Identify what is the difference between a direct democracy and a republic

The republic continues to be mentioned in the Pledge of Allegiance, which was written in and later adopted by Congress in as an official pledge although "under God" was added later during the Eisenhower administration. While the founders disagreed regarding the role of the federal government , none sought to build a pure democracy.

Americans directly elect council members, governors, state representatives and senators, and numerous other officials. However, senators were indirectly elected in the past. Some other officials, such as mayors, may or may not be directly elected.

The president is indirectly elected via the electoral college. The legislative and executive branches then appoint a variety of officials to their positions. For example, the president executive branch nominates a justice to the Supreme Court when a seat needs to be filled; the Senate legislative branch must confirm this nomination.

There are several political implications that arise from the U. Laws passed by the majority — through their representatives in government federal or local — can be challenged and overturned if they violate the U. For example, Jim Crow laws mandating racial segregation were deemed unconstitutional and were repealed, and in Brown v. Board of Education , the U. Supreme Court repealed state-sponsored school segregation. In , with Loving v. Virginia , the Supreme Court overturned all remaining anti-miscegenation laws which banned interracial relationships, including marriages.

In the s, however, the court had ruled in favor of states' rights to ban interracial sex, cohabitation, and marriage. This illustrates the power of cultural mores, which influence the interpretation of the constitution. In more recent cases, the healthcare reform bill a. Obamacare was challenged in the U. Supreme Court because it forces individuals to buy health insurance.

The law was passed by a majority in Congress , but critics claim that it violates individual liberties by forcing individuals to engage in commerce, a power that the government does not have in this republic.

Ultimately, the Court ruled the individual mandate was constitutional but that states should not be required to expand Medicaid. Another example is California Proposition 8 , a state constitutional amendment in which a majority of voters in California voted to make same-sex marriages illegal.

Critics of the law argue that this violates the individual liberties of gay and lesbian couples, and the majority does not have a right to do that in a republic. While courts in California upheld the amendment deeming it constitutional, a federal court overturned it, judging that it was unconstitutional under both the Due Process and Equal Protection Clauses of the Fourteenth Amendment.

Yet another example is Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission Citizens United is a conservative organization that sued the Federal Election Commission over its restrictions on campaign financing. The Supreme Court ruled in favor of Citizens United, saying that the restriction of an organization or corporation's right to fund a political campaign is a restriction of that entity's free speech rights under the First Amendment.

If the U. The Supreme Court and, indeed, lower courts too can determine which laws are constitutional and has the power to uphold or overturn laws it judges to be unconstitutional. This demonstrates that the rule of law and the U. Constitution are higher authorities than the will of the majority at any given time.

Democracies are older than republics. Pinpointing which place or people had the world's first democracy or republic, however, is difficult. By law, the citizens in North Korea elect officials to the legislative branch through popular vote, and the legislative branch passes laws on behalf of the people.

In actuality, North Korea is classified as a dictatorship. The current president, Kim Jong-Un, inherited his position from his father. Additionally, elections in North Korea are largely for show—only one candidate runs for each position, so people really have no choice in their representation. Beyond that, the government severely limits people's ability to travel, so much so that many North Koreans have to pay people to smuggle them out of the country. So despite having a republican government structure—and having the term "democratic" in their country's name—North Korea doesn't function like a democracy on a day-to-day basis.

So that leaves us with one final question: what type of government is the United States? Where does the U. The answer is that the United States is both a democracy and a republic!

When the founding fathers were writing the U. Constitution, they envisioned the United States as a republic. Alexander Hamilton and James Madison made this clear in The Federalist Papers, where they make it clear that the federal government will be made up of elected officials who represent the will of the people.

In fact, many of the United States' founders believed that a direct democracy would result in nothing more than " Constitution outlines a system of government that allows people to fairly vote on representatives, and those representatives make laws in accordance to the people's will.

Each of the states' governments are set up in the same way, which means that the states are mini-republics, too! Additionally, in order to be a republic, people must elect the person who will serve as the head of state. This is certainly true in the U.

Considering all of this, the United States works as a combination of a constitutional, presidential, and federal republic! Remember that the difference between a republic and a democracy comes in how each of those ideas functions in government.

So if the United States is a republic because of how the government operates, it's a democracy because of why it operates. In other words, the U. In order to operate as a democracy, the United States has to have free and fair elections, citizen participation in government, protect citizens' human rights, and honor the rule of law. The United States meets all four the criteria to qualify as a democracy.

