Democrats and Republicans, Democracy and Republicanism

Two political parties, two philosophies of government and now two divisions struggling for the power to determine the future of this nation. How did we get here? What does each advocate? Who belongs?

The names originate from the names of the two basic approaches to decision making within a system of government. The Democrat name arises from DEMOCracy, where decisions are made through a process of majority vote. In its basic form, results are determined through 50% plus one vote, although the majority required may be set to some other fraction. The word "democracy" comes from the Greek word "demos", which means "people".