Republic government?

If you had in mind a democratic republic such as our own, its principal strength comes from the nature of representative government. The people directly elect those who represent them in the law making body. Direct election means that the people can change the government composition as they wish. The fact that the people elect the government is also the democratic republics greatest weakness.

The USA is a republic, because it has no king, queen, or emperor as head of state. The head of state (the president in the US) is an elected official, chosen (indirectly) by the people. That is the definition of a republic. However, the US is also a democracy. A democracy is any political system that has elections and meets other criteria. Originally, the term implied total rule by the people, no representatives, but the term has changed in meaning over the centuries. Today, rule directly by the people is called direct democracy. Any kind of democracy with elected representatives is called representative democracy. Since all democracies are representative (although Switzerland is something of a direct democracy), representative democracy is usually shortened to democracy by poltiical scientists, who get to define these terms. Most political scientists define democracy as including most (or all) of the following: * A government that comes into power through elections * Elections that are frequent, free, fair, and competitive * Guaranteed civil rights (the right to speak out, the right to assemble and petition, etc.) * Guaranteed political rights (the right to vote, the right to run for office) * A free press that it is independent of the government, and multiple sources of media information * Accountability to the voters (through elections, recall mechanisms, polls, etc.) * Government transparency (the government generally works in the open, and corruption is limited) * Horizontal accountability between branches of government (checks and balances) * Sovereign government (the government can act without an unelected force [like the military] preventing it from ruling) * Near-universal adult suffrage (almost all citizens of age are allowed to vote, regardless of race, religion, etc.) * Rule of law (the government cannot violate the constitution or basic laws at will) The US fits these criteria, and so is a democracy. It is a federal, democratic republic. Incidentally, your friend may be right about the presidency, too. The Constitution says that the President must be a natural-born citizen, but it doesn't define natural-born. A Naturalization Act from the first Congress (1790) said that ''the children of citizens of the United States, that may be born beyond the sea, . . . shall be considered as natural born citizens. . . .'' So, if your parents are US citizens, but you are born in Great Britain, you would still be a natural-born citizen (a citizen from birth). This has never been tested, but it has a firm grounding in US law and is an insight into the intent of the Framers.

Your question is not specific. Are you referring to the US or to the world generally? A republic means rule by the people. Usually the term was used when a monarchy was deposed. It does not necessarily mean a democracy. Usually it means some form of an aristocracy or dictatorship.

This question should be asked in the Education & Reference category under the Homework Help label.