Republic
Origins

A republic is a state or country where the people are able to have a certain degree of impacting the government. These government systems are usually also democratic, where the people vote for their leaders. The idea of a republic is said to come from the one of the first advanced civilisations, Greece. There are many types of republics, but in most modern republic the leader who holds the most power is usually called the president, with a few exceptions (e.g. Singapore’s head of state is the Prime Minister). These head of states are usually elected through democratic means, with a designated term in office (usually 4 to 6 years) before a next election, where the citizens will decide whether or not their current leader has done a good enough job.

Features

Republics give their citizens considerably more freedom of speech as compared to other forms of government, as citizens are required to choose their leader. They are also more economically developed, as leaders are expected to provide prosperity for their citizens to continue being in power. A popular example of this is the United States.

Pros and Cons

People have a say in the direction of the country/freedom of speech. Being largely democratic, the people in a republic are able to vote for their best interests. In turn the leaders in power will have to ensure the prosperity and satisfaction of the citizens in order to stay in power.

Respect for other races and religions. Under a dictatorship or monarchy, as the leader has absolute power it is possible that racial or religious discrimination can occur. In monarchies it is even possible that the leader could force his citizens to embrace a uniform religion of his choice. However, in a republic where democracy is important, leaders are more inclined to cater to all races and religions, however minor, in the state or country.

Instability as leaders might change regularly. When people are able to choose their leader, they might decide that their current leader is not doing a good enough job, leading to a sudden change in leadership during the next election. New leaders will result in a change in direction for the country, which over time may lead to instability in the country.

However, racism might still occur. Some countries with a racial majority could vote in favour of leaders of their race, resulting in discrimination toward minority races in their country.

Impact on Society

Leaders of a republic have to ensure the prosperity of their citizens, they will focus on economic growth, as can be seen from Singapore’s case, where it has one of the highest GDP in the world. If a leader is unable to achieve economic success for the country, the democratic system would ensure that the people would vote for one that can.

As there are several well-developed republics such as the United States, educational strategies can be exchanged between republics to result in higher standards of education in republics as compared to other forms of government. However, republics with a racial majority may have the problem of racially biased forms of education, where the majority race is made to believe they are superior to others.

Environmentally, economically focused republics such as the US tend to pay less attention to environmental issues such as pollution. This is because to most successful economies are oil driven, which causes large amounts of pollution.

Republics depend on the power of the people; therefore freedom of speech is prevalent. In Singapore many citizens are outspoken about the pros and cons of the current government, which are voiced out through many mediums such as newspaper forums and web logs. Also to ensure progress, Singapore does not repress technology such as the Internet from its citizens, allowing for a more informed and tech-savvy society.

Propaganda is occasionally used in favour of the leading party.  These occasions include during elections, where pro-party messages are broadcast over the media, giving the leading party an edge over their opponents.

References

Greece - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. (2008, March 20). Retrieved March 22, 2008, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greece#History .

Republic - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. (2008, March 17). Retrieved March 22, 2008, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republic . 

Yahoo! Answers - Who is the first president of any country in the world history?. (n.d.).
Retrieved March 22, 2008, from http://sg.answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AmWlhGil
AA5n4c49jllqeZch4wt.;_ylv=3?qid=20070519094406AAfLibe.

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A to Z government systems

A system where a Government is unnecessary and undesirable whichmeans that everything is based on voluntary cooperation by individuals and groups

