Only certain people in ancient greece had the right to vote on important matters.

Ive been brainwashed by my history teacher then ....

Currently in 2022, we have neither a Democracy nor a law abiding Republic.

“Democracy is like 3 wolves and a sheep deciding what’s for dinner” - I think Thomas Jefferson

A republic is a nation/country that is not a monarchy thats it, it has absolutely nothing to do with if the country is a democracy or not. Take ROC for example it has been a republic since 1945 (it's even in the name) but only a democracy since the 1980s.

“Democracy is the worst form of government, except for all the others.” ~ Winston S. Churchill

No one or no channel can explain someting or anything better than Epipheo!!!

TL;DR: This video is unfortunately misleading. It contains accurate facts, but it also cherry picks information to create a negative bias that will lead people to be misinformed. I have briefly read the comments and noticed some people have touched upon some of the things I would like to say. Please note that the following is a simplified explanation (If you can believe it. Sorry for the long post.) of the complex nature of government, however, it should be sufficient enough to properly explain the main ones revolving around democracy. First, the United States of America is both a democracy AND a republic, or specifically is a federal presidential constitutional republic. (More on that later.) The key to understanding this statement is by defining all terms involved. Over the course of history, we have had two definitions of democracy, which has led to confusion in distinguishing between the two with one capitalized as “Democracy” and the other as lower-case “democracy”. Small “d” democracy is an umbrella term to describe a variety forms of democratic governments that we have today or had in the past. (An analogy: Dog is an umbrella term to describe a variety of dog breeds that there are in the world.) Small “d” democracy is defined as a government where all the people of a state are involved in making decisions about its affairs either directly or indirectly. There are two main forms or sub-categories of democracy. Big “D” Democracy is known today as a pure democracy, or a direct democracy. This is a variant or sub-category of the umbrella term (small “d”) democracy. Pure democracy is defined as a form of democratic government where the people decide policy either by voting or forming a consensus on. In a pure democracy, the people are directly involved in governmental affairs. Ancient Athens had this form of democracy, which is also known as Athenian democracy. For the most part, this form of government is very rare today, however, it does exist in the form of ballot initiatives like referendums on the state level in the United States, or certain Swiss districts. NOTE: The United States is NOT considered a pure democracy even though some of the states have ballot initiatives. The other sub-category or variant of (small “d”) democracy is a representative democracy, or an indirect democracy. Representative democracy is defined as a form of democratic government where the people elect officials, or representatives, to create and implement policy on behalf of the people. In a representative democracy, the people are indirectly involved in government. NOTE: All Western-style democracies are examples of a representative democracy. Expanding even further on representative democracy, there are two forms: a constitutional monarchy (e.g. United Kingdom) and a constitutional republic (e.g. United States). Constitutional monarchies are also known as limited monarchies and they are essentially the metamorphosis from an absolute monarchy (i.e. rule of royalty) to a representative democracy through a constitution (i.e. rule of law). Constitutional monarchy is defined as a form of monarchical government where the monarch’s powers are limited by law or by a formal constitution, which allows the government to have a representative democracy. Constitutional republic is defined as a form of representative democratic government where the government’s powers are limited by law or a formal constitution, and does not have a monarch as a head of state. Regarding the Founding Fathers: yes, they frequently did voice their disdain of (big “D”) Democracy as well as praised the idea of our country as a Republic. The Founders simply did not trust the people to directly create policy out of the fear of a majority rule, or mob rule. However, their fear was/is justified because a majority rule does have the potential to infringe on a minority group’s rights. The problem is that language evolves over time and alternate words can have the same definition as another word in the past. To clarify, the terms representative democracy and pure democracy were not used during the time of the Founding Fathers. Their definition of (big “D”) Democracy is the same definition of a pure democracy and their definition of a Republic is the same definition of a representative democracy. The reason why terms are different today is to provide clarification as well as to simplify the issue of democracy having two definitions. Be careful when reading terms in the past. The terms are NOT important; what DEFINES them are. Definitions usually transcend time while words change. Words either lose all meaning and/or adopt a new meaning. If you trace the definitions from then to now, you will be able to connect the dots to the modern word. Now some may say, “Wait a minute, a Republic is a rule of law, not a rule of people!” You are correct, at least in the classical sense. In modern times, rule of law is an extra component through a constitution, which is defined as a set of fundamental principles according to which a state is governed. At the time, a republic was at default defined to be a “rule of law.” Today, the simplest definition of a republic is a government where offices of the state, such as the Head of State, is elected or appointed rather than inherited (i.e. a monarch). Basically, any government that does not have a monarch as a Head of State is a republic, which means a (small “r”) republican government can be either democratic or authoritarian. As defined, we know that the presence of a constitution acts as a safeguard to protect the rights of all citizens in a democratic society, which helps to prevent a republic from becoming a dictatorship. There are over a 140 countries today that refer to themselves officially as a republic, but not all of them are truly free and provide a democratic process. Cuba is officially known as the Republic of Cuba, and yet Cuba has a single-party rule. Therefore, a republic does NOT automatically guarantee a nation as being a “rule of law.” So, next time you hear someone say, “American democracy” or “democracy in action”, they are perhaps referring to a representative democracy for the former and the umbrella term (small “d”) democracy for the latter. There is nothing wrong with that and just as appropriate as is referring to our country as a constitutional republic, which is simply more specific than the other terms. The United States of America IS a democracy, a representative democracy, and a constitutional republic. It is NOT a pure democracy (for the most part; see above). This is a great phrase to sum EVERYTHING up: “All constitutional republics are democracies, but not all democracies are constitutional republics.” (An analogy: All Siberian Huskies are dogs, but not all dogs are Siberian Huskies.) Governments are very complicated, and power structure and power sources at times overlap with one another. It is very easy to lose meaning when we simplify things, but we owe it to one another to try and be as sincere and efficient as possible in our delivery. I am not a political scientist, but I have read and studied various texts over the years on top of my original education. I hope this helps and encourages people to search for the answers for themselves, and not take my word for it! Good luck.

