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A democratic republic is a form of government operating on principles adopted from a republic and a democracy. Rather than being a cross between two entirely separate systems, democratic republics may function on principles shared by both republics and democracies.

Theory

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Common definitions of the terms democracy and republic often feature overlapping concerns, suggesting that many democracies function as republics, and many republics operate on democratic principles:

  • Republic: A state in which supreme power is held by the people and their elected representatives...[1]
  • Democracy: A system of government by the whole population or all the eligible members of a state, typically through elected representatives.[2]

Eugene Volokh of the UCLA School of Law notes that the United States exemplifies the varied nature of a democratic republic—a country where some decisions (often local) are made by direct democratic processes, while others (often federal) are made by democratically elected representatives.[3] As with many large systems, US governance is incompletely described by any single term. It also employs the concept, for instance, of a constitutional democracy in which a court system is involved in matters of jurisprudence.[3]

As with other democracies, not all persons in a democratic republic are necessarily citizens, and not all citizens are necessarily entitled to vote. Suffrage is commonly restricted by criteria such as voting age.[4]

History

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In the US, the notion that a republic was a form of democracy was common from the time of its founding, and the concepts associated with representative democracy (and hence with a democratic republic) are suggested by John Adams (writing in 1784):

No determinations are carried, it is true, in a simple representative democracy, but by consent of the majority or their representatives.[5]

Historically, some inconsistency around the term is frequent. China claims to be the oldest of Asia's democratic republics, though its recent history of democratic process is largely linked only to Taiwan.[6] Likewise, Africa's oldest democratic republic, Liberia (formed in 1822) has had its political stability rocked by periodic violence and coups.[7]

Global use of term

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Many countries that use the term "democratic republic" in their official names (such as Algeria,[8] East Congo,[9] Ethiopia,[10] North Korea,[11] Laos,[12] and Nepal[13]) are identified as undemocratic "hybrid regimes" by the Democracy Index[14] and "not free" by the U.S.-based, U.S.-government-funded non-governmental organization, Freedom House.[15] In addition, East Germany was also officially known as the German Democratic Republic, but, like the Somali Democratic Republic[16] and People's Democratic Republic of Ethiopia,[17] was controlled by a bureaucratic regime espousing communism.[18]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "republic | Definition of republic in English by Oxford Dictionaries". Oxford Dictionaries | English. Retrieved 2017-12-04.
  2. ^ "democracy | Definition of democracy in English by Oxford Dictionaries". Oxford Dictionaries | English. Retrieved 2017-12-04.
  3. ^ a b Volokh, Eugene (2015-05-13). "Is the United States of America a republic or a democracy?". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2017-12-03.
  4. ^ "Voter Registration Age Requirements by State". USA.gov. Retrieved December 3, 2017.
  5. ^ Adams, John (1851). The Works of John Adams, Second President of the United States: With a Life of the Author, Notes and Illustrations. Little, Brown.
  6. ^ Yongnian, Zheng; Fook, Lye Liang; Hofmeister, Wilhelm (2013-10-23). Parliaments in Asia: Institution Building and Political Development. Routledge. ISBN 9781134469659.
  7. ^ "Elections history in Africa's oldest democratic republic: Liberia". euronews. 2017-10-08. Retrieved 2017-12-03.
  8. ^ "The World Factbook — Central Intelligence Agency". www.cia.gov. Retrieved 2017-12-03.
  9. ^ "The World Factbook — Central Intelligence Agency". www.cia.gov. Retrieved 2017-12-03.
  10. ^ "The World Factbook — Central Intelligence Agency". www.cia.gov. Retrieved 2017-12-03.
  11. ^ "The World Factbook — Central Intelligence Agency". www.cia.gov. Retrieved 2017-12-03.
  12. ^ "The World Factbook — Central Intelligence Agency". www.cia.gov. Retrieved 2017-12-03.
  13. ^ "The World Factbook — Central Intelligence Agency". www.cia.gov. Retrieved 2017-12-03.
  14. ^ "EIU Democracy Index 2016". infographics.economist.com. Retrieved 2017-12-03.
  15. ^ "Freedom in the World 2017". freedomhouse.org. Retrieved 2017-12-03.
  16. ^ "Somali Democratic Republic". www.onwar.com. Retrieved 2017-12-04.
  17. ^ Clapham, Christopher (1987-06-01). "The constitution of the people's democratic Republic of Ethiopia". Journal of Communist Studies. 3 (2): 192–195. doi:10.1080/13523278708414865. ISSN 0268-4535.
  18. ^ "Berlin Wall - Cold War - HISTORY.com". HISTORY.com. Retrieved 2017-12-03.
 

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