The types of monarchy are absolute parliamentary and. Types of monarchy: concepts and classic signs

Monarchy- form of government, where the highest government belongs solely to the head of state - the monarch (king, tsar, emperor, shah, etc.), who occupies the throne by inheritance and is not responsible to the population.

Monarchical states can be either absolute or limited.

Absolute monarchies are states in which the supreme power is maximally concentrated in the hands of one person.

The main features of an absolute monarchy:

1) all state power (legislative, executive, judicial) belongs to one person - the monarch;
2) the entire completeness of state power is inherited;
3) the monarch rules the country for life, and there are no legal grounds for his voluntary removal;
4) there is no responsibility of the monarch to the population.

Examples of states of absolute monarchy are the previously named:
seven principalities of the United Arab Emirates; Oman, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Vatican City State.

Most of the monarchies in modern world limited by the competence of representative and judicial bodies of public authority (limited monarchy).
States with this form of government, in particular, include Australia, Belgium, Great Britain, Denmark, Spain, Canada, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, Japan, etc.

In these countries, on the basis of constitutions, formally or in fact, state power is divided into legislative, executive and judicial.

Signs of a limited monarchy:

1) the power of the monarch is limited by the presence and activity (competence) of representative, executive and judicial bodies of state power;
2) the government is formed from representatives of the parties that won the parliamentary elections;
3) executive power is exercised by the government, which is responsible to parliament;
4) the head of government is the leader of the party with the majority of parliamentary seats;
5) laws are passed by parliament, and their signing by the monarch is a formal act.

Limited monarchies are subdivided into dualistic and parliamentary.
She believes that a dualistic monarchy is characterized by the fact that, along with the legal and actual independence of the monarch, there are representative bodies with legislative and control powers.

"Dualism consists in the fact," writes L.A. Morozova, "that the monarch cannot make a political decision without the consent of the parliament, and the parliament without the consent of the monarch."
The scientist explains this by the fact that "although the monarch does not legislate, he is endowed with the right of absolute veto, that is, he has the right to approve or not approve laws adopted by representative bodies." (Bhutan, Jordan, Morocco)

Signs of a parliamentary monarchy:

a) the powers of the monarch are formally and de facto limited to the competence of the highest legislative body;
b) the monarch performs only representative functions as the head of state;
c) the government is formed by the parliament and is responsible to it;
d) the executive power is fully owned by the government.
The states of the parliamentary monarchy include: Great Britain, Belgium, Holland, Denmark, Spain, Norway, Sweden, Japan, etc.

The emergence of the state

State- it is such an organization of life in which there is a unified system of protection of the rights of people living in one territory in which the state has sovereignty; the relationship between them is regulated on the basis of uniform laws (or traditions), border protection is carried out; relations with other states and peoples are regulated in one way or another.

The first forms of institutions of power and the first generally binding norms of behavior were formed already at the primitive stage of the development of society. This period was characterized by the absence of political power and state institutions. Social norms during this period are in the nature of customs, traditions, rituals and taboos. In science, the question of whether these social norms can be considered law or proto-law is debatable.

The emergence of the state is hidden in ancient times. The idea of ​​the state comes from the very depths human consciousness... For many millennia, peoples of all kinds of tribes and different degrees of development by their inference and experience have always and everywhere been brought to this idea. The initial unit of human society was the family, clan, tribe. The struggle between them led to the victory of one clan (tribe) over another or to a conciliatory agreement between several clans (tribes), as a result of which it was established over them united authority.

States arise and consolidate with the transition from hunting and pastoral nomadic life to agricultural. A community that settled in place with all its good and herds, tied its fate with the sown field and the expected harvest, is naturally forced to defend and defend its possessions from the alien hordes of conquerors who expose everything to devastation.

History shows that states were formed earlier where the climate and soil are favorable for agriculture: in the southern fertile countries, near big rivers(Assyria, Egypt). Also, states reach development and maturity more easily in those places where the sea or mountains help defense from attacks and, at the same time, where land or river and sea routes of communication facilitate trade relations and create a permanent tide population to the center and low tide from it to the colonies (Greece, Rome). Finally, the creation of a powerful state was always succeeded by energetic and enterprising, hardworking and at the same time warlike peoples.

