Republic and Democracy

• A republic is a governmental system in which the citizens of the country elect representatives to make and pass laws, along with enforcing those laws. Republics are often mistakenly referred to as democracies, where the people govern the country directly. This is almost impossible when a country has a significant number of citizens. Examples of republics are the United States, Austria and Germany, where elections are held, the people of the country vote and officials are elected by the results.
  
  

Democratic Republic and Dictatorships

• Democratic republics are generally viewed as being dictatorships, where one person or party rules the government single-handedly. The government is said to be run by the citizens of a country; however, no direct elections are held to elect the government officials in office. Countries with this type of government are generally one-party states. The Democratic People's Republic of Korea and the People's Republic of China are examples of democratic-republic governments. Saudi Arabia, Libya and Syria are dictatorships.
  
  

Monarchy

• A monarchy is a country ruled by a king, queen or emperor. This was the major type of government in historical times. In modern times, there are no large countries ruled by a monarch -- other than the United Kingdom, which is ruled by Queen Elizabeth, although she has relatively no power, as there is a parliament set up to pass and enforce the laws.
  
  

Aristocracy

• An aristocracy is ruled by educated and wealthy citizens, called aristocrats. This is generally associated with a monarchy, as the leaders are both educated and wealthy. Today, there are few aristocracies. The term is also used to give a negative connotation to republics, meaning that wealth and education are what determine who is elected to govern. For instance, the United States is considered by some to be an aristocracy, as its government officials are generally rich and come from affluent backgrounds.