The concept of this entry is made up of two different terms. The idea of republic comes from the word res publica, which in Latin means the public, that is, the organization of the state that affects all individuals.
In this sense, the Roman Republic as a form of state organization was born to avoid possible abuses by an individual who had all power in his hands. At the same time, the idea of a republic can be understood in opposition to another form of government, the monarchy. On the other hand, democracy is a word of Greek origin and the democratic comes to be the power of the people. Starting from this terminological clarification, it is already possible to detail the main characteristics of the democratic republic as a general concept.
Some features of the democratic republics
All countries that rely on this form of government have, in theory, the purpose of ensuring that power is not dictatorial or despotic.
One of the essential mechanisms is the separation of powers. This means that the three powers of the state are independent. Thus, the executive power is held by the government of a nation and its highest representative is the head of state. The legislative power refers to who has the power to make laws, that is, the representatives of the citizens. The judicial power is held by the administration of justice (the members of the courts and tribunals who must apply the laws promulgated by the other two powers).
Mechanisms for citizen participation (for example, through regular voting) are essential elements of any democratic republic.
Normally all democratic republics are governed by a constitution which establishes the general legal framework. The interest of the majority or general interest is also another of the principles of this form of government.
Democratic republics in Eastern Europe
At the end of World War II, a series of eastern European states were organized under the denomination of democratic republics (also known as people's democracies) that were subject to Soviet power. Among them we must highlight the German Democratic Republic, the People's Republic of Poland or that of Hungary. The regimes of these nations imposed a system of government that had little to do with democracy. It should not be forgotten that in all of them there was a single party, there was no freedom of expression and a generalized system of repression was imposed that radically departs from the idea of democracy.
We could affirm, by way of conclusion, that the denomination of democratic republic has two aspects: what it means in theory in the context of politics and, at the same time, what it has meant in some cases in practice. Finally, it should be remembered that today there are nations whose official name is the Democratic Republic (for example, North Korea or the Congo).
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