美国的情况比较特殊一些,杰弗逊等人看到欧洲流血动乱的民主,在建立国家的时候是小心翼翼地去避开民主制度,套用我党的一句话,他们对民主是怕得要死。在完成宪法制定工作后,有人问弗兰克林,我们是共和还是君主制。弗兰克林的回答是是共和,只要你能保住他(it's a republic if you can keep it)。民主和共和两个概念现在至少在汉语中是经常性的互换,或者说有一就有二。这两个词在英语中有很细微的差别:
republic
Function: noun
1 : a government having a chief of state who is not a monarch and who in modern times is usually a president; also : a political unit (as a nation) having such a form of government
2 : a government in which supreme power resides in a body of citizens entitled to vote and is exercised by elected officers and representatives responsible to them and governing according to law; also : a political unit (as a nation) having such a form of government
democracy
Pronunciation: di-'m?-kr&-sE
Function: noun
Inflected Form: plural -cies
1 a : government by the people; especially : rule of the majority b : a government in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised by them directly or indirectly through a system of representation usually involving periodically held free elections
2 : a political unit that has a democratic government
Source: Merriam-Webster Dictionary of Law, ? 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
两者的差别在于republic的权利来源是a body of citizens entitled to vote,而后者是the people,如果将前者的概念外延放大,二者几乎是相同的啦。而美国国家体制的演化正是这个外延的不断扩大。早期的投票资格只限定于白种男性,而候选人的资格更是用财产的约束条件来达成精英统治系统;到了本世纪初有色人种,女性才能投票。候选人资格也放宽,但是因为整个政治架构已经完成,在可以预见的将来第三党当政是不可能的,如果民众不依附于二选一的某个政党,他只是个无规则热运动的分子,除非采取过激手段,他的声音对公众生活不会造成影响,而过激手段招来的俱绝对是全社会的唾弃。这种渐进式的扩大民众参与的民主之路是美国为此付出的社会代价较小,但是我们还是可以看到67十年代美国民权运动的迷茫和动荡,也有血腥的味道。