Ok, I have a couple of questions. I'm not American and grew up in a semi-direct/representative democratic republic (Brazil). 1. Isn't what you explained as the definition of Republic just what a representative democracy really is? By your definition, isn't it still a democracy, just not a direct one? 2. From my understanding, the people in the US do NOT elect the president in any direct way. The electoral college, which is who effectively votes for the president, isn't voted on by the majority of the population, but by the party leaders. Doesn't that go against the definition of Republic you presented? I'd love to get some clarification on this. Thanks!

The constitutions says we are a "constitutional republic"

First, those that commented that this video grossly oversimplifies both the definitions and the history of democracy are absolutely correct. It is true that Athens was a "direct democracy", but what they neglected to say was that only "free men" were allowed to vote. Ancient Athens was a sort of "representative" democracy in the sense that the majority of the population was spoken for by proxy in the official legislation. Only those men who had land, each usually having more than one wife and, on average, at least 3 slaves, represented the "interests" of all of those people. This video gives the impression that every adult was allowed a vote on every matter and that was just simply not the case at all. Ancient Athens was a very unfair society by today's standards, far from being an enlightened democratic Utopia. Second, to mention briefly only the Founding Fathers as some guys who hated democracy and so made up some ruling document and shoved it down everyone's throats is an even more egregious oversimplification. The content of the Constitution was hotly debated all the way up to the ratification referendums. Not all of the Founding Fathers believed the same thing about the level of centralization of authority, indeed a reading of the Federalist and Anti-Federalist papers will show that they debated ideas not of their own design, but were mostly discussing their opinions about the implementing of the ideas about democracies and republics of Locke, Montesquieu, and Rousseau. To not discuss these Enlightenment philosophers, the context, and their contemporaries is to throw away the true gist of the debates between the Founding Fathers and what they REALLY had to say. This video might not have been long enough to go into all of that, but it really grinds my gears to watch the pundits on the extreme left and extreme right use these oversimplifications to justify their own ideological blabbering. Those that have the ear of the people and are not willing to spend any more than three minutes on the subject are what is REALLY wrong with our government.

