Republican democracy is a republic which has democracy. One meaning of the word republic is "thing for the public" or "object for the people." An alternative definition of republic in a more modern understanding of the term is a government that is administered by the people, and where the people are sovereign. It is also characterized as not a monarchy, where the king or queen is the head of state. By this definition there are abundant examples of states that are republics but that are not democracies, and of states that are democracies but not republics. Another characterization of a republic is its emphasis on law and rule of the people through elected representatives. In this sense it refers to the notion representative democracy, as one meaning of republic is a system of restricted democracy.

However, there are distinctions between the terms "republic" and "democracy," as the latter retains many of the same qualities of a republic, yet adheres to no distinct political order or set of laws. Therefore by its original understanding, "democracy" could be qualified as anything from representative governance to individual and mob rule. And in this sense the word "democracy" is often used too lightly and erroneously to mean "republic."

The United States is the most famous Republican Democracy, although, depending on which party has the most control, it fluctuates from leaning to slightly more democratic (people or state run) to being slightly more republican (central government run)which is why each of the 2 main parties refer to themselves in such a way. Though it may be sometimes slightly less centrally led, it remains a Republican Democracy.

See also

• Republic
• Democracy

Democracy | Republicanism