What is the difference between a Representative Democracy and a Republic? Or are the the same? ?

Question

The Keyword is Representative

Answer 1

Republic implies a collection of states each having some governmental powers.  Representative democracy implies that the populace votes for members of a legislature.  The two terms are thus unrelated.

Answer 2

A Republic is a self governing people. That is what we were supposed to be. Over time we have become a Representative Democracy. Our founders despised democracies because they all end in corruption and division. Congress becomes nothing more than a w***e to the highest bidder.

That is why we were to govern ourselves with very little oversight from government. The powers explicitly enumerated in the Constitution were supposed to limit what Congress could do.  

Answer 3

In the republic, only certain people vote.  (We were a republic - only white males with land were allowed to vote.)  Now, in theory, all adult citizens qualify to vote, but we elect representatives who do the actual work of governemtn for us (representative democracy).  If we all voted on everything, the system would be cumbersome, unstable, and subject to panic (mob rule).  I used to question that, but now I think it's true.  We need a filter, a period to cool off, examine, and sort out.  That's built into the government we have, but a computerized/how does everyone feel at this particular moment "mobocracy" democracy would have insufficient checks and balances - in my opinion.  The poblem with what we've got now is that it's been subverted:  we are basically running on one branch of government, instead of three.

I hope that cleared up a bit.

Answer 4

They represent the people. Democracy is for the poor and Republic is for the rich.