The nature of monarchical power briefly. Monarchy and its features

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.

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MONARCHY

from the Greek monos - one, arche - beginning) - 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 the 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 method 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 levels of social development.

Monarchy is the oldest form of government. At the heart of monarchical government initially lay the sacred possibility of communication between the monarch and other world and other taboo (sacred, forbidden) possibilities, and the most ancient monarchical power was not limited to management in the current sense, but to the fulfillment of certain restrictions that 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 announce the beginning of the flood of the Nile; in the XI-XIV centuries. the emperor of Japan had to sit in the throne room for several hours every morning, completely motionless, because his slightest movement threatened to disrupt harmony in the state, wars, floods, fires and other disasters. Whole line restrictions, especially during hostilities, were also 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 severe that during the 16th-19th centuries. (i.e., all the time while this process was observed by various missionaries-colonizers) monarchs were appointed literally by force. The same thing is happening today in some tribes of equatorial Africa.

It was the exorbitance of the restrictions imposed on the monarch that led to the separation of the sacred and administrative functions, and, moving to the priestly class, the sacred function placed the priests socially higher than the monarchs, as evidenced, for example, by the caste structure of Indian society, where the Brahmin caste stands above the caste. Kshatriyas, or the formal supremacy of the Pope over the kings of medieval Europe.

However, the partly sacral function of monarchical power has been preserved to this day, as evidenced by the universally defined ritual (protocol) associated with it, originally created to prevent direct communication. ordinary people with monarchs (a taboo and a threat to life) and allowing only communication through intermediaries (priests, ministers). Suffice it to recall the way that existed in Russian society of directly addressing the monarch in the form of a “petition”, 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, "beating with a forehead."

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

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

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 dynastic branch of the Mikado was not suppressed even once for more than thousand years of history countries) and some other countries.

The emergence of an elective monarchy is associated with the refusal of applicants to voluntarily take the place of the monarch, in any case, it is in this form (when the monarch is elected by the council of elders, often by force) that it exists in some tribes of Africa and Polynesia. However, elective monarchy was practiced from time to time in ancient 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 troubled times in Moscow).

but this way succession 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, conversely, give way to democracy, where the ruler’s belonging to certain blood is not of decisive importance (as in Novgorod, where the monarch was elected mainly for the duration of the war or for other tactical reasons). The France of Napoleon I and Napoleon III is an excellent example of both processes.

The historical varieties of monarchies include patriarchal or traditional monarchies (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, Mongolian horde); estate and estate-representative monarchies (for example, pre-Petrine Russia); absolute monarchies based on the delegation of power to bureaucracy in the absence of aristocratic and democratic institutions (France in the 17th century); constitutional monarchies that implement the principles of the "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, monarchy has its advantages and disadvantages. Among the advantages of the monarchy, one should include the independence of the monarch (after all, in the case of election, 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 a monarchy). In addition, the special legal position of the monarch, which allows you to quickly make important decisions, for example, quickly repeal a harmful law, pardon a convict, etc. (A. Pushkin said in this regard that “there should be one person in the state who is above even the law ").

The supremacy (sovereignty) of the monarch is a quality especially valuable during periods of wars and other crises. Unity of command is in such cases an unconditional blessing. It should be noted, however, that almost all democratic states have a mechanism for delegating emergency 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 protector, as a person with the highest authority and trust, carries a huge ideological meaning and thus opens the way for important nationwide achievements, for mass enthusiasm, for patriotism, for feat.

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

The monarchy is an important instrument of unification and a symbol of unity, among other things, due to its ability to maintain the informality of relations between the monarch and the subject. In Russia, even addressing the landowner “to you” (as required by the French form introduced at the end of the 18th and beginning of the 19th centuries), the Russian peasant continued to address the tsar “to you”. Unlike democracies, which are characterized by frequent changes of power, 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 above the law, is the function of the highest judge, who can punish, but can also pardon, regardless of the severity of the crime. This, at first glance, insignificant function turned out to be so important that the exclusive powers to pardon became 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 the result of an attempt to oppose the court "by law" (the court of honor) to the court of "justice" (the king's court).

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 be afraid of 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 besides, he himself is interested in nominating talented people to preserve the dynasty and the country. Moreover, the monarch is also the guarantor of the 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 the "administrative resource" by the government.

The monarch is also a measure of the idealized ideas of society about honor and dignity, about loyalty and duty, about higher values, adherence to which is a sign of a highly spiritual life of a person. As for the negative features of the monarchy, its main drawback is in itself, in its main 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-estate position of the monarch, being an indispensable blessing during wars and other upheavals, in a peaceful period can become a source of evil for the citizens of the state. The Byzantine historian Michael Psellos reports that Basil II's half-brother, also Basil, was castrated by his own brother in order to forestall a relative's possible claims 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 save the throne.

However, the opposition of dynastic interests to the interests of the state had even more serious consequences in history: suffice it to recall dynastic wars in Ancient China and Ancient Rome, the Fronde and the Revolution in France, the Revolution and the 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 Russia's involvement in the First world war and the subsequent fall of the empire.

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 is not 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 focus of his activity from law-making to law-enforcement, implementation. And the opportunity for everyone to become the head of state or, at least, to take part in elections, as well as their regularity, makes political processes not so painful. After all, the only way for the people to get rid of the king is rebellion, and rebellion is the highest disaster for the state.

