This article concentrates on the several forms of government of real states and countries that have been termed republic, for all other uses see: republic (disambiguation)

In a broad definition, a republic is a state or country that is led by people who do not base their political power on any principle beyond the control by the people of that state or country. Several definitions, including that of the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica, stress the importance of autonomy and the rule of law as part of the requirements for a republic.

Often republics and monarchies are described as mutually exclusive.In the opening chapter of The Prince Machiavelli describes republics and monarchies as mutually exclusive, with republics including both democracies and aristocracies. But even Machiavelli could not always keep to this mutual exclusiveness, not even in The Prince: for example, when he tries to characterise the form of government of the Papal States in the 11th chapter of that book, he points out that usual methods and distinctions are not applicable for analysing such type of state. Defining a republic as a non-monarchy, the most common short definition,For instance in Webster's republic is defined as "a state where the head of state is not a monarch, and in modern times is usually a president". is based on this idea. Although largely covering what is usually understood by a republic such definition has some borderline issues, for example while the distinction between monarchy and republic was not always made as it is in modern times, while oligarchies are traditionally considered neither monarchy nor republic, and while such definition depends very much on the monarch concept, which has various definitions, not making clear which of these is used for defining republic. In his 1787 book, "Defence of the Constitutions," John Adams used the definition of "republic" in Samuel Johnson's 1755 "Dictionary" ("A government of more than one person"), but in the same book, and in several other writings, Adams made it clear that he thought of the English state as a republic because the executive, though single and called "king," had to obey laws made with the concurrence of the legislature ("the British constitution is nothing more or less than a republic, in which the king is first magistrate. This office being hereditary, and being possessed of such ample and splendid prerogatives, is no objection to the government’s being a republic, as long as it is bound by fixed laws, which the people have a voice in making, and a right to defend.” -March 6, 1775).

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McCarthy wuz right? RT @andrehachem @StakedMatthews Union of Soviet Socialist Republics
RedScareBot (Robot J. McCarthy) Wed, 23 Dec 2009 03:42:42 -0000
McCarthy wuz right? RT @andrehachem @StakedMatthews Union of Soviet Socialist Republics
Playing the Sims 3. I love how they throw real stuff in it. Like this sim has Rock&Republics. The R's r a Lil different tho. Twitpic soon..
jonomite (Jonathan Simpson) Wed, 23 Dec 2009 03:38:28 -0000
Playing the Sims 3. I love how they throw real stuff in it. Like this sim has Rock&Republics. The R's r a Lil different tho. Twitpic soon..
@StakedMatthews Union of Soviet Socialist Republics
andrehachem (André Muniz) Wed, 23 Dec 2009 03:34:50 -0000
@StakedMatthews Union of Soviet Socialist Republics
Banana republics playing blame game over collapse of global warming wealth redistribution scam http://tinyurl.com/yckannh #tcot #ocra
IfYouCanKeepIt (Frank) Wed, 23 Dec 2009 03:07:20 -0000
Banana republics playing blame game over collapse of global warming wealth redistribution scam http://tinyurl.com/yckannh #tcot #ocra
@donnakay2010 States are essentially miniature Republics. They shouldn't get Federal funding now. No, they will be cut off.
Gregory_Hensley (Gregory Hensley SD.™) Tue, 22 Dec 2009 23:52:30 -0000
@donnakay2010 States are essentially miniature Republics. They shouldn't get Federal funding now. No, they will be cut off.
#factsaboutme I only own designer jeans :: Rock & Republics, Ralph Lauren, Seven For All Mankind, and Antik Denims (NO LEVIS!)
cam_kirk (Cameron K.) Tue, 22 Dec 2009 22:34:45 -0000
#factsaboutme I only own designer jeans :: Rock & Republics, Ralph Lauren, Seven For All Mankind, and Antik Denims (NO LEVIS!)

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