iPedia Free Information Center

Information about Monarchism

Part of the Politics series on
Monarchism

Definition
Definitions of monarchism
Varieties and derivatives of Monarchism
Absolute Monarchy
Constitutional Monarchy
Elected Monarchy
Regency
Monarchism in history
Magna Carta
Foundation of the Ottoman Empire
Glorious Revolution
French Revolution
Revolutions of 1848
Fall of Qing Dynasty
Russian Revolution of 1917
Treaty of Versailles
Birth of the Italian Republic
Iranian Revolution
Australian republic referendum, 1999
Nepalese Civil War
Related subjects
Absolute Monarchy
Autocracy
Montesquieu
Constitutional Monarchy
Divine Right of Kings
French Revolution
Glorious Revolution
Mandate of Heaven
Monarchy
Thomas Hobbes

  •  • [ e] 
Monarchism is the advocacy of the establishment, preservation, or restoration of a monarchy as a form of government in a nation. A monarchist is an individual who supports this form of government out of principle, independent from the person, the king, who happens to be the head of the kingdom or deposed by a revolution being the case, at a particular moment in time. It focuses on the system, and must be distinguished from a royalist. Monarchism was an important political movement for many centuries, but by the twentieth century, monarchism has disappeared in its most aggressive forms in most developed nations, though it has had significant political impact on some underdeveloped nations well into the late twentieth century and into the twenty-first such as in Iran in the Iranian Revolution and Nepal in the Nepalese Civil War.

Background

In 1688, the British Glorious Revolution and the overthrow of King James II had established the principles of constitutional monarchy, which would later be worked out by Montesquieu and other thinkers. However, absolute monarchy, theorized by Hobbes in the Leviathan (1651), remained a dominant principle. In the 18th century, Voltaire and others encouraged "enlightened absolutism", which was embraced by the Holy Roman Emperor Joseph II and Catherine II of Russia.

Absolutism continued to be the dominant political principle of sovereignty until the 1789 French Revolution and the regicide against Louis XVI, which established the concept of popular sovereignty upheld by Jean-Jacques Rousseau. Monarchy became to be contested by the Republican principe. Counterrevolutionaries, such as Joseph de Maistre or Louis de Bonald, began to seek the restoration of the Ancien Régime, divided in the three estates of the realm, and the divine right of kings. Following the ousting of Napoleon I in 1814, the Coalition restored the Bourbon Dynasty in pushing Louis XVIII to the French throne. The ensuing period, called the Restauration, was characterized by a sharp conservative reaction and the re-establishment of the Roman Catholic Church, supported by the ultramontanism movement, as a power in French politics. After the 1830 July Revolution and the overthrow of Charles X, the legitimist branch was defeated and the Orleanists, gathered behind Louis-Philippe, accepted the principle of constitutional monarchy.

The Spring of Nations in 1848 then set the signal for a new wave of revolutions against the European monarchies.

World War I and its aftermath saw the end of three major European monarchies, the Russian Romanov dynasty, the German Hohenzollern dynasty and the Austro-Hungarian Hapsburg dynasty. In Russia, the 1917 February revolution resulted in the abdication of tsar Nicholas II and the establishment of Bolshevik Russia and a civil war between the Bolshevik Red Army and the monarchist White Army from 1917 to 1921. The rise of the Hungarian Soviet Republic in 1919 saw an increase in support for monarchism, however efforts by Hungarian monarchists failed to bring back a royal head of state, and the monarchists settled for a regent, Admiral Miklós Horthy, to represent the monarchy until it could be restored. Horthy was regent from 1920 to 1944. In Germany a number of monarchists gathered around the German National People's Party which demanded the return of the Hohenzollern monarchy and an end to the Weimar Republic. The party retained a large base of support until the rise of Nazism in the 1930s.

With the arrival of communism in eastern Europe by 1945, the remaining eastern European monarchies such as the Kingdom of Romania, the Kingdom of Hungary, and the Kingdom of Yugoslavia were all abolished and replaced by socialist republics.

