[manishsharan]

I always thought that Replublic and Democracy are orthogonal concepts. A nation could be a Monarchy and a Democracy while another one could be a Republic and Fascist state.

Please note that I am not an expert on this subject. However I have frequently observed Americans commenting on this forum and on Reddit that America is a republic but not a democracy. This confuses me so much.

edit: typos

[seneca]

> I always thought that Replublic and Democracy are orthogonal concepts.

Yes, you're correct. I should have been more accurate and said a Republic CAN be a Democracy, or specifically said Democratic Republic. I'll edit my post to clarify.

> I have frequently observed Americans commenting on this forum and on Reddit that America is a republic but not a democracy. This confuses me so much.

It's a political talking point that often gets interpreted as fact. Democrats want a more direct Democracy, specifically things like eliminating the Electoral College. In that case, because the Electoral College is specifically setup to tamp down the power of high population states which are generally Democratic (as in the party) strong holds. To that end, you hear them claim Republics are undemocratic, and the less informed of their ranks interpret this to mean Republics are mutually exclusive with Democracy.

In more academic circles, there are arguments about the validity of a Republican (the system, not party) government, but that's rarely what you're encountering.