One of the most important features of the state is the close organic bond states with law, which is an economically and spiritually conditioned normative expression of the will of society, a state regulator of social relations. It is difficult to find an example in history when the state could do without law, and law - without the state.

Thus, the state arose and was consolidated in the search for internal order and external security. In it, people find the highest weapon to ensure the protection of their personal safety, their rights and freedoms. The question of the concept of the state is as complex and ancient as the state itself.

One of the greatest thinkers of antiquity, Aristotle, believed that the state is "a self-sufficient communication of citizens who do not need any other communication and do not depend on anyone else."

Types of monarchies and their signs.

Monarchy - a form of government in which the supreme state power belongs to one person - the monarch (king, tsar, emperor, sultan, emir, khan) and is inherited.

Signs of a monarchy:

• the existence of a sole head of state who exercises his power for life;
• hereditary (according to the law on succession to the throne) order of succession of the supreme power;
• the monarch personifies the unity of the nation, the historical continuity of tradition, represents the state in the international arena;

Types of monarchy:

Absolute monarchy- monarchy, which presupposes unlimited power of the monarch. In an absolute monarchy, the possible existing authorities are fully accountable to the monarch, and the will of the people can be officially expressed at most through an advisory body (currently Saudi Arabia, UAE, Oman, Qatar).

A constitutional monarchy- monarchy, in which the power of the monarch is limited by the constitution, unwritten law or tradition. Constitutional monarchy exists in two forms: dualistic monarchy (Austro-Hungarian Empire 1867-1918, Japan 1889-1945, currently exists in Morocco, Jordan, Kuwait and, with some reservations, also in Monaco and Liechtenstein) and parliamentary monarchy (currently Great Britain, Denmark, Sweden).

Parliamentary monarchy- a type of constitutional monarchy in which the monarch does not have power and performs only a representative function. In a parliamentary monarchy, the government is responsible to the parliament, which has more power than other organs of the state (although different countries it may vary).

Dualistic monarchy(lat. Dualis- dual) - a type of constitutional monarchy in which the power of the monarch is limited by the constitution and parliament in the legislative field, but within the framework set by them, the monarch possesses complete freedom decision making.

Benefits monarchies as a form of government are usually called:

• The monarch, as a rule, is brought up from childhood with the assumption that in the future he will become the supreme ruler of the state. This allows him to develop the qualities necessary for such a position and ensures that an incompetent or malicious person does not receive power in the course of democratic machinations;
• The substitution of power occurs not on the basis of someone's interests, but on the basis of the accident of birth, which reduces the possibility of penetration into the power of people for whom power is an end in itself.
• The monarch is naturally interested in leaving a prosperous country to his son or daughter.

Disadvantages monarchies are called.

Monarchy- a form of government in which the supreme power belongs in whole or in part to a representative of the ruling dynasty - the monarch (king, tsar, shah, etc.). The monarch inherits state power in a certain order, acts as the sole head of state.

Signs of a monarchical form of government:

The existence of the sole bearer of the supreme state power;

Dynastic inheritance of supreme power;

Lifetime belonging of power to the monarch: the laws of the monarchy do not provide for the removal of the monarch from power;

Lack of legal responsibility of the monarch for his actions (for example, according to the Military Regulations of Peter I, the sovereign is "an autocratic monarch who should not give an answer to anyone in the world about his affairs").

Monarchy is a very flexible and viable form of government. It originated in a slave society. Under feudalism, it became the main form of government. The monarchical form of government has not lost its significance and exists in a number of modern bourgeois states (England, Spain, etc.).

Types of monarchy. From the point of view of the completeness of the power of the monarch, two types of monarchies are distinguished: absolute and constitutional.

Absolute (unlimited) monarchy – a form of government of an autocratic nature: the monarch single-handedly issues laws, directs the government, controls justice (Russia of the 17th - 18th centuries, absolute monarchies of the era of feudalism, in the modern period - Brunei). The main feature of an absolute monarchy is the unlimited and unaccountable power of the monarch. In such a state there is no parliament - a legislative body elected by the population; there are no constitutional acts limiting the power of the monarch.

Currently, absolute monarchy is a rare form of government. It is recognized that by all indicators it exists in Oman and Brunei. There is no representative body, the king is also the supreme judge.

