The Differentiating Factor, Constitutional Republic Vs Democracy

By Olivia Cross


The use of democracy and republic interchangeably is innocently erroneous because there exist major differences. This makes the constitutional republic vs democracy debate a very crucial platform for clarifying issues. The rights of citizens in republics are safeguarded and cannot be taken away by the government. On the other hand, democracies disregard the rights of minority.

It is the interaction between government powers and the rights of individuals that differentiates republics from democracies. The fact that it is majority who exercise power in both cases is not contested. The effect this power and rights have on the minority differentiates these two government systems. In both cases, there is representation into the government.

The ruling government holds absolute power in democracies. This gives it the power to determine the right to be enjoyed by individuals to the extent of changing constitutions. The absolute power wielded by governments in democracies means that being a minority takes away certain rights until a certain time when the group joins or becomes the majority. It is a very vulnerable position for this group.

Republics provide safeguards that restrain majority governments from oppressing the minority. This means that citizens have inalienable rights that cannot be taken away whether they are a majority or minority. This is a differentiating factor when one seeks to understand how democracies differ from republics. Democracies expose the minority to a greater extent.

The majority is omnipotent in democracies which allows them to exercise absolute power at the expense of minority. This bully attitude continues until the situation changes in favor of minority. Republics have restrictions aimed at restricting the oppressive tendencies of majority governments. The process of altering inalienable rights is constitutionally defined and must involve the masses.

Sovereignty guaranteed in the charter or constitution is a point of discussion when making comparisons between the two governments. In a democracy, sovereignty is held by the entire population as a group. This means that the majority group determines what the entire population is entitled to. This form of government is said to have its origin in Classic Athens.

The system used by republics is different because sovereignty belongs to the individual. These rights are safeguarded and cannot be tampered with even by a majority government. This system first emerged in Classical Rome and has three characteristic arms of government. It is the system used in USA.

Democracies come in two forms, direct and representative. The mandate of an individual is taken by a representative who forms part of an elected body in representative democracies. He is the voice of his electorates and therefore will purport to vote based on their wish. He also gives an opinion that is said to represent his electorates.

Direct democracies allow the masses to exercise power on issues and representation. The population makes decisions directly in matters of the law and governance. This is exemplified in referendums and voting processes where each citizen makes an individual decision.

The USA is a republic based on the fact that it is governed by the rule of law. The existence of written law and the constitution means that representatives are bound by these statutes. This is the trend in most nations though there exist variations based on traditions and the processes of nation formation. The limits that exist to protect minorities from being muscled by the government signal a mixture of governance systems.




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