Constitutional monarchy is a relatively young form of government. It simultaneously combines monarchical and democratic institutions. The degree of their correlation, as well as the level of real power of the crowned person, differ significantly in different countries.
The history of the emergence of the monarchy
The history of the monarchy begins with the history of the state. The institutions of military democracy that emerged during the disintegration of the tribal system were used in the creation of the first monarchies.
In ancient times, a kind of monarchy was often despotism. Despotism (Greek) - unlimited power. Montesquieu, Mably, Diderot and other French enlighteners used the concept of "despotism" to criticize the absolute monarchy, opposing it to moderate rule. The absolute monarchy was also called tyranny, unlimited monarchy. All supreme power belonged to one ruler (as a rule, the monarch who received power by inheritance). The monarch relied on the military bureaucratic apparatus. This type of monarchy was typical for most slave states. The exercise of power was characterized by complete arbitrariness, the lack of rights of citizens. The will of the despot was the law. The personality of the monarch was often deified during life and after death. The power of the monarch was unlimited, but in fact it took into account the interests of the ruling class, primarily the immediate environment, the nobility.
However, the fact that the monarch formally crowned the system of state bodies turned out to be a factor that made this form of government quite stable in comparison with the republics in which political battles were strong in the struggle for the highest state bodies.
The variety of monarchies is historically imprinted in the titles of the head of state (emperor, tsar, king, duke, prince, pharaoh, sultan, etc.).
Monarchy, as a form of government, is interesting in that over time it does not lose its relevance.
With great reservations, you can build the following scheme for the development of the monarchical form of government from its inception to the present day. Historically, the first was the early feudal monarchy, followed by the estate-representative monarchy, which then turned into an absolute monarchy. As a result of the bourgeois-democratic revolutions, the absolute monarchy was abolished and replaced by a constitutional monarchy (also called limited). The constitutional monarchy, in turn, went through two phases of development: from a dualistic monarchy to a parliamentary one. The parliamentary monarchy is the final stage in the development of this institution.
Signs of a monarchy
- Lifetime ruler. A person who inherited power remains its bearer until the end of his days. Only after his death is power transferred to the next applicant.
- Succession of the throne by inheritance. In any monarchical state, there are laws and traditions that clearly describe the procedure for the transfer of supreme power. As a rule, it is inherited by first-order relatives.
- The monarch is the face of the state. Traditionally, the ruler expresses the will of the entire people and becomes the guarantor of the unity of the nation.
- A monarch is an inviolable person and has legal immunity.
Types of monarchy
There are the following types of monarchy:
- Absolute (unlimited);
- Constitutional (limited);
- Dualistic;
- Parliamentary
Absolute monarchy
Absolutus - translated from Latin as "unconditional". Absolute and constitutional are the main types of monarchy. Absolute monarchy is a form of government in which unconditional power is concentrated in the hands of one person and is not limited to any state structures. This method of political organization is similar to a dictatorship, since in the hands of the monarch there may be not only the entire completeness of military, legislative, judicial and executive power, but even religious power.
There are different types of absolute monarchy. For example, absolute theocratic is a type of monarchy in which the head of the church is also the head of state. The most famous European country with this form of government is the Vatican.
Ancient Eastern monarchy
If we parsed in detail the list describing the types of monarchy, the table would begin with the ancient Eastern monarchical formations. This is the first form of monarchy that appeared in our world, and it had peculiar features. The ruler in such state formations was appointed the leader of the community, who was in charge of religious and economic affairs. One of the main duties of the monarch was to serve the cult. That is, he became a kind of priest, and organizing religious ceremonies, interpreting divine signs, preserving the wisdom of the tribe - these were his primary tasks.
Feudal monarchy
The types of monarchy as a form of government have transformed over time. After the ancient Eastern monarchy, the feudal form of government took precedence in political life. It is divided into several periods.
The early feudal monarchy emerged as a result of the evolution of slave states or the primitive communal system. As you know, the first rulers of such states were generally recognized military commanders. Relying on the support of the army, they established their supreme power over the peoples. To strengthen his influence in certain regions, the monarch sent his governors there, from whom the nobility was subsequently formed. The rulers did not bear any legal responsibility for their actions.
Parliamentary monarchy
The most limited constitutional monarchy has a parliamentary form. Often in a country with such a state structure, the role of the monarch is purely nominal. He is a symbol of the nation and a formal head, but has practically no actual power. The main function of the crowned person in such countries is representative.
The government is responsible not to the monarch, as is customary in dualistic monarchies, but to parliament. It is formed by the legislature with the support of the majority of parliamentarians. At the same time, the crowned person often does not have the right to dissolve the parliament, which is democratically elected.
A constitutional monarchy
Constitutional monarchy is a form of government in which the monarch, although he is the head of state, however, unlike an absolute or unlimited monarchy, his power is limited by the constitution. It is customary to subdivide into dualistic and parliamentary. In a dualistic (dualism - duality) monarchy, state power is divided by the monarch and the parliament, elected by all or a certain part of the population. Parliament exercises legislative power, while the monarch exercises executive power. He appoints the government, which is responsible only to the front. Parliament does not influence the formation, composition and activities of the government. The legislative powers of parliament are limited, the monarch has the right of an absolute veto (i.e., without his approval, the law does not enter into force).
He can issue his own acts (decrees) having the force of law. The monarch has the right to appoint members of the upper house of parliament, dissolve parliament, often indefinitely, while it depends on him when new elections are held, and for the corresponding period he has full power. The states with a dualistic monarchy are Jordan and Morocco. In a parliamentary monarchy, parliament occupies a dominant position. Has supremacy over the executive branch. The government is officially and de facto dependent on parliament. It is responsible only to parliament. The latter has the right to control the activities of the government; if parliament has expressed no confidence in the government, it must resign. Such a monarch is characterized by the words "reigns, but does not rule." The monarch appoints the government or head of government, however, depending on which party (or their coalition) has a majority in parliament.
The monarch either does not have the right to veto, or exercises it at the direction ("advice") of the government. He cannot make laws. All acts emanating from the monarch are usually prepared by the government, they must be sealed (countersigned) by the signature of the head of government or the relevant minister, without which they have no legal force
Constitutional Monarchy: Country Examples
About 80% of all constitutional monarchies in the modern world are parliamentary, and only seven are dualistic:
- Luxembourg (Western Europe).
- Liechtenstein (Western Europe).
- Principality of Monaco (Western Europe).
- Great Britain (Western Europe).
- Netherlands (Western Europe).
- Belgium (Western Europe).
- Denmark (Western Europe).
- Norway (Western Europe).
- Sweden (Western Europe).
- Spain (Western Europe).
- Andorra (Western Europe).
- Kuwait (Middle East).
- UAE (Middle East).
- Jordan (Middle East).
- Japan (East Asia).
- Cambodia (Southeast Asia).
- Thailand (Southeast Asia).
- Bhutan (Southeast Asia).
- Australia (Australia and Oceania).
- New Zealand (Australia and Oceania).
- Papua New Guinea (Australia and Oceania).
- Tonga (Australia and Oceania).
- Solomon Islands (Australia and Oceania).
- Canada (North America).
- Morocco (North Africa).
- Lesotho (South Africa).
- Grenada (Caribbean).
- Jamaica (Caribbean region).
- Saint Lucia (Caribbean).
- Saint Kitts and Nevis (Caribbean).
- Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (Caribbean)
