REPUBLIC 



4975 



REPUBLIC 



lected officials authority for short periods to 

 maintain the necessary power. In theory, the 

 authority of any official extends no further 

 than the limits imposed by the citizen body, 

 as expressed by their votes, and officials are ex- 

 pected to regulate their actions according to 

 the known will of the people whom they repre- 

 sent. 



A republic is a near approach to a pure de- 

 mocracy. In the latter all the people meet to- 

 gether in one place to frame their laws, and to 

 instruct selected persons to carry them into exe- 

 cution. If a country is so large and the popu- 



Switzerland, since its independence was declared 

 in the Napoleonic era, has become one of the 

 most progressive of the world's republics. Portu- 

 gal deposed its king in October, 1910, and in- 

 stituted a republican form of government, which 

 was recognized by the nations early in 1911. 

 In March, 1917, Russia deposed the Romanoff 

 dynasty and proclaimed itself free, with repub- 

 lican leanings. With the defeat of the mili- 

 taristic Germanic powers in 1918 several new 

 republics sprang up in Europe. 



The list is as follows : 



NORTH AMERICA. United States, Mexico. 



REPUBLICS OF THE WORLD IN 1776 



The white areas, Genoa, Venice, Switzerland, the Netherlands and the United States, were th 

 only democratic governments on the -;u -tii. The black areas represent monarchies and their dependen- 

 In these freedom of the individual had not been attained ; the king and his counselors deter- 

 mined national policies. 



lation is so great that a common meeting place 

 for legislation in which all may participate is 

 impossible, laws are enacted by a representa- 

 assembly, composed of delegates selected 

 by the mass of the people ; these make the laws 

 and other citizens selected by the people exe- 

 cute them. The latter form of government is 

 then termed a republic; another name for it, 

 and one which is self-explanatory, is representa- 

 tive democracy. 



The United States is the most conspicuous 

 example of a successful republic in the world. 

 The republic of China is the largest in area, and 

 the least stable; the republic of San Marino 

 i- the smallest, and its stability is guaranteed 

 by Italy. In Europe, after decades of struggle, 

 France became a republic and has established 

 a thoroughly able representative government. 



CENTRAL AMERICA. Guatemala, Honduras, Pan- 

 ama, Costa Rica. Nicaragua, San Salvador. 



SOUTH AMERICA. Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, 

 Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, Uru- 

 guay, Venezuela. 



EUROPE. Prance, Russia, Portugal. Switzer- 

 land, San Marino. Andorra, Czecko-Slovakla, Po- 

 land. Jugo-Slavla. Hungary (T), Austria (?). 

 Germany (?). 



ELSEWHERE. China, Cuba. Dominican Repub- 

 lic . Haiti, Liberia, 



Growth of Republics. The accompanying 

 maps show the rapid increase in representative 

 government since the adoption of the Declara- 

 tion of Independence by the United States in 

 1778. At that date the United States was the 

 only important nation having a republican form 

 of government. In Europe, Genoa and Venice 

 claimed to be republics, but they were ruled 

 by officials chosen by the aristocracy, and Swit- 



