A republic has rules that temper the majority in order to protect. A democracy is a rule by the majority, which can lead to tyranny. In fact, most of the modern “democracies” are designed to be a little bit slow and a little bit unresponsive. A republic ensures the welfare of all individuals is considered. Calling the government a democracy may also lead to unrealistic expectations of how government works and how quickly it responds. It probably would surprise many of them to learn that the Founding Fathers, about whom so many American citizens like to wax nostalgic if not poetic, thought that ordinary citizens should have a definite but limited role in directly controlling the government. When Americans call their government a democracy, they are also implying that they are directly in control of government. Why does this matter? First, words should have meaning, so that when we talk about politics, for example, we’re all speaking the same language. But how, when, and to which people The answer to those questions changes through. But that’s not the same thing as a democracy. So of course democracy is a form of government that gives power to the people. And anything that invites people to participate in decision-making in some meaningful way, such as elections, can be said to be democratic. If your class votes for a take-home exam instead of an in-class test, that would be an example of democracy.
In a true democracy, the people would vote directly on whatever comes before the state-laws, amendments, and decisions by government. The precise definition of democracy is direct rule by the people.