A system where a Government is unnecessary and undesirable which means that everything is based on voluntary cooperation by individuals and groups
One person who has absolute rule over a country or a state and is usually hereditary or they claim as being given divine right with or without advisors.
A system combining Anarchism and capitalism
A system where there is no State or capitalism
A system combing Anarchism and savagery where savagery means acceptance comes easily.
A system where there are no hierarchies such as political or economic hierarchies.
A system where labour is emphasized and thus it has trade unions that replace the State
A system where there is more democratic decision-making
A government with only a few people who are thought to be best qualified.
A system where the people vote on the legislation and executive bills instead of electing leaders to do it for them.
A concentration of power in a leader who is not constitutionally responsible to the people
A one person government.
A system that is ruled by enlightened monarchs.
A system that is suitable for Islams as this system represents the political unity of the Muslims
A system that combines republic and capitalism together.
A system where the health of the community is the first priority
A system where there is no such thing as a private property because the goods are owned by the government and is available to anyone if needed
A system where many opinions are taken into consideration before making decisions
The system of Constitutional Monarchy has a Head of State that does not change as the governments change and a Government. Only the elected Officials can pass laws, the Head of State acts as an advisor to the Officials.
Leaders are elected by the people but the leaders have a limited power over the people and must go according to constitutional laws
A system where there are civic assemblies which represents the country's economic, social, industry and cultural aspects
A system where the making of laws must arise from the public if not the law cannot be approved.
A system where there is democratic representations in a country without the use of elections.
A democratic republic is a country where there is freedom of speech, election and press.
A system where two rulers have equal shared absolute power over the country
Government organization or group in with unlimited power
A true democratic system where the people elect their leaders
System where ruler with absolute power over the country.
A system similar to that of tyranny where all is controlled by one man.
A system ruled by dukes or duchesses
A system combining Anarchism but with saving the environment as their first priority.
A monarchy whose ruler is elected by the people.
A monarchy that is Arab-suited
A system that concentrates on the society's welfare as a whole and thus seeks patriotism.
A system used by the medieval age where warriors and nobility rule.
A system where the oldest are the leaders
A system ruled by grand dukes or grand duchesses
A system where the power lies with the loser level of government such as the name suggests, grassroots
A system for the Jews because non-Jews would not be granted full citizenship.
A monarchy where the kingship is passed to the sons when the father dies.
A system with the Pope as its leader.
A system where the people elect their leaders but the leaders have the freedom to do what they want.
A system combining democracy with a religion, Islam
A name that is given to many Muslim countries
Government by those who want power and personal gain.
A system where judges rule and rules by natural rights
A system where judges rule but based on the judges opinions
A system where the people elect the leaders to make decisions for them.
A system which emphasizes on liberty, freedom for the people.
A system where absolute power is given to magicians and wizards
A government where females rule.
Government by those with talent.
A system where military force is used to establish freedom and liberty.
A military-based government that has absolute rule over the country
A system combining oligarchy, democracy and monarchy.
A democratic system where there are no government parties.
A small group which makes up the government which is usually corrupted and do things for their own sake.
Government by the majority.
A system where the people are allowed to coose whatever government system they want.
A system similar to the parliamentary system except that the head of state does not have that much power.
A system where the parliament checks on the executive branch of the government
A system where voting is limited and where politicians take care of the governing of the country
A system where the people vote on the legislation and executive bills instead of electing leaders to do it for them.
Timocracy, Government controlled by the rich.
A state where government uses police by means to control the life of the citizens.
A monarchy where the monarch's title is linked to the people.
A system where the executive branch is independent of the legislative branch.
A monarchy where the monarch's title is prince
A system combining democracy and religion
A system where the government is elected by the people and the government has the responsibility in acting in people's interest.
A system where there is restricted democracy
A system where robots rule
One person who proclaims himself as king which would usually lead to hereditary monarchy.
A system similar to that of a presidential system except for the fact that the president and prime minister gets involved in everyday decision-making.
A system where there is only 1 government party running the country and no other party is allowed to enter for elections.
A system combining socialism and democracy
A system that emphasizes on socialism that also has aspects of free market in its economy.
A democratic system where workers are represented in government too.
A system where the rulers are those highly-skilled and qualified.
Maritime (relating to navigation or commerce on the sea) government
Government of a state by divine rule, usually by people who are guided by the deities
Government of a state by God.
A democratic system where the leader is elected but has absolute rule.
Absolute state which the people must follow orders from.
Tribalism existed during the time of primitive men. Thus, it has a sense of primitive in it. However, it also emphasizes on communism and equality.
A government ruled by an oppressive and severely unjust ruler.
A system with administrative divisions governed by a person who is governed by the viceroy.
A system combining democracy and parliamentary system which is somewhat similar to the United nations is adopting
 
Quiz Time

Where did the first republic come about?



Greece

What is a prominent feature of a republic?




Which of these is not a republic?