followers) and the right (Georges Danton and the Indulgents). A law passed in June 1794 that sus¬ pended a suspect’s right to public trial or legal defense caused the Ther- midorian Reaction, and the Terror ended on July 27, 1794, with Robespierre’s overthrow. About 300,000 suspects were arrested during the period; about 17,000 were executed, and many others died in prison.
© 2006 Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.
1604 I Reims ► relation
Reims or Rheims \'remz,\ French \'re n s\ City (pop., 1999: 187,206), northeastern France. The ancient capital of the Gallic tribe of the Remi, it was conquered by the Romans. In the 5th century the Frankish king Clovis was baptized there, and in honour of this occasion most later French kings were crowned in Reims. The city was badly damaged in World Wars I and II and was the scene of Germany’s unconditional surrender in May 1945. It is a major wine-producing centre noted especially for cham¬ pagne. Other industries include air¬ craft and automobile equipment manufacturing. The 13th-century cathedral of Notre-Dame is one of the most notable Gothic cathedrals in France.
reincarnation or transmigra¬ tion of souls or metempsy¬ chosis Doctrine of the rebirth of the soul in one or more successive existences, which may be human, animal, or vegetable. Belief in reincar¬ nation is characteristic of Asian religions, especially Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism, and Sikhism. All hold to the doctrine of karma, the belief that actions in this life will have their effect in the next. In Hinduism, a per¬ son may be freed from the cycle of birth and rebirth only by reaching a state of enlightenment. Likewise in Buddhism, discipline and meditation may enable a seeker to reach nirvana and escape the wheel of birth and rebirth. Manichaeism and Gnosticism accepted the concept of reincarnation, as do such modern spiritual movements as Theosophy.
reindeer Any species of Arctic deer in the genus Rangifer (family Cervidae), especially Old World species, some of which are domesticated. New World species are usually called caribou. The reindeer herded by the Sami (Lapps) are used as draft and pack animals and as a source of meat and milk; their skins are used for tents, boots, and other clothing. In Sibe¬ ria they are used as pack animals and as mounts.
Reiner, Carl (b. March 20, 1922, Bronx, New York, N.Y., U.S.) U.S. actor, writer, director, and producer. He acted on the stage before appearing with Sid Caesar in the television comedy series Your Show of Shows (1950- 54). He created and produced The Dick Van Dyke Show (1961-66), for which he won several Emmy Awards. His novel Enter Laughing (1958) was adapted as a play (1963) and a movie (1967). He directed film com¬ edies such as Where’s Poppa (1970), Oh, God! (1977), and Fatal Instinct (1993). His son Rob Reiner (b. 1945) acted in various television series, Wj including All in the Family (1971-78), and became a director of note.