The aftermath of World War II also saw the return of monarchist and republican rivalry in Italy, in which a referendum was held on whether Italy should remain a monarchy or become a republic. The republican side won the referendum and the modern Republic of Italy was created.

Monarchism as a political force internationally has substantially diminished since the end of the Second World War, though it had an important role in the 1980 Iranian Revolution and had and continues to have a role in the political affairs of Nepal, as society is divided between those who support the monarchy and those who support Maoist rebels intending to tear down the monarchy. Nepal is one of the last states to have had an absolute monarch, as King Gyanendra of Nepal declared himself the absolute ruler of Nepal in 2005. One of the world's oldest monarchies (if not the oldest) was abolished in Ethiopia in 1974 with the fall of Emperor Haile Selassie.

Legitimists and Orleanists in France

Main articles: Legitimists and Orleanists


In France, Louis-Philippe abdicated on February 24, 1848, opening the way to the Second Republic (1848-52), which lasted until Napoleon III's December 2, 1851 coup d'état and the establishment of the Second Empire (1852-1870). The royalist movement only came back in force following the 1870 defeat against Prussia and the crushing of the 1871 Paris Commune by Orleanist Adolphe Thiers. Legitimists and Orleanists controlled the majority of the Assemblies, and supported Patrice MacMahon, the duc of Magenta, as president of the Ordre moral government. But the intransigeance of the comte de Chambord, who refused to abandon the white flag and its fleur-de-lys against the republican tricolore, and the May 16, 1877 crisis forced the legitimists to abandon the political arena, while some of the more liberal Orleanists "rallied" throughout the years to the Third Republic (1870-1945). However, since the monarchy and Catholicism were long entangled ("the alliance of the Throne and the Altar"), republican ideas were often tinged with anti-clericalism, which led to some turmoil during Radical Emile Combes' cabinet in the beginning of the 20th century.

The Action Française, founded in 1898 during the Dreyfus affair, remained an influential far right movement throughout the 1930s, taking part in the February 6, 1934 riots. Some royalists, such as Georges Valois who founded the Faisceau, became involved in fascism after the 1926 Papal condemnation of the Action Française by Pius XI. Royalists were then active under the Vichy regime, with the leader of the Action Française Charles Maurras qualifying as "divine surprise" the overthrow of the Republic and the arrival to power of Marshal Pétain. A few of them, such as Henri d'Astier de la Vigerie, took part in the Resistance out of patriotic concerns. The Action Française was then dissolved after the war, but Maurice Pujo founded it again in 1947. Some legitimists had become involved in the traditionalist Catholic movement, which refused the 1962-65 Second Vatican Council and followed the 1970 foundation of the traditionalist Catholic Society of St. Pius X by Marcel Lefebvre. Bertrand Renouvin made a breakaway movement from the Action Française in 1971, the Nouvelle Action Française which became the Nouvelle Action Royaliste, while some legitimists joined Jean-Marie Le Pen's Front National, founded in 1972.

Constitutional monarchies

Main article: Constitutional monarchy


Constitutional monarchies form the majority of the current monarchies. Since the middle of the 19th century, some monarchists have stopped defending monarchy on the basis of abstract, universal principles applicable to all nations, or even on the grounds that a monarchy would be the best or most practical government for the nation in question, but on local symbolic grounds that they would be a particular nation's link to the past.

The International Monarchist League, founded in 1943, which has been very influential in Canada and Australia, has always sought to promote monarchy on the grounds that it strengthens popular liberty, both in a democracy and in a dictatorship, because by definition the monarch is not beholden to politicians.

Hence, post-19th century debates on whether to preserve a monarchy or to adopt a republican form of government have often been debates over national identity, with the monarch generally serving as a symbol for other issues.

For example, in countries like Belgium and The Netherlands anti-monarchist talk is often centered around the perceived symbolism of a monarch contrasting with those nation's political culture of egalitarianism. In Belgium, another factor are the anti-Belgian sentiments of the separatist Flemish movement.

