"Wise Monarch" is an excellent phrase that has retained the greatness and romanticism of the past. Today, existing monarchies can be counted on the fingers of one hand, although a few centuries ago this was the most common form of government. Over time, monarchies evolved into republics, democratic and sovereign states. However, one socio-political trend remained - monarchism. These are organizations and teachings that advocate the revival of the monarchy.
What you need to know about monarchism?
To avoid misunderstandings, it is worth noting right away that:
- Monarchy is a form of government.
- A monarch is the ruler of a monarchy.
- Monarchism is a socio-political movement advocating the preservation or establishment of the monarchy.
It can be assumed that monarchism considers the monarchy the best and only true solution for the development of the state. Originally a word"monarchy" was interpreted as the sole power, and only in our time this term is understood as royal, hereditary rule. This understanding is not correct. If we take, for example, the emperors of the Roman Empire or the Polish kings, then they can be safely called monarchs, although initially these posts were not hereditary.
Definition of monarchism
If we give a concept to this definition, it will sound like this: monarchism is a socio-political movement convinced of the necessity and desirability of the monarchy, and is trying with all its might to establish, revive or restore it.
An important importance in monarchism is given directly to the monarch, who must not only occupy a leading position, but really govern. The monarch must have the absolute right to rule, which is exclusively hereditary.
Adherents of monarchism tend to unite in appropriate organizations. In many countries of the world one can meet similar social associations. The largest is the International Monarchist Conference. According to data on January 11, 2010, there were 67 organizations in this association supporting monarchism. Basically, they promote the ideas of monarchism to the masses, and in some republican countries, such as Bulgaria, they take an active part in the political struggle.
Russia
This trend did not bypass Russia either. Monarchism first appeared in Russia in 1880. Representatives of this movement supported the ideamonarchism as the only acceptable state system.
These organizations became especially active in the period from 1905 to 1917. At this time, large associations of monarchists began to emerge, such as the Union of October 17 or the Union of the Russian People. They advocated the establishment of a monarchy in the country and the preservation of autocracy, but after the revolution their activity dropped sharply, if not to say that it was completely paralyzed.
Only after the collapse of the Soviet Union, monarchist organizations began to appear on the territory of the country again. Russian monarchism declared itself in 2012. Then, for the first time, an organization proclaiming this movement and advocating the establishment of a constitutional monarchy on the territory of Russia was officially registered. The archpriest of the Russian Orthodox Church also joins the general trend of monarchism, who does not exclude the possibility of establishing a monarchy on the territory of Russia.
Socialism and Monarchy
In 2015, Vsevolod Chaplin, an adherent of monarchism, proposed to combine socialism and monarchy, thus obtaining a new political trend. Initially, these two directions were irreconcilable and opposed each other. They are on different planes: socialism is focused on socio-economic systems, and monarchism is a type of state structure. But, in a new trend called social monarchism, all conflicting positions are leveled.
The idea of establishing social monarchism belongs to Vladimir Karpets. Its main idea is that all "estates serve onesovereign." Simply put, in a monarchical state, such a policy should be established in order to strengthen social ties between representatives of different segments of the population. This would be a good basis for reviving the economy.
Good King
Due to some historical events, the people had a desire to create a monarchy and rely solely on the ruler, who would give answers to all questions. At such moments, anyone could claim the role of a monarch, as long as his political views provided everyone with a worthy future, and most importantly, they indicated how to come to such a future, based on the capabilities of the people.
The people, in turn, firmly believed in the kindness, strength and infallibility of the ruler, so they carried out any of his orders. This type of government, which implies unconditional faith in the goodness and justice of the monarch, is called "naive monarchism." Its representatives are sure that the king can be either kind, or he can be appeased and live without denying himself anything.
Romanticism
Based on all of the above, the following conclusion can be drawn: monarchies are created, developed and strengthened thanks to a monarch who can rule according to the expectations of the people. Even if social monarchism is taken into account, only a strong leader will be able to win the trust of all segments of the population and make them work for themselves. Accordingly, the people see justice, support and support in the monarch.
But what happens if the support suddenly collapses? When the people, dutywhich was to protect the monarch, remains silent. Or when the monarch refuses to fight, does not make a decision, relying on the will of chance, then there can no longer be talk of a monarchy. The collapse of romantic monarchism - that's how it can be called. When the ideal, raised on a pedestal and in whose hands the scepter of power is placed, begins to show weakness, then subordinates lose confidence. As a result, a coup d'état or absolute anarchy may reign in the country.
Nationalists
The adherents of monarchism do not stop there. Since in some countries it is a priori impossible to create monarchies due to socio-political and cultural factors, then monarchists begin to slightly modify the mainstream to please everyone. So to speak, and the wolves are full, and the sheep are safe. Do not ignore such a direction as national monarchism - a mixture of nationalism and monarchism.
Representatives of this movement pay special attention to the problem of national identification. Simply put, the monarch must be a native of this country, at least until the seventh generation. In the process of government, more attention must be paid to the problems of national identification of the population, to develop the culture and mentality of the country.
In some radical organizations of national monarchism, it is believed that the indigenous people of a certain country should have special advantages. Take, for example, the country of Kuwait, where the indigenous people live without needing anything. They will never work for the underpaidvacancies, all occupy only managerial positions. They receive many benefits, bonuses and other incentives. It can even be said that the "golden million" of Kuwaitis is served by foreigners looking for work. Also, adherents of the idea of national monarchism want the monarch to defend the honor of his people and give him the opportunity to enjoy all the benefits of his country.
How should monarchism be understood?
From all of the above, one may get the opinion that the adherents of monarchism want one thing - to restore an empire on the territory of the country, in which the king will rule everything. It's right. But this is only a form. In terms of content, royal rule means the return of property rights to owners, the establishment of a privileged class of public figures, and the restoration of the old order of society.
If we assume that the monarchy is restored on the territory of modern Russia, then the population will have the opportunity to:
- Show economic initiative.
- Show initiative and freedom in public life.
- The value of law and law will be restored.
Against this background, personal freedom and order in society will be strengthened, the economy will begin to develop rapidly. The population will be able to satisfy material needs, as a result of gaining decent financial well-being, culture, education and creativity will develop.
International Organizations
Today, there are 13 internationalorganizations based on the ideas of monarchism. The most famous of them:
- International Monarchist Conference.
- International Monarchist League.
- International Union of Monarchists.
- International Napoleonic Society.
Also, about 10-50 similar associations are registered on each of the continents. For example, there are 20 organizations in Asia, 5 in Oceania. 14 factions are recorded in America, 10 in Africa. And only Europe can boast of a large number of adherents of monarchism. There are about 105 associations on its territory. In some countries, such as France, Great Britain, Serbia, Portugal, Poland, the number of active organizations reaches ten or more.
General Features
Summing up, we can say the following: monarchism is a trend whose adherents want to revive the monarchy in all its glory. They are confident that with such a regime of government, the country will be able to live better, since all resources will go to the people. Monarchism involves the development of the economy through the return of ownership of factories, factories and land to their owners. As a result, more jobs will appear, the productivity of both individual territories and the whole country will increase, and the economy will become stable, which will be able to meet the needs of citizens.
Once Abraham Maslow gave a pyramid of human needs, its essence was that if a person does not satisfy his lower needs, he will not be able to switch toanother level. Similarly with monarchism, if the economy becomes able to meet the needs of citizens for food, clothing and housing, then they can move to the next level: they will begin to develop intellectually and creatively.
Monarchism - is it good or bad? Perhaps it all depends on the wisdom of government. When the government performs the functions of supporting and protecting citizens, then society is doomed to positive, constructive changes.