共和国 | 定義、歴史、事実 | ブリタニカ

Republic | Definition, History, & Facts | Britannica Ask the Chatbot Games & Quizzes History & Society Science & Tech Biographies Animals & Nature Geography & Travel Arts & Culture ProCon Money Videos republic Introduction References & Edit History Related Topics Images Contents CITE verified Cite While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. Select Citation Style MLA APA Chicago Manual of Style Copy Citation Share Share Share to social media Facebook X URL https://www.britannica.com/topic/republic-government Feedback External Websites Feedback Corrections? Updates? Omissions? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Feedback Type Select a type (Required) Factual Correction Spelling/Grammar Correction Link Correction Additional Information Other Your Feedback Submit Feedback Thank you for your feedback Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. External Websites Bill of Rights Institute - Republican Government Britannica Websites Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. republic - Children's Encyclopedia (Ages 8-11) republic - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up) Jean Bodin Jean Bodin, 16th-century engraving. (more) republic government Ask Anything Homework Help Written by André Munro André Munro is a regular freelance contributor as well as a former editor at Encyclopaedia Britannica. He holds a Ph.D. in Political Science (Northwestern University) and has written numerous articles... André Munro Fact-checked by Britannica Editors Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree.... Britannica Editors Last updated Mar. 30, 2026 • History Britannica AI Ask Anything Table of Contents Table of Contents Ask Anything republic , form of government in which a state is ruled by representatives of the citizen body. Modern republics are founded on the idea that sovereignty rests with the people, though who is included and excluded from the category of the people has varied across history. Because citizens do not govern the state themselves but through representatives, republics may be distinguished from direct democracy , though modern representative democracies are by and large republics. The term republic may also be applied to any form of government in which the head of state is not a hereditary monarch . Prior to the 17th century, the term was used to designate any state, with the exception of tyrannical regimes. Derived from the Latin expression res publica (“the public thing”), the category of republic could encompass not only democratic states but also oligarchies , aristocracies , and monarchies . In Six Books of the Commonwealth (1576), his canonical study of sovereignty , the French political philosopher Jean Bodin thus offered a far-reaching definition of the republic: “the rightly ordered government of a number of families, and of those things which are their common concern, by a sovereign power.” Tyrannies were excluded from this definition, because their object is not the common good but the private benefit of a single individual. During the 17th and 18th centuries, the meaning of republic shifted with the growing resistance to absolutist regimes and their upheaval in a series of wars and revolutions, from the Eighty Years’ War ( 1568–1648) to the American Revolution (1775–83) and the French Revolution (1787–89). Shaped by those events, the term republic came to designate a form of government in which the leader is periodically appointed under a constitution , in contrast to hereditary monarchies. Key People: Niccolò Machiavelli (Show more) Related Topics: political system representative democracy democratic peace What Is the Difference Between Democracy and Republic? republicanism (Show more) See all related content More From Britannica democracy: Democracy or republic? Despite its democratic implications , the term was claimed in the 20th century by states whose leadership enjoyed more power than most traditional monarchs, including military dictatorships such as the Republic of Chile under Augusto Pinochet and totalitarian regimes such as the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea . André Munro