【Combination】 , 【combine】 , 【party】 , 【bloc】 , 【faction】 , 【ring】 denote a union, either of individuals or of organized interests, for mutual support in obtaining common political or private ends.

【Combination】 is the most comprehensive of these terms, being applicable to any such union whether a trust, an alliance, or simply an association for the purpose of urging demands or resisting claims.

【Combine】 is often interchangeable, especially in informal use, with  【combination】 . Often it may connote a  【combination】 with an improper or illegal aim in view.

A 【party】 is a number of persons united in support of some opinion, cause, or principle; it usually implies a similar body in opposition, especially when used in reference to a political organization built up to continue the action and policies of government through election of its candidates to office.

【Bloc】 implies a 【combination】  of persons or groups who otherwise differ in 【party】 or in interests for the sake of achieving a common and often temporary end; thus, in France and in Italy, a 【bloc】 is a  【combination】 of members of two or more political parties; in the United States, a 【bloc】 is a 【combination】 not of parties but of members of different parties who have a common end.

【Faction】 frequently suggests a smaller body than 【party】 and commonly implies selfish ends and the use of unscrupulous or turbulent means.

【Ring】 is applicable to an exclusive, often more or less secret, 【combination】  for a selfish and often corrupt or criminal purpose (as the control of a market, of political patronage, or of distribution of narcotics).