Republic
Overview
 
A republic is a form of government
Form of government
A form of government, or form of state governance, refers to the set of political institutions by which a government of a state is organized. Synonyms include "regime type" and "system of government".-Empirical and conceptual problems:...

 in which the people, or some significant portion of them, have supreme control over the government and where offices of state are elected or chosen by elected people. In modern times, a common simplified definition of a republic is a government where the head of state is not a monarch. The word republic is derived from the Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...

 phrase res publica
Res publica
Res publica is a Latin phrase, loosely meaning "public affair". It is the root of the word republic, and the word commonwealth has traditionally been used as a synonym for it; however translations vary widely according to the context...

, which can be translated as "a public affair", and often used to describe a state
State (polity)
A state is an organized political community, living under a government. States may be sovereign and may enjoy a monopoly on the legal initiation of force and are not dependent on, or subject to any other power or state. Many states are federated states which participate in a federal union...

 using this form of government.

Both modern and ancient republics vary widely in their ideology and composition.
Timeline

301    San Marino, one of the smallest nations in the world and the world's oldest republic still in existence, is founded by Saint Marinus.

1527    The Florentines drive out the Medici for a second time and Florence re-establishes itself as a republic.

1649    An Act of Parliament declaring England a Commonwealth is passed by the Long Parliament. England would be a republic for the next eleven years.

1793    The first republican state in Germany, the Republic of Mainz, is declared by Andreas Joseph Hofmann.

1849    Hungary becomes a republic.

1905    Norway holds a referendum in favor of monarchy over republic.

1917    Russia is officially proclaimed a republic.

1918    Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany abdicates after the German Revolution, and Germany is proclaimed a Republic.

1918    Czechoslovakia becomes a republic.

1923    Greece becomes a republic.

 
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