How many Republics has America had?

[Razgovory]

The current government of France is called the 5th republic but I've never heard a number attached to the American republic.  This is weird since the US has had two, arguably three republics.  The first is the continental congress.  I don't count this one because it was more of a alliance of colonies.  Still other people may count that as a republic and be wrong in their opinion.  Second possible republic was under the Articles of Confederation.  That Republic didn't last long and was replaced by current one.  Perhaps we are on the fourth republic and some clever tall-poppy will explain why I'm a fucking idiot.  There is also one last choice for people who want to say I'm a fucking idiot but don't want to put a lot of effort into explaining why.  I'm a stickler for choice.

Raz say: 2nd Republic.

[Valmy]

The 18th century people had a very specific definition of a Republic, which was different from a Confederation or a Democracy for some reason. So that is why it was not considered the sequel to what came before.

So it feels weird to go back and retroactively consider them in such a way.

[grumbler]

The US had no republics until July 4, 1776, then thirteen, then one after June 21, 1788.  E Pluribus Unum.

[Syt]

Austria is on its second. It's not mentioned much, except in phrases like "for the first time during the Second Republic" or "in the history of the Second Republic" - which is mainly a different way of saying "since 1945".

[Duque de Bragança]

Salazar's and Caetano's régime is sometimes counted as the Second Portuguese Republic, so it's Third Republic in Portugal now.
It's still debated.

[The Larch]

Salazar's and Caetano's régime is sometimes counted as the Second Portuguese Republic, so it's Third Republic in Portugal now.
It's still debated.

Completely different in Spain, in which Francoism definitely doesn't count as a Republican period, even if there was no king officially. In fact Francoism is sometimes defined as a monarchy without a king. Over here we're at two republics, but each one took place in very different contexts and separated by plenty of time.

Regarding the French case, I always have a bit of a difficulty in wrapping my head around how the change from the Fourth to the Fifth republics didn't have to do with a breach in continuity but in a constitutional change in the system of government, turning France into the Presidential Republic it is nowadays. I don't think I would have changed the numbering, given that it was internal evolution of the political system.

[celedhring]

Completely different in Spain, in which Francoism definitely doesn't count as a Republican period, even if there was no king officially. In fact Francoism is sometimes defined as a monarchy without a king.

Yeah, officially Francoist Spain was a kingdom. I think it's noteworthy that according to the "constitution", any non-royal successor to Franco would have been styled Regent.

[Josquius]

Does any other country do the French thing of new constitution means new Republic?

[Sheilbh]

Does any other country do the French thing of new constitution means new Republic?

I think Italy does but there it's not because of a new constitution. I think the divide between the first and second republics is tagentopoli and the collapse of the old Cold War politics and party system. It's less a dramatic constitutional shift and more a dramatic political shift.

On that sort of number America's probably on about its fifth republic

[Duque de Bragança]

Switch to a very presidential régime instead of a very parliamentarian régime, as you said the Presidential republic, is enough IMO.
Differences between the Third and Fourth would be more interesting but are seldom evoked.

Back to Salazar, it was officially the Estado Novo not a Republic de jure but he kept the Republican flag.

[Malthus]

I dunno if it the same thing, but there are supposedly six different "party systems" that US political eras have been divided up into:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Party_system#United_States

[ulmont]

1. Articles of Confederation.
2. Constitution, pre-1865 variant.
3. Constitution, post-1865 variant.

[The Larch]

Does any other country do the French thing of new constitution means new Republic?

I think Italy does but there it's not because of a new constitution. I think the divide between the first and second republics is tagentopoli and the collapse of the old Cold War politics and party system. It's less a dramatic constitutional shift and more a dramatic political shift.

Italy does sometimes indeed divide the pre and post 1994 political eras as first and second republics, but it's a much more informal thing than the French.

[Zanza]

Does any other country do the French thing of new constitution means new Republic?

Germany certainly considers itself a different republic now than it was between 1919-1933/45. The starting point for this new republic is the 1949 constitution. 

[DGuller]

I think the Civil War should definitely warrant an increment.  The South was (rightly) coerced to ratify amendments that it would have never ratified voluntarily (probably not even today).  While in theory it may have been a change done within the system, in reality it was a change imposed by the victor of a civil war.