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Old 02-03-2017, 03:51 PM
 
18,056 posts, read 25,139,251 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by tablemtn View Post
"Republic" isn't a scientific term with a fixed meaning, and it has referred to different political structures over time. In the broad sense a republic is just a form of government where there is some type of governing power held by the public itself, rather than just a single monarch or dictator.
I'm always amazed how Americans go around talking about "America is a Republic"
and they have no f..... idea of what they are saying

Republic is how the government is structured,
has nothing to do with how politicians are elected.

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Old 02-03-2017, 04:20 PM
 
Location: Type 0.73 Kardashev
11,110 posts, read 9,754,935 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dopo View Post
I'm always amazed how Americans go around talking about "America is a Republic"
and they have no f..... idea of what they are saying

Republic is how the government is structured,
has nothing to do with how politicians are elected.
"America is a republic..." is usually followed immediately by "...not a democracy", as if it's an either/or situation. It's not. And people who say that heard or read it somewhere but haven't the foggiest idea what it even means.

It's as silly as saying "That's a dog, not a mammal!", oblivious to the fact that the former is a subset of the latter. Similarly, many republics are in fact democracies - such as the United States.
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Old 02-03-2017, 04:40 PM
 
Location: Independent Republic of Ballard
8,062 posts, read 8,311,932 times
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According to Aristotle, a republic is a combination of oligarchic (elite) and democratic (popular) elements. The actual form of the republic is likely to be reflective of the balance of power between the two.
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Old 02-04-2017, 03:35 AM
 
Location: Finland
24,144 posts, read 24,706,169 times
Reputation: 11103
Quote:
Originally Posted by Unsettomati View Post
"America is a republic..." is usually followed immediately by "...not a democracy", as if it's an either/or situation. It's not. And people who say that heard or read it somewhere but haven't the foggiest idea what it even means.

It's as silly as saying "That's a dog, not a mammal!", oblivious to the fact that the former is a subset of the latter. Similarly, many republics are in fact democracies - such as the United States.
I find it similarly amusing that some thinks that monarchs like Elizabeth II could seize dictatorial powers if she only wants it.
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Old 02-05-2017, 10:01 AM
 
Location: Type 0.73 Kardashev
11,110 posts, read 9,754,935 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Ariete View Post
I find it similarly amusing that some thinks that monarchs like Elizabeth II could seize dictatorial powers if she only wants it.
It's probably just wishful thinking.

I mean, let's be honest... the mental image of the kindly and proper white-haired 90-year-old elf suddenly going all Idi Amin is kinda appealing...
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Old 02-05-2017, 01:40 PM
 
Location: Seattle WA, USA
5,691 posts, read 4,869,682 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JAMESY1999 View Post
What is the difference between a democratic republic and a non-democratic republic? Thanks
In a perfect world a non democratic republic, the officials are not elected because the people trust the government to select the right officials because they are aware that the majority of the people are not educated enough to elect the best people for those positions. And so technically a non democratic republic would operate more effectively than a democratic one, however what it ends being is that government doesn't trust the people to elect the right people and over time those officials become corrupt and power hungry and only look out for their own personal interests rather than the interest of the people, this tends to happen to democratic republics too since the politicians count on the fact the general population is stupid enough to think that they actually care about the people.
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Old 02-06-2017, 07:33 AM
 
Location: Denver, CO
2,827 posts, read 2,129,010 times
Reputation: 2990
Quote:
Originally Posted by CrazyDonkey View Post
According to Aristotle, a republic is a combination of oligarchic (elite) and democratic (popular) elements. The actual form of the republic is likely to be reflective of the balance of power between the two.
What's the word he used for 'republic'? It is a Latin term not a Greek one.
According to A the best system of government will have a balance of 3 elements: monarchical, oligarchic and the democratic. He cited Carthage and Sparta as examples if I remember correctly.
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