By definition, a republic is a political unit governed by a charter, while a democracy is a government whose prevailing force is always that of the majority. Perhaps one of the difficulties in defining these two words — democracy and republic — stems from the fact that many people consider them to be synonyms, which they aren’t. They are no more alike than an apple and a banana, and yet they are often used interchangeably.

The difference between a republic and a democracy lies in the ultimate source of official power. In the case of a republic, it lies with a charter; in a democracy, power lies with the rule of the majority. Yet they are often lumped together. Consider the words to the United States' Pledge of Allegiance, which adds to some of the confusion by proudly touting: "And to the republic for which its stands, one nation under God, indivisible ..."

Adding to the confusion is the fact that there are different types of democracies. A direct democracy is one which is ruled entirely and directly by the people; to decide on an issue, the question is put to the vote of the population and the majority of those votes determine the outcome. In a representative democracy, citizens elect people to represent their interests in the government, and these representatives determine how issues are decided.

In seeking clarification between a democracy and a republic, look no further than the names of American political parties and how they loosely define their boundaries. If nothing else, the names "republican" and "democrat" may be considered to characterize a Republican’s looser view of government and a Democrat’s centralized one. In a republic, people may vote for their representatives, but the state’s responsibilities are limited because they are clearly bound by a charter. Freedom is realized by the willingness of the people to live by the dictates of the charter. The republic’s charter protects the individual’s rights.

The detailed organization of the government of a republic can vary widely. In most cases, the head of state, as it is in France, for example, is referred to as the president. In republics, the head of state is always appointed as the result of either a direct or indirect election. In the case of some republics, such as Switzerland and San Marino, the head of state is actually a committee of several persons in aggregate. Republics can be led by a head of state who retains many characteristics of a monarch, and in some instances the president may rule for the duration of his life. Such an example would be the Syrian Arab Republic.

Republics and democracies represent two forms of representative government out of many found in the world today. The rights of the individual are always protected, no matter how they are represented.