It's funny that in Greek language "republic" and "democracy" is the same word ;D

how do u guys make that kind of videos....?????that type of animation....??can u tell me the name of the software u use for making that..

hey I know this is out of context but is the gakactic republic a democracy or a republic beacause I see a lot of democratic scenes in the clone wars

Awsome to have Ben in the vid, Really very happy to have found this because people look at me like I am stupid when saying we are a republic no matter what evidence I give them...Totally going to spread this around!

Democracy inevitably leads to tyranny. Federalism, or the democratic-republic, is the best form of government people have come up with yet. It is the answer to life's riddle. Sorry Karl Marx.

What was described as “Democracy” in this video is “Direct Democracy”, while the “Republic” is actually a “Representative Democracy”.

Possible to form a collaboration to form an ephpheo environmental TV?

I would like to translate some of your videos to the Arabic Language but I can't, I don't find the option that allows me to do so, so please turn it on if you are interested.

I think you have confused a republic with representative democracy, as a posed to direct democracy.

Is this guy the guy from the bible project?

Thanks for the reply.

Wasn’t the original democracies of Ancient Greece also constitutional forms of government, since they had some form of written or oral constitution, such as in Athens or Sparta?

I'm pretty sure we live in a representative democracy? Am I wrong?

if america was a democracy marijuana would be legal

I have to say this video missed the point on difference. It is not about whether the people vote direct or through representation but rather if the law established the powers given to the government and restricts what can be governed

Great video

At the close of the Constitutional Convention of 1787, Franklin was queried as he left Independence Hall on the final day of deliberation. In the notes of Dr. James McHenry, one of Maryland’s delegates to the Convention, a lady asked Dr. Franklin “Well Doctor what have we got, a republic or a monarchy.” Franklin replied, “A republic . . . if you can keep it.”

We Do Not live in a democracy. We live in a Constitutional Republic. It's important to know the difference. In a democracy, the sovereignty is in the whole body of the citizens. The sovereignty is not divided to smaller units such as individual citizens. To solve a problem, only the whole body politic is authorized to act. Also, being citizens, individuals have duties and obligations to the government. The governments only obligations to the citizens are those legislatively pre-defined for it by the whole body politic. In a Republic, the sovereignty resides in the Free People themselves, whether one or many. In a Republic, one may act on his/her own or through representatives as they choose to solve a problem. Further, the People have no obligation to the government; instead, the government being hired by the People, is obliged to its owner, We the People. (See 10th Amendment if you do not know.) “A Constitutional Republic” is a government created and controlled, at least, by the Law of a Constitution. (See Article IV, Section 4) The Constitution of the United States of America was, in Law, foundationally based on the Bible, the Magna Carta, and the Declaration of Independence. Those documents known as the Charters of Freedom, recognize mans sovereignty, the Divine nature of mans creation and mans divine right to Life, Liberty, Property, and the Pursuit of Happiness. (Our Constitution was made only for a Moral and religious People. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.)

We are constitutional republic.

what's the solution?

This is wrong. James Madison created out of whole cloth the distinction between a republic and a democracy. Robert Dahl, one of the greatest scholars on democracy, in his book "On Democracy," says this about Madison's distinction: "This distinction had no basis in prior history: neither in Rome nor, for example, in Venice was there a scheme of representation. Indeed, the earlier republics all pretty much fit into Madison's definition of a 'democracy.' What is more, the two terms were used interchangeably in the United States during the eighteenth century...[T]he plain fact is that the words 'democracy' and 'republic' did not (despite Madison) designate differences in types of popular government. What they reflected, at the cost of later confusion, was a difference between Greek and Latin, the languages from which they came" (16-17).

We're a representative democracy, as well as a constitutional republic. They mean pretty much the same thing. To say we aren't a democracy is objectively false because a representative democracy is still a democracy. We're not the old-timey direct democracy that really isn't seen too much in the modern era. But words change meaning over time and they change meaning based on context. When somebody says "The US is a democracy" the representative part is implicit. Just as in this video that rightfully refers to the US as a republic, the constitutional part is implicit.

This video is awesome! Great job putting it together, epipheo guys!

Could you make a video on how to be a functioning alcoholic/addict ?

so who should i vote for?

