Is a republic a type of democracy?

Question

I am not thoroughly educated in this topic, and I am currently VERY confused on whether republic is a type of democracy. I need accurate information, so I can use it on my debate on why democracy is not the best type of government. Thank you, if you answered my question.

Answer 1

Absolutely.

In the field of political science, which examines types of governments and how they behave, democracy is the label applied to countries which:
* have regular, free, and fair elections which decide the political control of the country.
* have near-universal adult suffrage (adults can vote, regardless of race, gender, or political/religious views).
* have protections for the citizens to speak, protest, and assemble.
* have press freedoms, and access to media, even for opponents to the government.
* follow the rule of law, where even political leaders must follow the law.
* governments are free to act without coercion from unelected actors (like the military, bureaucracy, or the like)

There are other criteria, too, depending on whom you ask, but that's a general framework. The term polyarchy also describes a country that follows these principles. Elections are not sufficient to democracy to most political scientists: Uzbekistan has elections, but they are neither free nor fair, and the people do not have the right to freely criticize or protest government policy.

A DIRECT democracy is a democracy where all issues are subject to the direct vote of the people, rather than through representatives (a government run by ballot initiatives, in other words). No country today practices direct democracy -- it only exists on small scales.

Thus, all democratic countries today are representative democracies. That is, the people elect representatives, with the winners running the government to carry out the will of the people, within the framework of law, precedent, and a written or unwritten constitution.

A democracy either has a monarch, or it does not. A democracy with a king or queen is often called a constitutional monarchy (because there is a monarch whose power is constrained by a constitution). In almost all of these systems, the monarch has very little real power, and has a primary role as head of state (greeting foreign dignitaries, serving as the public face of the country, and formally calling the legislature into session). This system exists in the United Kingdom, Japan, and Norway, among other countries. In a few countries, like Jordan, the monarch still has substantial power, but is still subjected to some restraint by a legislature.

A democracy without a monarchy is a republic. Such governments might be parliamentary (where law-making and enforcement power flows from the legislature through a prime minister/chancellor/premier and cabinet, as in Germany) or presidential (where law-making power comes from a legislature, but the control over carrying out the law is left to a separate executive, as in the United States), or a hybrid of the two systems -- semi-presidentialism -- as in France. The trait that all republics share is that the head of state is elected, either by the people or by the legislature, rather than attaining the post by inheritance.

Thus, all republics are democracies, but not all democracies are republics.

Answer 2

A Republic is NOT a Democracy.

We live under a Representative Republic.

In a Republic, the citizen has rights that the state can not violate.

In a Democracy, it's majority rule (mob rule). The South had a Democracy. The Majority of people (Whites) decided that persons of brown skin were property and could be bought or sold. This was legal because it was majority rule.

Answer 3

Peoples brains won't open up to the thoughts that AMERICA WAS NOT FOUNDED AS A DEMOCRACY! It was founded as a constitutional republic!! The founding fathers hated democracy, because with majority rule- 51% of the population are free, 49% of the population are slaves!

Democracy is NOT freedom.

Answer 4

A democracy is a government ruled by the people.
A republic is a government ruled by representatives elected by the people.

Answer 5

The National Initiative
One of the most important contributions to good governance since our nation's founding, the National Initiative grants citizens the power to put measures on national ballots.

Answer 6

yes, it is indirect democracy. in a republic, you elect people to represent you. in a direct democracy, we would vote on every issue. not very practical.