Question

Why would it be wrong to call the Roman republic a democratic system

Answer 1

Only the higher class citizens could truly choose who was selected to the government. Slaves and the lower classes didn’t get a vote and could not participate in government actions. Democracy is when every citizen, no matter their status in the country, can vote and have a say in how the government is run.

Answer 2

The Roman Republic. ... Once free, the Romans established a republic, a government in which citizens elected representatives to rule on their behalf. A republic is quite different from a democracy, in which every citizen is expected to play an active role in governing the state.