Republicanism: governmental form in which sovereign power resides in the electorate and is exercised by elected representatives who are responsible to the people.  It is distinguished from monarchical, oligarchical, and "pure" democratic systems in which people govern directly.  In a republic, citizen's give up their right to participate directly and instead allow representatives to participate "for" them.  Many one-party or totalitarian systems call themselves republics and claim that they (the party. etc) are the sole "representatives" of the interests of the people.  


*monarchical= rule by a monarch
*oligarchical= rule by a few