"If voting mattered, it would be illegal"

Our constitutional republic is a representative democracy ... not a pure democracy, but a form of democracy. "The ultimate authority ... resides in the people alone." - James Madison, Father of the Constitution of the United States of America. democracy = the people rule

Can you do Tutorials how to make this cartoons? :)

Does ou vote for who is elected president really count?

your description of republic is wrong In Australia we vote for representatives who make the law yet we are not a republic we are a constitutional monarchy explain this *****

I do love this definition. Quite succinctly put. I do also note that under this nomenclature, my country, Australia, is both a Republic AND a Constitutional Monarchy. Similarly in New Zealand, Canada, and for that matter the UK. Hopefully we will be a Republic in every sense of the word soon!

America is a constitutional republic, which simplified is a representative democracy, which is a revised form of democracy. We do not vote on federal laws directly but we do indirectly when we vote for representatives. James Wilson, one of the main drafters of the Constitution and one of the first Supreme Court justices, defended the Constitution in 1787 by speaking of the three forms of government being the "monarchical, aristocratical, and democratical," and said that in a democracy the sovereign power is "inherent in the people, and is either exercised by themselves or by their representatives." This makes the argument on democracy though it may not be a true democracy, it is still again, a form of democracy.

Does a Republic have to have elected representatives? or just the rule of law? ex. Hammurabi created a code of laws that not only his people but more uniquely government administrators including kings like himself had to abide by. But, Hammurabi wasn't elected. Everyone in the kingdom was ruled by laws, none of which were passed by elective representatives, was it still a republic?

"We prefer this system to any monarchy because we are convinced that it has a greater tendency to secure our liberty and promote our happiness. We admire it because we think it a well-regulated democracy: it is recommended to the good people of this country: they are, through us, to declare whether it be such a plan of government as will establish and secure their freedom." - John Marshall, Liberty Letters, 10 June 1788

Great video guys! I'm a huge fan of your work! Very interesting concept as always and great animating as well!

Another point to add - We only have two parties and other countries have other parties like Canada, we are restricted and forced to vote for either the two that is closest to our ideals

"Representative democracy" was understood as a form of democracy, alongside "pure democracy": John Adams used the term "representative democracy" in 1794; so did Noah Webster in 1785; so did St. George Tucker in his 1803 edition of Blackstone; so did Thomas Jefferson in 1815. Tucker's Blackstone likewise uses "democracy" to describe a representative democracy, even when the qualifier "representative" is omitted. Likewise, James Wilson, one of the main drafters of the Constitution and one of the first Supreme Court justices, defended the Constitution in 1787 by speaking of the three forms of government being the "monarchical, aristocratical, and democratical," and said that in a democracy the sovereign power is "inherent in the people, and is either exercised by themselves or by their representatives." Chief Justice John Marshall-who helped lead the fight in the 1788 Virginia Convention for ratifying the U.S. Constitution-likewise defended the Constitution in that convention by describing it as implementing "democracy" (as opposed to "despotism"), and without the need to even add the qualifier "representative." Sir William Blackstone, who was much read and admired by the framers, likewise used "democracy" to include republics: "Baron Montesquieu lays it down, that luxury is necessary in monarchies, as in France; but ruinous to democracies, as in Holland. With regard therefore to England, whose government is compounded of both species, it may still be a dubious question, how far private luxury is a public evil …." Holland was of course a republic, and England was compounded of monarchy and government by elected representatives; Blackstone was thus labeling such government by elected representatives as a form of "democrac[y]."

Ok so, it's important to remember that a republic (representative democracy) is a type of democracy, the other being a direct democracy. What is being compared here is direct/indirect democracy. The US is not a democracy. That's not because it's a republic, it's because it's an oligarchy, where a small number of wealthy and powerful people have the ultimate decision making power.

