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51 points

A republic is a type of democracy. This guy is an idiot. 

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48 points

No, republic just means that the role of head of state isn’t hereditary. Lots of dictatorships are republics, some democracies are as well. The actual political system of the USA is representative democracy (in theory at least).

The fact that these terms are so muddled in the minds of the average American is completely deliberate, because it makes it so much easier for them to subvert US democracy when people have been told that the US is not one.

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4 points

There are a couple definitions. One I’ve heard most is a republic has a citizen as head of state, which disqualifies both monarchies and military dictatorships. Another is that the head of state is elected or nominated, which disqualifies non-representative systems entirely.

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2 points
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republic /rɪˈpʌblɪk/ noun a state in which supreme power is held by the people and their elected representatives, and which has an elected or nominated president rather than a monarch.

from one of those Oxford ones

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22 points

I just looked it up and did not find a concise definition. According to the German bpb even dictatorships can be republics.

https://www.bpb.de/kurz-knapp/lexika/lexikon-in-einfacher-sprache/250057/republik/

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5 points

Not necessarily, North Korea is technically a republic.

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18 points

No, it’s not. They have a hereditary head of state who enforces his rule with control of the military.

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9 points
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That is why it is technically a republic, but not in practice. The constitution says it is a republic, and they actually have an election for the role of head of state, well “election”, but of course in practice that is not how it works at all.

The US is also technically a representative democracy, but in practice, well…

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-3 points
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Who was the third head of state again? (Hint, it isnt Kim Jung Un)

Well cited effortpost on hexbear about the dprk: https://hexbear.net/post/196389

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15 points

It’s not just a Republic its a people’s Republic.

So you know like way better. That’s why they don’t need elections it already says it belongs to the people

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-21 points
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They literally hold elections following a concensus process.

Well cited effortpost on hexbear about the dprk: https://hexbear.net/post/196389

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8 points

The hand job place near me is also technically a foot job place.

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