In Canada and Australia, by contrast, debates over monarchy represent or represented debates whose driving force concerned each nation's relationship with the United Kingdom and the cultural heritage that that represents. In a nation like Saudi Arabia, finally, opposition to the monarchy may be synonmous with advocacy of democracy or Islamic fundamentalism. As monarchies take many different forms, so too do pro- and anti-monarchy debates.

Even a country such as the United States, which has been a republic from its foundation, has some monarchist adherents. The minority are restorationists, who advocate returning authority to Elizabeth II as the current legitimate heir of George III, presumably as a constitutional monarchy similar to her powers in those Commonwealth of Nations members that recognize her as Queen. However, the majority of American Monarchists believe that America would best be led by an independent dynasty.

Otto von Habsburg advocates a form of constitutional monarchy based on primacy of the supreme judicial function, with hereditary succession, if suitability is problematic, mediated by a tribunal[1]

Monarchist groups - past and present[1]

Worldwide

Africa

Asia

Europe

North America

Oceania

References

1. ^ For a “Directory of Monarchist Organizations,” see Olga S. Opfell, Royalty Who Waits: The 21 Heads of Formerly Regnant Houses of Europe (Jefferson: McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers, 2001), 213-216.

External links

Politics is the process by which groups of people make decisions. Although the term is generally applied to behavior within civil governments, politics is observed in all human group interactions, including corporate, academic, and religious
..... Click the link for more information.
Absolute monarchy is a monarchical form of government where the monarch has the power to rule his or her land or country and its citizens freely, with no laws or legally-organized direct opposition in force.
..... Click the link for more information.
constitutional monarchy is a form of government established under a constitutional system which acknowledges an elected or hereditary monarch as head of state, as opposed to an absolute monarchy, where the monarch is not bound by a constitution and is the sole source of political
..... Click the link for more information.
An elective monarchy is a monarchy ruled by a monarch who is elected by a group.

Some examples from history

In the ancient Kingdom of Rome, the kings were elected by the Assemblies.
..... Click the link for more information.
Regency may have several meanings:
  • A regency may be a period of time when a regent reigns, and in a non-ceremonial monarchy holds power, in the name of the current monarch, or in the name of the Crown itself, if the throne is vacant.

..... Click the link for more information.
Magna Carta (Latin for "Great Charter", literally "Great Paper"), also called Magna Carta Libertatum ("Great Charter of Freedoms"), is an English charter originally issued in 1215.
..... Click the link for more information.
should be added to this article, to conform with Wikipedia's Manual of Style.
Please discuss this issue on the talk page.

Foundation of the Ottoman Empire is one of the oldest sources regarding the establishment of the Ottoman Empire.
..... Click the link for more information.
The Glorious Revolution, also called the Revolution of 1688, was the overthrow of King James II of England (VII of Scotland) in 1688 by a union of Parliamentarians and the Dutch stadtholder William III of Orange-Nassau (William of Orange), who as a result ascended the
..... Click the link for more information.
<noinclude></noinclude>

The French Revolution (1789–1799) was a period of political and social upheaval in the political history of France and Europe as a whole, during which the French governmental structure, previously an absolute monarchy with feudal
..... Click the link for more information.
The European Revolutions of 1848, known in some countries as the Spring of Nations or the Year of Revolution, appeared to be a revolutionary wave which erupted in Sicily and then, further triggered by the revolutions of 1848 in France, soon spread to the rest
..... Click the link for more information.
The Russian Revolution (1917) was a series of economic and social upheavals in Russia, involving first the overthrow of the tsarist autocracy, and then the overthrow of the liberal and moderate-socialist Provisional Government, resulting in the establishment of Soviet power under
..... Click the link for more information.
Treaty of Versailles (1919) was a peace treaty which officially ended World War I between the Allied and Associated Powers and Germany. It was signed exactly 5 years after the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, one of the events that triggered the start of the war.
..... Click the link for more information.
The birth of the Italian Republic (officially on June 2, 1946) is a key event of Italian contemporary history. Until 1946, Italy was officially a monarchy ruled by the House of Savoy, kings of Italy since the Risorgimento (and previously of Sardinia).
..... Click the link for more information.
White Revolution.