西方所谓的普世价值观 － 自由民主，其实相互矛盾。 自由主义以人权至上；民主即少数服从多数。 While the universal Western belief is that Liberty and Democracy is a match made in heaven, there is actually a fundamental contradiction between the 2. Democracy, in essence, means "Rule by Majority" while Liberty relates to "Self Determination". They are, by nature, opposing ideals. 若人人皆自由，就应该享有自主权。那么，少数何需服从多数呢？ Why must the minority be subjected to majority rule, since it is entitled to the right of determining its own destiny? 尽管占少数，服从的本质与自由的价值是相对立的。届时，社会将瓦解至无政府状态，人人追求自我诠释的自由。由此，人与人之间对自由的定义也无可避免地互相产生摩擦。冲突频频，百姓大众能享有真正的人权自由吗？ 人民力量仅是单纯的数字游戏吗？ “有志者事尽成” － 人民要施展其力量，大众的意志必不可缺。贫穷积弱的人口大国有何国力可言？ In the extreme exercise of Freedom, a society breaks down into an Anarchy which results in a clash of Liberal Human Rights as conflicts arise when my rights infringe upon yours. Will Human Rights be realized then? "Rule by Majority" is tied to "People Power" which under Democracy, means Numbers. But, do we ever rule by sheer numbers? Willpower is a vital quality of "People Power" which is hard to quantify. But, real "People Power" is definitely more complex. As Albert Einstein once claimed, "What can be counted may not truly count; what cannot be counted may truly count."

As a Sociology professor, I found your video good for high school to early college students...it's simple, funny, and speaks with authority but is not authoritarian in the approach :) Thanks for making it!

Somehow this got added to my song playlist... wut.

Finally not a boring history video!!!!! Thank youuuu

it‘s ’moneycracy

lol dude at forst glance I thought your username was Noam Chomsky

I didn't hear a definition, seriously. Do you know what it is, and please give an objective definition.

Best Smartest Ethical Moral Upright Riiiiiiiiiight...

“i love democracy”

Im 17 years old and I am slowly becoming a social activist and all of your videos are outstanding. I subscribed.

Then why or what is it when we the people vote on bills?

In Ancient Greece women and Slaves couldn’t vote, so no EVERYONE didn’t choose, a minority did

This is one of the many reasons I can't take libertarians seriously. When someone says "America is a democracy", do you really think they mean it is a direct democracy without a rule of law or constitution to limit state power? Why use this straw man? Constitutional republics, along with constitutional monarchies, are forms of liberal democracy. Using quotes from founding fathers 300 years ago is pointless when the connotation behind democracy has changed since then.

if anyone would like to watch more educational videos feel free to check out my "significant discussions" playlists

"and to the REPUBLIC, for which it stands, one nation under god indivisible, with liberty and justice for all." wonder why they took this out of schools.

The problem with pure democracy's is it discounts those that disagree. A republic protects the people from the ever changing will of the majority. It allows representation for those with differing opinions instead of expediting what most want.

Um, what they had in Ancient Greece was DIRECT democracy. In America, it's still a democracy, but it's REPRESENTATIVE democracy. Both are valid forms of democracies.

I am extremely confused. I thought republic was just a form of government as opposed to monarchy for example. And democracy was how the power was given (to the people). The UK is a representative democratic monarchy while the US is a representative democratic republic. Am I wrong?

great question. i guess anything is possible, but a true 1 person 1 vote per issue democracy would likely be too chaotic in an under educated large scale country (like mine, the US). however, at this point the chaos of a bunch of people who are unaware of the pressing issues and gentle balance of an economy deciding how it is shaped via an ill informed vote scares me less than the rich people in my republic buying and propagandizing the vote and pulling the strings from the shadows to their ends

The USA is a Constitutional republic.

No, it’s a representative democracy, known as a republic

He describes a direct democracy versus an indirect democracy...?

Yo when I saw that outro, I was like wait...is this the Bible project...? haha

Democracy.Elections...The vote that changes nothing...

"We are ruled by law, and a republic-- because WE SAID SO." I think my karma just ran over your dogma.

Well, this video is half right. Elected officials are the difference between a Direct Democracy and a Representative Democracy, not between a Democracy and a Republic. The second difference they pointed out is what really distinguishes a Democracy from a Republic; in a Democracy a simple majority can write the laws, potentially infringing on the rights of the minority; in a Republic, the rights of the minority are protected by supreme law that is out of reach by the simple majority, usually in the form of a constitution.

2:29, sound like someone was slapping a mosquito

The one in Greece was direct democracy what America has just like every other Democratic country today it's called representative democracy because you elect a representative rather than everyone voting because you cant actually get 300 million to vote on bills that are passed daily because people have other work to do. So I believe you are wrong because it is a still a democracy but not direct rather it's representative.

