The Republic (Civ3)/Civilopedia

The republic is a system of government in which the citizens appoint, by popular vote, a head of state and officials to represent the views of the general public. The concept of the republic first appeared in ancient Rome, where local provinces sent elected representatives to the Senate, which governed all Roman lands. Both the head of state and the local representatives in a republic are elected; no one is granted a position by birth or divine right. Republican governments are similar in some ways to democracies, in that they offer a great deal of personal, financial, and political freedom to their citizens. The main difference between the two systems is that a true democracy allows the participation of every voting citizen in any and all political matters, whereas in a republic, a body of elected officials represents the views and opinions of the people. Although an effective system, personal agendas of political representatives might act to decrease the effectiveness in representing the views of the people. Due to human nature, corruption is fairly common in a republican government.