How Does a Republic Government Differ from a Democratic One?

A pure democracy is one where all the citizens of a country take part in the process of making the laws that govern their nation. All these citizens have equal voting rights and, thereby, equal representation at the national level. The best example for understanding the concept of direct democracy is Switzerland. Any Swiss citizen who is eligible to vote can sign on a popular initiative, and a group of seven citizens or more (the initiative committee) can launch their own popular initiative. The republican system of governance can look quite similar to the democratic style, but there is a very fine line between the two. In a republic, the citizens of the country vote to elect representatives who take part in the proceedings of the government and pass various laws. The United States is an example of a republic. The country is divided into different federal constituencies (states), such as California, Arizona, etc. and each of these holds separate elections to elect leaders representing their state. One of the major distinctions between the two lies in the constitution. A pure democracy lacks a defined constitution, and the laws are formulated by the elected representatives. In a republic, however, the constitution has the final say in all matters.