Difference between Democrat and Republican is explained here in detail.
Democrat is a proponent of democracy, or democratic government. Democratic Party of USA is the world’s oldest active political party. They are more aligned towards liberal ideology.
Republican can refer to an advocate of a republic, a form of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship and is usually associated with the rule of law. Republic Party is one of the two major parties of the USA.
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The major differences between Democrat and Republican are:
| Democrat | Republican |
| Democrats are more aligned towards liberal philosophy. Democrats are left-leaning. | Republican follow conservative and right-leaning ideologies. |
| Democratic Party of the USA is the world’s oldest active political party. It is the main rival party to Republican Party. | Republican Party, also known as the Grand Old Party, is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States of America (USA). |
| Democratic Party of USA was founded on January 8, 1828. | Republican Party of the USA was founded on March 20, 1854. |
| Some of the most famous US Presidents who were Democrats are John F Kennedy, Franklin Roosevelt, Barack Obama, Woodrow Wilson, Jimmy Carter. | Some of the most famous US Presidents who were Republicans are Abraham Lincoln, Richard Nixon, Teddy Roosevelt, Ronald Reagan, and George Bush. |
| The colour which represents Democrats is blue. | The Colour which represents Republican is red. |
| Democrats advocates for stricter gun laws. | Republicans are not in favor of stricter gun laws. |
| Democrats believe that the threat of climate change is real and, therefore, actions need to be taken to mitigate the negative impact of climate change. | Republicans have cast doubts on the negative impact of climate Change. They had rejected the findings of the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on climate Change. |
| When it comes to military matters, Democrats do not prefer to increase spending on Defence. | When it comes to the Military, Republicans prefer to increase the spending on Defence. |
| Democrats believe in social and community responsibility. | Republicans believe in the idea of justice and rights of individuals. |
| The election symbol of Democratic Party in the USA is Donkey. | The election symbol of Republican Party of the USA is Elephant. |
| Democrats believe that abortion should be legalised. | On the issue of abortion, Republicans believe that it should not be legal. |
| Democrats strongly believe that Governments can support and provide universal healthcare. Obamacare is a well-known example. | Republicans’ views on Healthcare policy is that the Government can’t run the healthcare services as efficiently as private companies. |
| Democrats are not opposed to the idea of increasing taxes so that it can be used to fund Government programs. Democrats also believe that higher tax rates can be imposed on people with higher incomes. | Republican do not favor increasing tax rates, moreover they don’t subscribe to the viewpoint that people with higher incomes need to pay more tax. They prefer a flat tax. |
| Democrats are more aligned towards the idea of minimum wages. | Republicans think that wages need to be fixed by the free market. |
| Some of the States which are traditional strongholds of Democrats are New York, Massachusetts, California. | Some of the states where Republicans are usually strong are – Texas, Kansas and Oklahoma. |
| Democrats can be considered to favor friendlier immigration policies. | Republicans can be considered to favor stringent immigration policies. |
| Democratic Party of USA was preceded by Democratic-Republican Party. | Republican party of the USA was preceded by the Free Soil party and Whig Party. |
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Difference between Democrat and Republican – UPSC Notes:- Download PDF Here
Frequently Asked Questions about Democrats and Republicans
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