History of Greater Iran Empires of Persia Kings of Persia Pre-modern
Before Islam 

..... Click the link for more information.
The 1999 Australian referendum was a two question referendum held on 6 November 1999. The first question asked whether Australia should become a republic with a President appointed by Parliament, a bi-partisan appointment model which had previously been decided at a Constitutional
..... Click the link for more information.
Nepalese Civil War (labelled People's War by the Maoists [1] ) was a conflict between government forces and Maoist rebels in Nepal which lasted from 1996 until 2006.
..... Click the link for more information.
Absolute monarchy is a monarchical form of government where the monarch has the power to rule his or her land or country and its citizens freely, with no laws or legally-organized direct opposition in force.
..... Click the link for more information.
autocracy is a form of government in which the political power is held by a single self appointed ruler, usually a dictator. The term autocrat is derived from the Greek word autokratôr (lit. "self-ruler", or to: "rule by one's self").
..... Click the link for more information.
Charles-Louis de Secondat, baron de La Brède et de Montesquieu (before January 18, 1689 in Bordeaux – February 10, 1755), was a French social commentator and political thinker who lived during the Era of the Enlightenment.
..... Click the link for more information.
constitutional monarchy is a form of government established under a constitutional system which acknowledges an elected or hereditary monarch as head of state, as opposed to an absolute monarchy, where the monarch is not bound by a constitution and is the sole source of political
..... Click the link for more information.
The Divine Right of Kings is a political and religious doctrine of political absolutism. It asserts that a monarch derives his right to rule from the will of God, and not from any temporal authority, including the will of his subjects, the aristocracy, or any other estate of the
..... Click the link for more information.
<noinclude></noinclude>

The French Revolution (1789–1799) was a period of political and social upheaval in the political history of France and Europe as a whole, during which the French governmental structure, previously an absolute monarchy with feudal
..... Click the link for more information.
The Glorious Revolution, also called the Revolution of 1688, was the overthrow of King James II of England (VII of Scotland) in 1688 by a union of Parliamentarians and the Dutch stadtholder William III of Orange-Nassau (William of Orange), who as a result ascended the
..... Click the link for more information.
Mandate of Heaven (天命 Pīnyīn: Tiānmìng) was a traditional Chinese sovereignty concept of legitimacy used to support the rule of the kings of the Zhou Dynasty and later the Emperors of China.
..... Click the link for more information.
This article is written like a personal reflection or and may require .
Please [ improve this article] by rewriting this article in an . (, talk)


List of forms of government
  • Anarchism
  • Aristocracy
  • Authoritarianism
  • Autocracy

..... Click the link for more information.
Thomas Hobbes (5 April 1588 – 4 December 1679) was an English philosopher, whose famous 1651 book Leviathan established the agenda for nearly all subsequent Western political philosophy.
..... Click the link for more information.
This article is written like a personal reflection or and may require .
Please [ improve this article] by rewriting this article in an . (, talk)


List of forms of government
  • Anarchism
  • Aristocracy
  • Authoritarianism
  • Autocracy

..... Click the link for more information.
form of government is a term that refers to the set of political institutions by which a state is organized in order to exert its powers over a political community.[1] Synonyms include "regime type" and "system of government".
..... Click the link for more information.
monarch (see sovereignty) is a type of ruler or head of state. Monarchs almost always inherit their titles and are rulers for life; that is, they have no term limit. Historically monarchs have been more or less absolute rulers.
..... Click the link for more information.
Royalist-Jamaican Historical Fiction Monthly The Royalist-Myth or Legend

The Royalist commonly referred to in Jamaica as the colonial Boogey Man, has been spotted more and more recently as of late.
..... Click the link for more information.


This article is copied from an article on Wikipedia.org - the free encyclopedia created and edited by online user community. The text was not checked or edited by anyone on our staff. Although the vast majority of the wikipedia encyclopedia articles provide accurate and timely information please do not assume the accuracy of any particular article. This article is distributed under the terms of GNU Free Documentation License.
Herod_Archelaus


page counter