Constitutional monarchy

A constitutional monarchy is a form of monarchical government established under a constitutional system which acknowledges a hereditary or elected monarch as head of state. Modern constitutional monarchies usually implement the concept of trias politica, or "separation of powers", where the monarch is the head of the executive branch. Where a monarch holds absolute power, it is known as an absolute monarchy, and law within an absolute monarchy can often be quite different from law within a constitutional monarchy.

Differences between constitutional and absolute monarchies

During the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries several European countries experimented with new forms of government. Two of these were absolutism and constitutional monarchies.

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Undemocratic Monarchy

Absolutism is a government in which a king or queen rules with total power, in other words as a dictator. The initiation of absolutism was made possible because countries were experiencing turmoil under existing governments. Religious wars, the decline of the church, and a growing middle class created a situation that demanded a leader to rule with complete power so as to restore order. Under absolutism the monarchs that ruled a country had total control because they believed they had a ?divine right?. They believed that right was given to them by God and bestowed upon them the power to control the county totally. They often defended their abuse of power by saying that it was God?s will for them rule. Also in an absolute monarchy the monarch makes all economic decisions. For example, Louis XIV of France abused his control of money by spending it on his Palace of Versailles. According to Early Modern France 1560-1715, at the end of Louis XIV reign, the French Royal Family was in debt 2 billion livres or about 21 billion dollars. This type of carelessness has the power to destroy countries, and it almost did so to France. Although having a monarch in total control over the economy can be dangerous, it also can be advantageous if the monarch is responsible and knowledgeable on the subject of economics. When one monarch has total control, their personal values may overrule core ethics. This can cause a reduction of personal freedoms when the monarch favors one group over another. King Louis XIV demonstrated this when he kicked the Huguenots out of France by canceling the Edict of Nantes. Many People supported absolutism, including Thomas Hobbes. He wrote a book called Leviathan arguing that an absolute state is the best form of government. Hobbes, contrary to popular wisdom, which is inaccurate, supported either absolute monarchy or an absolute democracy. He did not only support an absolute monarch. Hobbes said that all humans were naturally selfish and that to leave the state of chaos this selfishness created, they would agree to a social contract which prohibited acts against the person or property of another, and which would be enforced by an absolute sovereign. (Most undergraduates confuse 'sovereign' with monarch. This is not what Hobbes meant.)

Related Topics:
Dictator - Louis XIV of France - Palace of Versailles - Huguenots - Edict of Nantes - Thomas Hobbes - Leviathan

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Liberal Monarchy

A constitutional monarchy is a form of government in which a king or queen rules with limits to their power along with a governing body (i.e. Parliament). A constitutional monarchy was able to form in England because there was a lack of strong leadership. Abuse of power by the king caused the English to question the ?divine right? of the king. Also strong nobles and members of Parliament started to oppose the king?s authority. Parliament subsequently took several steps to limit the power of the king. First, they forced Charles I to sign the Petition of Right that says the king must go through Parliament to enact new laws, taxes, etc. After signing the Petition of Right, Charles I immediately ignored it, precipitating the English Civil Wars, and the eventual beheading of the king for treason. This sent a message to future monarchs of England that they did not have absolute power. During Charles II reign Parliament passed the Habeas Corpus. The Habeas Corpus Act said that any prisoner taken by the king would be given a trial. This prevented the king from simply removing his enemies by sending them to jail. When James II took the throne many people did not appreciate it when he flaunted his Catholicism. Therefore Parliament flexed its muscles once again by asking William of Orange to overthrow the king. William and his wife Mary came from the Netherlands and overthrew James II without bloodshed. This was called the ?Glorious Revolution?. Once William and Mary had gained control of the throne, they completely supported the constitutional monarchy. Together they signed the Bill of Rights, which severely limited the power of the king, and gave more freedom to his subjects. One supporter of constitutional monarchy was John Locke. He wrote in his ?Treatises on Government? that a direct democracy is the best form of government. He wrote that people are able to improve and rule themselves, and that people have three main rights. These rights are life, liberty, and property, and it is the government?s job to protect these rights. He also wrote that if the government is unjust the people have the right to overthrow it.

Related Topics:
Parliamen - Charles I - Petition of Right - English Civil War - Charles II - Habeas Corpus - James II - William of Orange - Netherlands - Glorious Revolution - Bill of Rights - John Locke - Treatises on Government

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This evolution in thinking would eventually spawn such movements as universial sufferage and political parties. By the mid 20th Century, the political culture in Europe had shifted to the point where all constitutional monarchs had been reduced to the status of effective figureheads, with no effective power at all. Instead, it was the democratically elected parliaments, and their leader, the prime minister who had become the true rulers of the nation. In many cases even the monarchs themselves, who once sat at the very top of the political and social heiarchy, were given the status of "servants of the people" to reflect the new, egalitarian reality.

Related Topics:
Universial sufferage - Political parties - Figurehead - Prime minister

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