Republic vs. Democracy

The following statement is often used to define the United States' system of government: "The United States is a republic, not a democracy.” This statement suggests that the concepts and characteristics of republics and democracies can never coexist in a single form of government.

However, this is rarely the case. As in the United States, most republics function as blended “representational democracies” featuring a democracy’s political powers of the majority tempered by a republic’s system of checks and balances enforced by a constitution that protects the minority from the majority. To say that the United States is strictly a democracy suggests that the minority is completely unprotected from the will of the majority, which is not correct.

In a pure democracy, laws are made directly by the voting majority leaving the rights of the minority largely unprotected. In a republic, laws are made by representatives chosen by the people and must comply with a constitution that specifically protects the rights of the minority from the will of the majority.

Key Takeaways: Republic vs. Democracy

• Republics and democracies both provide a political system in which citizens are represented by elected officials who are sworn to protect their interests.

• In a pure democracy, laws are made directly by the voting majority leaving the rights of the minority largely unprotected.

• In a republic, laws are made by representatives chosen by the people and must comply with a constitution that specifically protects the rights of the minority from the will of the majority.

• The United States, while basically a republic, is best described as a “representative democracy.”

Read more at Republic vs. Democracy: What Is the Difference? (thoughtco.com)