Republicanism

1. Republicanism government by representatives of the people

2. Republicanism Defined: • One man – one vote • Citizens vote for a decision-makernot to make decisions themselves. • Majority rules.

3. Distribution of Power  1  2

4. Distribution of Power  2

5. Key Figures • Aristotle built on the democratic ideas of his predecessor, Plato, and concluded that the optimal form of government is one in which the middle-class rules as a mixture of monarchy and democracy. • Hugo Grotius, Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, and Jean Jacques Rousseau pioneered the idea of the social contract, which argues that citizens consent to obey the rule of a government in return for protection of their natural rights.

6. Historical Examples • The earliest example of a republican state is the Roman Republic, which emerged after the overthrow of the Roman Monarchy. Although dominated by a wealthy aristocracy, it was balanced by the Plebian Council, which was composed of citizen-commoners. During times of emergency, these councils were dissolved and a dictator was appointed to rule. The republic lasted for almost 500 years until being supplanted by Caesar Augustus (Octavian).

7. Historical Examples

8. If our class were a republic: • The class would vote for representatives to make decisions about curriculum, hours, homework, etc. • The teacher could be the only representative, or the class could choose to balance the teacher’s power with a council of students. • Elections would occur regularly to keep the power of the representatives in check. • The class would outline certain rights that each member has, which could not be removed by the representatives or even by a majority.

9. Pros and Cons Pros Cons • Allows for checks and balances • More efficient than a full democracy • Checks and balances • Social contract • Much less efficient than a monarchy or dictatorship • Risks abuse by representatives • Slow to react • Risks tyranny of the majority

10. Decisions • Decisions can come relatively easily. However, in practice, decisions have come more complicated because representatives sometimes feel a conflict between what they feel to be the right decision and what they perceive is more likely to appeal to voters. • As in the Roman Republic, most republics allow for more direct decision making during times of crisis.

11. Is our country a republic? • Yes. Our founders were students of both the classical republican thinkers and the Renaissance republicans. The United States model is the prime example of a modern republic.