Absolute monarchy is inherent authoritarian regime. A kind of absolute monarchy - theocratic monarchy, those. form of government in which the head of state simultaneously represents secular and religious authority(Saudi Arabia).

Constitutional (limited) monarchy - a form of government in which the power of the monarch is limited to an elected body - parliament - and a special legal act - the constitution. Here, the distribution of powers of the supreme power takes place between the sole body - the monarch and the collective body - the parliament. The constitutional monarchy currently exists, for example, in Great Britain, Denmark, Belgium, Spain, Japan and other countries.

The constitutional monarchy can be dualistic and parliamentary. In a dualistic monarchy the organization of the highest bodies of state power is of a dual nature: the monarch concentrates executive power in his hands, forms a government responsible to him, and legislative power belongs to parliament. At the same time, the monarch has the right to impose an absolute veto on laws passed by parliament.

The dualistic monarchy arises in most cases at the junction of two historical eras - feudal and bourgeois. Currently, Morocco, Jordan, Kuwait and some other states are recognized as such.

For parliamentary monarchy the following features are characteristic:

The power of the monarch is limited in all spheres of state power, there is no dualism whatsoever;

Executive power is exercised by the government, which is constitutionally responsible to parliament and not to the monarch;

The government is formed from representatives of the party that won the elections;

The head of government becomes the leader of the party that has the largest number seats in parliament;

Laws are passed by parliament, and their signing by the monarch is a formal act.

The monarch traditionally retains certain powers. It performs mainly representative functions, symbolizes the unity of the nation. In individual states, he appoints the head of government. The position of the monarch exists due to the national commitment to the monarchical form of government, the recognition of the monarchy as the most appropriate form of state power.

The preservation of this type of monarchy is due to the country's cultural and historical heritage, a tribute to traditions, trust in the monarch, and the peculiarities of national thinking (mentality). Most modern monarchies are distinguished by these features, for example, Great Britain, Belgium, Spain, Japan, etc.

1) the form of the state; 2) a form of government in which the supreme state power is concentrated in the hands of one head of state - the monarch and will be inherited.

Excellent definition

Incomplete definition ↓

MONARCHY

from the Greek. monos - one, arche - beginning) is a form of government in which the functions of the head of state are transferred according to the principle of inheritance.

It is believed that monarchy as a form of government appeared in the most ancient tribal societies simultaneously with a change in the method of inheritance of the totem sign - the more ancient mode of inheritance through the female line was replaced by transmission through the male line, as indicated by some myths, as well as studies of the social structure of some modern tribes standing on the lowest stages of social development.

Monarchy is the oldest form of government. The basis of monarchical rule was initially the sacred possibility of communication between the monarch and the other world and other taboo (sacred, forbidden) opportunities, and the most ancient monarchical power was not reduced to management in the current sense, but to the implementation of certain restrictions, which were of a ritual nature and sometimes very strict. So, in ancient Egypt during the first dynasties, the main duty of the pharaohs was to participate in ritual processions, and the main function was to notify about the beginning of the flood of the Nile; in the XI-XIV centuries. The emperor of Japan had to sit for several hours in the throne room completely motionless every morning, for the slightest movement of him threatened to disrupt the harmony in the state, wars, floods, fires and other disasters. Whole line restrictions, especially during hostilities, were imposed on the Irish kings, and in Cambodia, where there was a king of fire and a king of water, the restrictions imposed on them were so heavy that during the XVI-XIX centuries. (that is, all the time while this process was observed by various missionary colonialists) monarchs were appointed literally by force. The same thing is happening today in some tribes of equatorial Africa.

It was the exorbitantness of the restrictions imposed on the monarch that led to the separation of the sacred and administrative functions, and, passing to the priestly estate, the sacred function put the priests socially higher than the monarchs, as evidenced, for example, by the caste structure Indian society where the brahmana caste stands above the kshatriya caste, or the formal supremacy of the pope over the kings of medieval Europe.