In terms of elections, the U. Additionally, these representatives are other U. Roles in government aren't passed down from family to family—all citizens in good standing are welcome to run for office regardless of class, gender, or culture. But what about guaranteeing human rights? One look at the Bill of Rights makes this clear. Not only do the amendments to the U. Constitution make guarantees about equality and freedom, they also serve as a set of protections for all U.

And finally, the U. S Constitution serves as the country's guiding legal document. All other laws must first uphold the laws and rights outlined in the Constitution first! Are you reading this post in preparation for the U. History AP Exam? If so, you should also check out some of our other resources! History books. If you're a freshman, sophomore, or junior, you might consider adding a few more AP classes to your schedule. Here's a complete list of AP courses and tests to help you choose classes that are perfect for you.

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How to Get a Perfect , by a Perfect Scorer. Score on SAT Math. Score on SAT Reading. Score on SAT Writing. What ACT target score should you be aiming for? How to Get a Perfect 4. How to Write an Amazing College Essay. A Comprehensive Guide. Choose Your Test. What Is a Republic vs a Democracy? Understanding the Difference.

So let's get started! What Is a Democracy? The 3 Major Types of Democracies With growing populations and more complex systems of government, the Athenian method of one voice, one vote doesn't always work. Direct Democracy Also known as pure democracy, direct democracy is democracy in its most basic form. Examples of Direct Democracy in Action Because direct democracy can be unwieldy on the national level, there are few countries that use it as a primary governmental system. Representative Democracy The second type of democracy is a representative democracy sometimes called indirect democracy.

Examples of Representational Democracy in Action Because representational democracy works best on a larger scale, most Western governments operate this way if the country is democratic, of course. Constitutional Democracy A constitutional democracy is the third major type of democracy in operation today. Examples of Constitutional Democracy in Action Constitutional democracies are a popular form of democracy around the world. But Wait Voting is a key component of democracy Characteristics of Democracies Beyond just structure, democracies are also characterized by a shared ideology, or system of beliefs.

Types of Republics Today Remember that a republic is a nation where governmental power rests with its citizens, uses a representational government, and has an elected head of state. Constitutional Republic In a constitutional republic, the government is limited by laws established by a formal constitution , which is generally secular in nature. Parliamentary Republic A parliamentary republic uses a parliamentary form of government in which the head of state runs the executive branch of government and the head of parliament runs the legislature.

Presidential Republic A presidential republic allows its citizens to elect a president to serve as the country's head of state. Federal Republic Federal republics are countries that are actually a union of states, all of which operate on a republican form of government.

Theocratic Republic These types of republics are governed primarily by religious law. Russia is a republic but is not democratic Republic Vs. Democracy: What's the Difference? Russia The Russian government, like many other nations, is set up like a republic. Select personalised content. Create a personalised content profile. Measure ad performance. Select basic ads. Create a personalised ads profile.

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Understanding Types of Government. Introduction Popular Government. Elite Government. Aristocracy Plutocracy Kleptocracy Oligarchy. Monarchy Constitutional Monarchy Absolute Monarchy. Totalitarian States.

Totalitarianism Military Dictatorship Autocracy Totalitarianism vs. Authoritarianism vs. Table of Contents Expand. The Concept of a Democracy. The Concept of a Republic. Is the United States a Republic or a Democracy? Republics and Constitutions. You probably hear countries like the United States or France referred to as democracies.

At the same time, you probably also hear both of these countries called republics. Is that possible? Are democracies and republics the same thing or different? A democracy is achieved by conducting free elections in which eligible people 1 vote on issues directly, known as a direct democracy , or 2 elect representatives to handle the issues for them, called a representative democracy. The word democracy dates back in English to around — For example, if a town only had enough funding to repair either their sewer system or roads, it might ask the citizens to vote on which one should get the money.

This is a basic example of direct democracy. Many referendums are voted on this way, such as the Scottish independence from the United Kingdom referendum in and the United Kingdom European Union membership referendum popularly referred to as Brexit in In contrast to a direct democracy, the people in a representative democracy elect representatives who act then on behalf of them, known as their constituents.

Today, it is inefficient, if not impossible, to have every eligible citizen vote on every issue—to vote on every piece of legislation that it takes to run a city, a state, a country.