constitutional monarchy

Examples of constitutional monarchy in the following topics:

• Monarchy

  • The person who heads a monarchy is called a monarch.
  • Monarchy now often takes the form of a constitutional monarchy, in which the monarch retains a unique legal and ceremonial role, but exercises limited or no political power pursuant to a constitution or tradition which allocates governing authority elsewhere.
  • There is no clear definition of monarchy.
  • Even characteristics most commonly associated with monarchies are not universal.
  • But holding unlimited political power in the state is not the defining characteristic, as many constitutional monarchies such as the United Kingdom and Thailand are considered monarchies yet their monarchs have limited political power.

• Monarchies and Liberal Democracies

  • Monarchies, in which sovereignty embodied in a single individual, eventually gave way to liberal democracies.
  • A monarchy is a form of government in which sovereignty is actually or nominally embodied in a single individual, the monarch.
  • Throughout history, monarchies have been abolished, either through revolutions, legislative reforms, coups d'état or wars.
  • The 21st century has already seen several monarchies abolished, usually by peaceful means in a referendum.
  • Where it exists, it now often takes the form of constitutional monarchy, in which the monarch retains a unique legal and ceremonial role, but exercises limited or no political power pursuant to a constitution or tradition which allocates governing authority elsewhere.

• The Constitution of 1791

  • The Constitution of 1791 was the first written constitution of France that turned the country into a constitutional monarchy following the collapse of the absolute monarchy of the Ancien Régime.
  • Its task was to draft most of the articles of the constitution.
  • A second Constitutional Committee quickly replaced the first one.
  • When the King used his veto powers to protect non-juring priests and refused to raise militias in defense of the revolutionary government, the constitutional monarchy proved no longer acceptable to radical revolutionaries and was effectively ended by the August 10 Insurrection.
  • The short-lived French Constitution of 1791 was the first written constitution in France, created after the collapse of the absolute monarchy of the Ancien Régime.

• Forms of Government

  • In modern times, an Autocrat's rule is not stopped by any rules of law, constitutions, or other social and political institutions.
  • Governments with monarchic attributes are ruled by a king or a queen who inherits their position from their family, which is often called the "royal family. " There are at two opposing types of monarchies: absolute monarchies and constitutional monarchies.
  • In an absolute monarchy, the ruler has no limits on their wishes or powers.
  • In a constitutional monarchy a ruler's powers are limited by a document called a constitution.
  • Red and pink are parliamentary constitutional monarchies, and purple represents absolute monarchies.

• Establishment of the National Assembly

  • Following the storming of the Bastille on July 14, the National Assembly became the effective government and constitution drafter that ruled until passing the 1791 Constitution, which turned France into a constitutional monarchy.
  • A critical figure in the Assembly, and eventually for the French Revolution, was Abbé Emmanuel Joseph Sieyès, who, for a time, managed to bridge the differences between those who wanted a constitutional monarchy and those who wished to move in more democratic (or even republican) directions.
  • Simultaneously, the Assembly continued to draft a new constitution.
  • The Civil Constitution of the Clergy, passed in July 1790, turned the remaining clergy into employees of the state.
  • Under the Constitution of 1791, France would function as a constitutional monarchy.

• Types of States

  • One well-known example of this type of government is a monarchy.
  • The person who heads a monarchy is called a monarch.
  • There is no clear definition of monarchy.
  • Some monarchs hold unlimited political power while many constitutional monarchies, such as the United Kingdom and Thailand, have monarchs with limited political power.
  • Red and pink are parliamentary constitutional monarchies, and purple represents absolute monarchies.

• Types of Governments

  • The person who heads a monarchy is called a monarch.
  • There is no clear definition of monarchy.
  • Holding unlimited political power in the state is not the defining characteristic, as many constitutional monarchies such as the United Kingdom and Thailand are considered monarchies yet their monarchs have limited political power.
  • Hereditary rule is often a common characteristic, but elective monarchies are also considered monarchies (e.g., The Pope) and some states have hereditary rulers, but are considered republics (e.g., the Dutch Republic).
  • Communist states may have several legal political parties, but the Communist party is usually granted a special or dominant role in government, often by statute or under the constitution.

• Conclusion: The Development of the Constitution

  • This idea of checks and balances arose from the fear many delegates held that one branch could become too strong and mirror a monarchy; something they had just fought against in the American Revolutionary War.  
  • The draft Constitution was finished in September 1787.
  • When nine of the 13 had approved the plan, the constitution would go into effect.
  • The opposition to the Constitution reflected the fears that a new national government, much like the British monarchy, created too much centralized power and resultantly deprived states' citizens of the ability to make their own decisions.
  • Adopted in 1791, the bill consisted of the first 10 amendments to the Constitution and outlined many of the personal rights state constitutions already guaranteed.

• Non-Democratic Governments: Monarchy, Oligarchy, Technocracy, and Theocracy

  • Monarchs may be autocrats (absolute monarchy) or ceremonial heads of state who exercise little or no power or only reserve power, with actual authority vested in a parliament or other body such as a constitutional assembly .
  • However, some monarchies are non-hereditary.
  • In an elective monarchy, the monarch is elected but otherwise serves as any other monarch.
  • Monarchies have existed throughout the world, although in recent centuries many states have abolished the monarchy and become republics.
  • Advocacy of republics is called republicanism, while advocacy of monarchies is called monarchism.

• The July Monarchy