In law, treason is the crime that covers some of the most extreme acts against your nation or sovereign. Historically, treason also covered the murder of specific social superiors, such as the murder of a husband by his wife or that of a teacher by his servant. Treason against the king was known as high treason and treason against a lesser superior was a small treason. A person who commits treason is known in the law as a traitor. The Oran Dictionary of Law (1983) defines treason as "actions of a citizen to help a foreign government to overthrow, wage war or seriously damage the". In many nations it is also often considered treason to attempt or conspire to overthrow the government, even if noforeign country is helping or involved in such an effort.
At times, the term "traitor" has been used as a political epithet, regardless of any verifiable act of treason. In a civil war or insurrection, the winners may regard the losers as traitors. Similarly, the term "traitor" is used in heated political discussion - usually as a hoax against political dissidents, or against officials in power who are perceived as failing to act in the best interests of their constituents.
Betrayal can be defined in different ways. For our purposes here, we will define it as any act that helps a foreign country attack, wage war, overthrow, or otherwise damage the traitor's own country. If you conspire to help a foreign power attack your country, you are guilty of treason. Those who commit treason are called traitors. In a lesser sense, traitors can betray any group of people, such as a political party or even just friends. Once again, here we will be looking at the high crime of treason, the kind that is punished by law.
The country you live in determines the definition of treason, as well as the requirements for conviction and subsequent punishment. For example, in the United States, it is often difficult to convince someone of treason. In places with dictatorship, treason is much easier to prove. After the Cuban revolution, it was easy to convince someone of treason there.
