Introduction
Throughout history, the global population could witness the establishment and development of states under different government structures. The most notable ones are the Democratic Republic and the Socialist State, which are two contrasting approaches. The first one focuses on people’s power to affect significant decisions, while the latter uses a centralized approach to planning a country’s development. This paper aims to examine and compare the Democratic Republic and the Socialist State and present a personal opinion regarding the two systems.
As the name suggests, the Democratic Republic adopts features of both a democratic state and a republic. According to Volokh, the United States of America are a representation of such government structure, since the laws are implemented based on a majority’s vote. However, the author also notes that a vast country such as the United States operates by combining a variety of systems and approaches to governing. Hence the term democratic republic does not incorporate all the nuances of this state. The primary feature of this system is the election of representatives responsible for significant decisions. Hence, the people elect officials who have the authority to make decisions and execute them.
Main body
A Socialist State is a term that describes an ideology in which a single party is controlling the government. Moreover, this party is responsible for all aspects of economic and social functioning, planning and executing the necessary activities. This approach emerged based on the ideology of Marx (Socialist State). In essence, the core belief that guides the development of a socialist state is a need to establish a society that collectively works towards accumulating resources on a state level. Hence, the classical notions of workers’ compensation are not applicable, since all the resources need to be collected by the country.
In comparison, one can argue that both approaches to governing aim to have people’s representatives in the government. However, in the case of the Socialist State primary emphasis is on a working-class, in accordance with the ideology of Marx, while the Democratic Republic does not make a distinction between its citizens (Socialist State). In addition, a Socialist State is usually governed with a vision of establishing global socialism, while Democratic Republics usually do not aim to transform global governing systems. The power that the government has in a Socialist State makes it possible to disregard the views of the citizens since the party that is in charge has no opposition to protest. In Democratic Republics, people are free to choose representatives that align with their political aspirations, meaning that the government is diverse.
In my opinion, each system has a right to exist, although we should use real-life examples to determine the social and economic viability of the Democratic Republic and a Socialist State. The Soviet Union was a representation of the latter governing approach, and when compared to the United States, the economic and social success of the country can be questioned. However, one should note that many countries that are governed through dictatorship or authoritarian government declare that they are democratic republics. Notable examples are the Democratic Republic of Congo or People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria despite the fact that the Economist Intelligence Unit’s Democracy Index considers them non-democratic.
Conclusion
Overall, this paper compared the two government systems – Democratic Republic and the Socialist State. The two systems differ greatly since the first one emphasizes the power of people, who are represented in governmental structures. The latter lacks opposition and allows officials to plan and execute critical aspects of the economic, social, and political developments within the state. In general, there are examples of states that claim to be democratic republics but lack the key features of this system.
Works Cited
“The Economist Intelligence Unit’s Democracy Index.” The Economist. Web.
“Socialist State.” Science Direct, n.d., Web.
Volokh, Eugene. “Is the United States of America a republic or a democracy?” The Washington Post, Web.