However, a partially sacred function monarchical power survived to this day, as evidenced by the associated ubiquitous ritual (protocol), originally created to hinder direct communication ordinary people with monarchs (taboo and threat to life) and allowing only communication through intermediaries (priests, ministers). Suffice it to recall the method of direct appeal to the monarch in the form of a "petition" that existed in Russian society, which was carried out with strict observance of ceremonial (protective) actions, such as: falling to your knees, bowing your head to the ground as a sign of great fear of possible consequences and, in fact, "banging the forehead."

Depending on the principle of inheritance of power, the monarchy can be dynastic, clan and elective.

The clan monarchy is probably one of the most ancient varieties of the monarchical system, since it carries the largest number of features associated with the archaic sacred function. Its meaning boils down to the fact that only a member of a certain clan, possessing a certain sacred power, that is, actually possessing great authority, can become a monarch. A similar way was characteristic of the pre-Columbian states of Central and South America, as well as numerous tribes in Africa, Australia and Oceania. A somewhat similar type of monarchy existed in Ancient Greece, iv Ancient Rus.

The dynastic monarchy probably originated in ancient Egypt. It is characterized by the transfer of power from father to son or to another close relative(for example, to a brother, as it was in Ancient Russia). This is the most common type of monarchy that has survived and still exists, for example, in Great Britain, Monaco, Denmark, Sweden, Japan (where the Mikado dynastic branch was never suppressed for more than thousand-year history countries) and in some other countries.

The emergence of an elective monarchy is associated with the refusal of applicants to voluntarily take the place of the monarch, at least in this form (when the monarch is elected by a council of elders, often by force), it exists in some tribes of Africa and Polynesia. However, an elective monarchy was practiced from time to time in antique greece, in Ancient Rome, in Byzantium, in Poland and even in Russia, where monarchs were elected several times (repeatedly in Novgorod and then twice in Time of Troubles in Moscow).

but this way succession to the throne proved to be unviable. Such monarchies, completely devoid of a sacred component, either tend to regain it, acquiring dynastic features (as was the case in Ancient Rome, where the consular method of government led to the restoration of the once lost dynastic system), or, on the contrary, give way to democracy, where the ruler belongs to certain blood is not decisive (as in Novgorod, where the monarch was elected mainly during the war or for other tactical reasons). The France of Napoleon I and Napoleon III provides us with excellent examples of both processes.

The historical varieties of monarchies include patriarchal monarchies, or traditional (characteristic of traditional societies); sacred monarchies, or theocracies (where the primary functions of the monarch are priestly or spiritual: for example. Ancient Egypt, Islamic Caliphate); despotic monarchies emerging in militarized societies (Assyria, Ancient Armenia, Mongol horde); estate and estate-representative monarchies (for example, pre-Petrine Russia); absolute monarchies based on the delegation of power to the bureaucracy in the absence of aristocratic and democratic institutions (France in the 17th century); constitutional monarchies that implement the principles of "social contract" and separation of powers and limit the power of the king by the constitution; autocratic, or autocratic monarchies, in which the monarch is absolutely sovereign and is the sole source of laws, and the state functions in interaction and commonwealth (symphony) with the Church (Byzantium, Russian Empire).

Like any other form of government, the monarchy has its own advantages and disadvantages. Among the advantages of the monarchy is the independence of the monarch (after all, in the case of being elected, the head of state owes his election to a power or financial group, which means that during the reign he will defend the interests of this group, and not the people as a whole, which is not the case under the monarchy). In addition, the special legal position of the monarch, which makes it possible to quickly accept important decisions, for example, to quickly abolish a harmful law, pardon a convicted person, etc. (A. Pushkin in this connection said that “there must be one person in the state who is even higher than the law”).

The rule of law (sovereignty) of a monarch is a particularly valuable quality during periods of wars and other crises. One-man management is in such cases an unconditional blessing. It should be noted, however, that almost all democratic states have a mechanism for delegating extraordinary powers to presidents or other authorized persons at such special moments.

The most important advantage of the monarchy is its symbolic component. The monarch as a symbol of the unity of the nation, as its conscience, redeemer and defender, as a person with the highest authority and trust, carries a tremendous ideological meaning and thus opens the way for important nationwide achievements, for mass enthusiasm, for patriotism, for heroic deeds.

IA Ilyin writes about the fundamental basis of the trust of his subjects in the monarch - their confidence that the monarch "puts himself before the face of God and himself measures his deeds and decisions by the criteria of divine revelation." In this trust, the king and the people are united, placing themselves in the judgment of history.