Great video! Happy to see our Republic being represented

Wait, it is the dude from bible project, right?

Rightly said.

We’ve never been a democracy.

The usa has never been a democracy. “Democracy is the most vile form of government.”― James Madison

john you dont seem so happy with the answer of what we are...what do you like America to be Democracy or Republic? i wanna know your opinion since youur voice was a little on the disagreement side in the video. Thanks love ya!

730000 ppl to one rep.. i do not consider that represention. used be 30000 per rep.

America isn't a democracy nor a republic it is an OLIGARCHY. An OLIGARCHY is the rule of the 1%. I think a republic/oligarchy is the worst. All republics are Oligarchies. A democracy is the Rule of the people who know what is actually going on instead of wanting more money like the average politician.

America is a REPRESENTATIVE DEMOCRACY. Same as AUSTRALIA, CANADA the United Kingdom.

Nope! "Since I entered politics, I have chiefly had men’s views confided to me privately. Some of the biggest men in the United States, in the field of commerce and manufacture, are afraid of somebody, are afraid of something. They know that there is a power somewhere so organized, so subtle, so watchful, so interlocked, so complete, so pervasive, that they had better not speak above their breath when they speak in condemnation of it. [ … ] American industry is not free, as once it was free; American enterprise is not free; the man with only a little capital is finding it harder to get into the field, more and more impossible to compete with the big fellow. Why? Because the laws of this country do not prevent the strong from crushing the weak. That is the reason, and because the strong have crushed the weak the strong dominate the industry and the economic life of this country. [ … ] The government, which was designed for the people, has got into the hands of the bosses and their employers, the special interests. An invisible empire has been set up above the forms of democracy. [ … ] We have, not one or two, but many, fields of endeavor into which it is difficult, if not impossible, for the independent man to enter. We have restricted credit, we have restricted opportunity, we have controlled development, and we have come to be one of the worst ruled, one of the most completely controlled and dominated, governments in the civilized world - no longer a government by free opinion, no longer a government by conviction and the vote of the majority, but a government by the opinion and the duress of small groups of dominant men." - Woodrow Wilson, The New Freedom (1912)

In a republic, Head of the state is elected by the people and in monarchical system it is hereditary. E.g. In U.S. President is elected by the people and in Britain, their head of state is hereditary. Republican and monarchical systems are two types of democracy and hence there cannot be distinction between republic and democracy. Republic is democracy first and then rest of the things.

The republic looks like a modified version of representative democracy.

U got it! "And to the Republic".

That's a representative democracy.

The Founding Fathers were wrong. Democracy is not Mob Rule. Mob Rule is the control of a political situation by those outside the conventional or lawful realm, typically involving violence and intimidation. Democracy is a form of government in which the people have the authority to deliberate and decide legislation, or to choose governing officials to do so. In a democracy, the people are all within the conventional and lawful realm, and there is no one outside of it to do Mob Rule. Maybe the definitions of "Democracy" and "Mob Rule" were different back then? If so, can anyone tell me what the definition of "Mob Rule" was back then?

