Question

Italians states like venice and florence were offically republics .

Answer 1

For the answer to the question above asking Italians states like Venice and Florence were officially republics . 
In what sense were they republics in name only?
My answer would be since the Venetians were gentlemen in name rather than reality.
It could be argued that Italians states like Venice and Florence were republics in name only because they were in fact ruled by a wealthy class of citizens, and in order for a state to be a true republic it must be government by individuals who are fairly elected by the citizens.