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List of republics

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List of republics is a list of countries or states governed as a republic.

For Antiquity (or later in the case of societies that did not refer to a Western terminology to qualify their form of government) the assessment of whether a state organisation is a republic is an analysis by retrospect, left to the discretion of historians and political theorists.

For more recent systems of government worldwide organisations with a broad political acceptance, like the United Nations, can provide information on whether or not a sovereign state is referred to as a republic.

Antiquity

Middle Ages and Renaissance

Enlightenment and later

In modern usage, a republican form of government is applied loosely to any state which claims this designation. So for example the Dominican Republic under Rafael Trujillo is considered a republic, as is the Republic of Iraq under Saddam Hussein and the The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics under Joseph Stalin. The Kingdom of Sweden (which in 2006 ranked highest in the Economist's index of democracy) is not a republic, but the Democratic People's Republic of North Korea (which ranks lowest in the same survey) is.

Unitary republics

Unitary republics are unitary states which are governed constitutionally as one single unit, with a single constitutionally created legislature.

Federal republics

Federal republics are federal states in which the administrative divisions (states or provinces) theoretically retain a degree of autonomy which is constitutionally protected, and cannot be revoked unilaterally by the national government.

Confederal republics

Confederal republics are associations of sovereign states, usually having power over critical common issues such as defence and foreign affairs:

Arab Republics

Islamic Republics

Republics governed in accordance with Islamic law:

Democratic Republics

These are republics which use the word "democratic" in their official name. Their actual political systems can vary considerably.

Socialist Republics

These are republics which use the word "socialist" in their official name.

People's Republics

Meant to be governed by the people, this name is most often (but not always) used by communist states.

Former People's Republics:

References



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