In the history of humanity we have tried many ways to govern ourselves: Kings, Queens, Princes, Generals, Tyrannies, Satraps, Dictators, Presidents, General Secretaries, Prime Ministers, Consuls, Sha, Sheikhs, Emirs, Sultans, Caliphs, Emperors , Tsars, and more. It is with the US that Democracy arrived. Ah…! The best in the world, right? Well, not exactly. Democracy has many defects, the first problem, the continuity of a country project. Every four, six or eight years, the project is changed and another Administration is started that has its own ideas and again, sometimes starting from zero. Another drawback of Democracy is that when electing a citizen as President, he is accompanied by hundreds of Public Officials, or the "Cabinet", to govern the country. Officials that NOBODY elected. Officials who owe the position to a single man: TO THE PRESIDENT! Not the people. To the President. The "Cabinet" is accountable to no one but the President. Which means that if he does something improper or embezzles the treasury, who will point out his corruption? Nobody. Cuz the entire "Govt. Team" is committed to its Boss. Another little problem with Democracy is that any citizen can come to power and thus, for example, we have in the US, a WWE professional wrestler, Jesse Ventura, who was Governor of Minnesota. A Mr. Universe weightlifter, Arnold Schwarzenegger, ruled California. A Hollywood actor, Ronald Reagan, President. A Donald Trump, the worst qualified for the job, also arrived. (Look: A coca grower leader, Evo Morales, was re-elected "democratically" until he was kicked out. In Honduras, President Juan Orlando Hernández, linked to Drug Trafficking. Jimmy Morales, a television comedian, became President of Guatemala. The Boxer Manny Pacquiao was a Senator from the Republic of the Philippines). Now let's see. Nowhere in our Constitution does it speak of Democracy, or Capitalism, and much less Socialism. Why? Cuz Democracy sucks; Capitalism sucks and Socialism sucks twice. In the US, a Democracy works, more or less, but, with only two political parties. (Mexico has eight; Canada has five), Here in US, it is an Indirect and NOT Representative Democracy. In the US, the majority does NOT rule, as it does in the rest of the world's Democracies. Why the System like this? Cuz Democracy has a risk; The risk of being manipulated. The drawback with Democracy is that the majority rules, and the majority frequently make mistakes; it is not perfect. For the rest, the real "Government Problem" is that SOMEONE HAS TO DO IT! And it does not matter who is put in charge, it generates a conflict of interest and comes the "Take off you, that I put on". To solve the "Problem of Government" we have learned that what works, stays. What does not is changed. If for other nations the thing works, it goes; if it doesn't work, out! In Spain, for example, they do not have a President, they have a Head of Government, endorsed by a Monarchy, who in turn must be accountable to a Congress. If it works for them that way, then good. Go. In Cuba there is a one-party dictatorship, with a Socialist Govt System. Well, okay... if it works for the Cuban people and it doesn't change it, is fine. Did I explain myself? Democracy is not the only Government System; It is not even the best System. Finally, China must be ruled with a strong leader now. Later will have the luxury of trying out a Democracy. Today, they can't do it… it wouldn't work for them.

very good videos, great job guys.. what about video for "Darwin Theory" of man was originally monkey; if it is true or not.. it will be great one :) thanks for just great videos

The core of a republic is not representative democracy, it is a core constitution, non-negotiable that cannot be altered by majority vote nor representatives. So you can have direct democracy with majority vote on any legislation within a republic. You're welcome.

Just do a KZfaq search for Dan Smoot. He breaks democracy vs constitutional Republic very well

Because Obamacare is a health care Mandate. Putting government in health care means higher cost for those who have it, and people who don't have it will have to pay for health care OR pay a penalty for Not having health care. America was created on values of individual liberty and property rights. Forcing people to pay for having or not having a product or service is a violation of liberty. Also, Romney doesn't want to get rid of Obamacare. He wants to replace it with his own similar plan.

after each video I feel smarter :P

The video is based about a wrong idea that people were referring to a direct democracy. Note that people are talking about a representative democracy. And the US falls under it's system since it democraticly elected leglastive while also having a rule of law that protects the minority. It is false to say that a republic is just the rule the rule of law since that would mean that the country won't be run or new laws will be voted upon. It is the balance of those 2 principles (representative democracy and rule of law) that makes what the US government is. Especially since a republic can take a lot of forms.

The USA is both a representative democracy and a constitutional republic. Greece was something called direct democracy which means that everyone votes on every decision made by the government, but since that isn't practical in a modern country, we elect representatives to vote on for example which laws should and shouldn't be enacted. This is the form of government that virtually every western nation has, but most western nation are also republics, constitutional republics to be precise. Yes, countries can both be a democracy and a republic, because a republic is every nation that doesn't have a Monarch. The " constitutional" in constitutional republic means that the country has a constitution. In a democracy that has a constitution, like the USA, Canada, Mexico, the UK, Germany and many more, the constitution still applies, meaning that it isn’t mob rule. Yes, with enough seats in parliament the constitution can be changed, also in the USA, which is important because, for example, sometimes our moral understanding shifts and the laws have to adapt to this new moral understanding. It happened several times in every country and will surely happen several times again. This is why the USA is both a representative democracy and a constitutional republic.