Monarchy is an important instrument of unification and a symbol of unity, in particular, because of its ability to maintain the informality of relations between the monarch and the subject. In Russia, even when addressing the landowner "on you" (as required by the French form introduced in the late 18th - early 19th centuries), the Russian peasant continued to address the tsar "on you". Unlike democracies, which are characterized by frequent changes in government, the monarchy assumes that the person vested with supreme power will be guided in his actions not by concern for the upcoming elections, but by responsibility before God, history and the people.

Another important function of the monarch, as a person standing above the law, is the function of the supreme judge, who can punish, but can also pardon, regardless of the severity of the crime. This seemingly insignificant function turned out to be so important that the exclusive powers of mercy fell within the competence of many elected presidents of the republics. Its echoes can be found in the division of English law into actually 2 branches: the Court of the King and the Court of Honor, which is a consequence of the attempt to oppose the court "by law" (the court of honor) to the court of "justice" (the court of the king).

The advantage of the monarchy is the ability to effectively promote the most talented people to leadership positions. In republican systems, the head of state will inevitably fear competition from a talented minister or general, and therefore hold him back. The monarch, by virtue of his position, does not participate in competitive relations, and in addition, he himself is interested in nominating talented people to preserve the dynasty and country. Moreover, the monarch is also the guarantor of the presence of opposition in society. He has nothing to fear from the "freedoms of the people", since they do not threaten him in any way. If they do not encroach on the change of the monarchical system itself, then criticism of the government can be regarded as an important positive function, and the opposition can always find protection from the monarch against the use of "administrative resources" by the government.

The monarch is also a measure of the idealized ideas of society about honor and dignity, about loyalty and duty, about the highest values, adherence to which is a sign of a person's highly spiritual life. As for the negative features of the monarchy, its main drawback is in itself, in its basic principle - the principle of succession to the throne. For if democracy implies at least the theoretical possession of outstanding qualities by the head of state, then the monarch may not necessarily possess them. And this despite the fact that he is invested with supreme power, which turns not only a tyrant and usurper, but also ordinary mediocrity into a great disaster for the people.

The supra-legal and supra-class position of the monarch, being an indisputable boon during a period of wars and other upheavals, in a peaceful period can become a source of evil for the citizens of the state. Byzantine historian Michael Psellus reports that Basil II's half-brother, also Basil, was castrated by his own brother in order to forestall possible claims of a relative to the throne. The historian reports this in such a way that we have no doubt that the actions of the emperor were dictated by the highest state considerations, since there is no most important state consideration for the monarchy than to preserve the throne.

However, the opposition of dynastic interests to the interests of the state had more serious consequences in history: it is enough to recall dynastic wars in Ancient China and Ancient Rome, the Fronde and the Revolution in France, the Revolution and Restoration in England (not to mention the Hundred Years War and the War of the Scarlet and White Roses). It was the primacy of dynastic interests over the interests of the people that led to the involvement of Russia in the First world war and the subsequent fall of the empire.

The monarchy is often compared to "strong presidential power." However, with all the similarities (broad powers, the right to pardon, the supreme command), there are a number of very significant differences between the monarchy and the presidential republic.

The President does not stand above the law and, being one of the sources of law, theoretically has the same rights as other citizens. The president is not an object of the sacred sphere and therefore, as it were, delegates some of the functions back to the people, creating a field for greater freedom: freedom of activity or freedom of conscience.

The President is not a measure of nobility and morality, leaving the solution of ethical issues to the conscience of every citizen and turning them into personal ones.

The temporality of the president's stay in power, as it were, shifts the emphasis of his activities from law-making to law-enforcement, embodiment. And the possibility of everyone to become the head of state or at least to take part in elections, as well as their regularity, makes political processes less painful. After all, the only way the people can get rid of the king is rebellion, and rebellion is the highest calamity for the state.

Probably due to the listed shortcomings, the monarchy, especially in its absolute manifestations, is now giving way to the republican mode of government.

