What Is the Difference Between Democracy and Republic?

Democracy and republic, while often used interchangeably, have distinct meanings, origins, and implications. Democracy is a system of government in which laws, policies, leadership, and major undertakings of a state or other polity are directly or indirectly decided by the “people,” a group historically constituted by only a minority of the population (e.g., all free adult males in ancient Athens or all sufficiently propertied adult males in 19th-century Britain) but generally understood since the mid-20th century to include all (or nearly all) adult citizens. In contrast, a republic is a form of government in which a state is ruled by representatives of the citizen body.

The terms also differ in etymology. The word democracy has Greek roots and is derived from dēmokratia, which means “rule by the people,” while republic has Latin roots and is derived from the expression res publica, which means “public good” or “public affair.” In ancient Greece democracy originally referred to direct democracy, a system in which people voted on laws and decisions themselves. In ancient Rome republic simply meant a state or country and described a system where leaders were elected to represent the people.

In a “pure democracy” sovereignty is directly exercised by the people, either through direct voting or through mechanisms that allow for public participation in decision-making. In a republic, sovereignty rests with the people, but it is exercised through elected representatives.

Today, most modern states are considered representative democracies, which are essentially republics. This means they have a system of government where officials are elected to represent the people, and these officials are accountable to the electorate. It could be said that democracy is the idea or system of rule, while a republic is the actual form it takes in practice.