Approximately 40 states in the world (about 20% of all states) are monarchies. However, due to its merits, in constitutional forms it still exists in many developed countries(including such as Japan, Great Britain, Spain, Denmark, Sweden, the Netherlands, Belgium, etc.), where it takes over functions that are lost for many reasons by local religious institutions, i.e., performing a ceremonial and symbolic role , designed to serve as the embodiment of ideal social ideas about morality and intangible values, about patriotism.

In Russia, the number of supporters of the restoration of the monarchy is steadily growing. According to the latest data, about 20% of Russians consider such a measure to be a blessing for the country.

Excellent definition

Incomplete definition ↓

The monarchy is characterized by the following features:

The head of state is the monarch - the only ruler;

Power is acquired by inheritance and is retained for life;

The monarch (emperor, king, king, sultan, shah) personifies the supreme power of the state;

The monarch is not responsible to his subjects.

Monarchies emerged with the emergence of the first states. They took place in slave formations, were very common under the feudal system and have survived to the present day. True, now there are not many of them - several dozen out of two hundred states of our planet. Monarchies, like many social and political phenomena, are diverse, sometimes even individual in their characteristic features... So, monarchies in the Ancient East were distinguished by special cruelty towards subjects and cruelty government controlled... The monarch in these states had unlimited rights, he was in charge of powerful military formations and a strong bureaucratic apparatus (Egypt, Babylon, Assyria, etc.).

Stories are known for absolute, estate-representative, constitutional monarchies.

An absolute monarchy is a form of government in which power is fully vested in the monarch. He directs his bureaucracy, appoints and dismisses officials as he sees fit, issues laws, repeals them, collects taxes and spends funds without any control. It is generally accepted that absolute monarchy has played a positive role in history. It made it possible to overcome feudal fragmentation, to strengthen the state mechanism, to rule out power differences, and to have a positive effect on the national consciousness of the people.

Estates-representative monarchy is a form of government in which the power of the monarch is limited by any representative body (assembly, senate, council, etc.). The composition of such bodies, as a rule, included representatives of the highest nobility (nobility, boyars, clergy, and sometimes merchants). The functions of these bodies are mainly advisory, advisory, approving in relation to the actions and intentions of the monarch. Estates-representative bodies could not fundamentally influence the activities of the monarch and the state apparatus entirely subordinate to him (army, police, executive and judicial authorities).

Along with estate-representative and absolute monarchies, there are dualistic monarchies.

Dualistic monarchy is a form of government in which there are two supreme organs of power - the monarch and the parliament. The head of state is the monarch, he heads (appoints, controls) the executive branch, in particular, the government, which is responsible to the monarch.

The parliament has legislative powers, but cannot influence the process of forming the government and control its activities. In turn, the monarch has the right of veto in relation to legislative acts of parliament. Thus, a dualistic monarchy is a state in which the highest state power is divided between two subjects - the monarch and parliament, but most of the powers still belong to the monarch.

Another type of monarchy where the power of the monarch is limited is the parliamentary (or constitutional) monarchy. But in such states, the limitation of the power of the monarch is quite significant, here we can speak of dualism only conditionally, since in essence it does not exist. In parliamentary monarchies, the power of the monarch is limited by the constitution or other legislative acts (as, for example, in Great Britain) in all spheres of state activity, that is, not only in the field of legislation, but also in other areas of government, especially in relations with the government.

Parliamentary monarchies are the result of a political compromise between new and old political forces. Therefore, the degree of limitation of the power of the monarch corresponds to the degree of correlation of political forces during the establishment of parliamentary monarchies. These periods are sometimes simultaneous, and sometimes stretch for a long time (in the first case, Japan, Spain, in the second - Great Britain).

Parliamentary monarchies are characterized by the following main features:

The government is not responsible to the monarch, but to parliament;

The government exercises executive power;

The government is formed by parliament, although it is formally considered that the ministers are the ministers of the government of his (her) majesty, that is, the monarch;

Legislative acts are passed by parliament. Formally, they are signed by the monarch, but this is rather his symbolic act than his imperious decision.

In parliamentary monarchies, the monarch "reigns but does not rule." It is a symbol of the nation due to the persisting ideas of monarchism in the minds of the people and historical traditions. The monarch is also considered the head of state, although, as shown above, his power is significantly limited both in the field of legislation and in other spheres of government.