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

Approximately 40 states of 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 on 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 public 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 a boon for the country.

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For many centuries, in almost the entire civilized world, power was organized according to the type of monarchy. Then the existing system was overthrown by revolutions or wars, but there are still states that consider this form of government acceptable for themselves. So, what are the types of monarchy and how do they differ from each other?

Monarchy: concept and types

The word "μοναρχία" existed in the ancient Greek language and meant "autocracy". It is easy to guess that the monarchy in the historical and political sense is a form of government in which all power or most of it is concentrated in the hands of one person.

Monarch in different countries called in different ways: emperor, king, prince, king, emir, khan, sultan, pharaoh, duke and so on. Transfer of power by inheritance characteristic which distinguishes the monarchy.

The concept and types of monarchies is an interesting subject for study by historians, political scientists and even politicians. A wave of revolutions, starting with the Great French, overthrew such a system in many countries. However, in the 21st century modern views monarchies successfully continue to exist in Great Britain, Monaco, Belgium, Sweden and other states. Hence the numerous disputes on the topic whether the monarchical system limits democracy and whether such a state can develop intensively at all?

Classic signs of a monarchy

Numerous types of monarchy differ from each other in a number of ways. But there is also general provisions which are present in most of them.

There are examples in history when some types of republic and monarchy bordered on each other so closely in terms of political structure that it was difficult to give the state an unambiguous status. For example, at the head of the Commonwealth was a monarch, but he was elected by the Sejm. Some historians call the ambiguous political regime of the Republic of Poland - gentry democracy.

Types of monarchy and their signs

There are two large groups of monarchies that have formed:

according to the limits of monarchical power;
taking into account the traditional structure of power.

Before analyzing in detail the features of each of the forms of government, it is necessary to determine existing species monarchy. The table will help make this clear.

Absolute monarchy

Absolutus - from Latin it is translated as "unconditional". Absolute and constitutional are the main types of monarchy.

An absolute monarchy is a form of government in which absolute power is concentrated in the hands of one person and is not limited to any state structures. This way political organization similar to a dictatorship, since in the hands of the monarch can be not only the fullness of the military, legislative, judicial and executive power, but even religious.

In the Age of Enlightenment, theologians began to explain the right of one person to the sole control over the fate of the entire people or state by the divine exclusivity of the ruler. That is, the monarch is the anointed of God on the throne. I firmly believed in it religious people. There are cases when terminally ill Frenchmen came to the walls of the Louvre on certain days. People believed that by kissing the hand of Louis XIV, they would receive the desired healing from all their illnesses.

Exists different types absolute monarchy. For example, absolute theocratic is a kind of monarchy in which the head of the church is also the head of state. The most famous European country with this form of government is the Vatican.

A constitutional monarchy

This form of monarchical government is considered progressive, as the power of the ruler is limited by ministers or parliament. The main types of constitutional monarchy are dualistic and parliamentary.

In a dualistic organization of power, the monarch is given executive power, but no decision can be made without the approval of the respective minister. Parliament retains the right to vote the budget and pass laws.

In a parliamentary monarchy, all the levers of government are actually concentrated in the hands of parliament. The monarch approves the candidacies of ministers, but the parliament nominates them anyway. It turns out that the hereditary ruler is simply a symbol of his state, but without the approval of parliament he cannot accept a single state important decision. In some cases, parliament can even dictate to the monarch on what principles he should build his personal life.

ancient eastern monarchy

If we analyze in detail the list describing the types of monarchy, the table would begin with the ancient Eastern monarchical formations. This is the first form of monarchy that appeared in our world, and it had peculiar features.

ruler in such public entities a leader of the community was appointed, who managed religious and economic affairs. One of the main duties of the monarch was to serve the cult. That is, he became a kind of priest, and organizing religious ceremonies, interpreting divine signs, keeping the wisdom of the tribe - these were his primary tasks.

Since the ruler in the eastern monarchy was directly connected with the gods in the minds of the people, he was granted fairly wide powers. For example, he could interfere in the intra-tribal affairs of any family and dictate his will.

In addition, the ancient Eastern monarch monitored the distribution of land among subjects and the collection of taxes. He set the amount of labor and duties, led the army. Such a monarch necessarily had advisers - priests, noble people, elders.

Feudal monarchy

The types of monarchy as a form of government have been transformed over time. After the ancient Eastern monarchy, primacy in political life adopted a feudal form of government. It is divided into several periods.

The early feudal monarchy appeared as a result of the evolution of slave-owning states or the primitive communal system. As is known, the first rulers of such states were universally recognized military commanders. Relying on the support of the army, they established their supreme power over the peoples. To strengthen his influence in certain regions, the monarch sent his deputies there, from whom the nobility was subsequently formed. The rulers did not bear any legal responsibility for their deeds. There were practically no institutions of power. This description fits the ancient Slavic state - Kievan Rus.

After a period of feudal fragmentation, patrimonial monarchies began to form, in which large feudal lords inherited not only power, but also lands to their sons.

Then, for some time in history, there was a class-representative form of government, until most states turned into absolute monarchies.

Theocratic monarchy

Types of monarchy, differing in the traditional structure, include in their list the theocratic form of government.

In such a monarchy, the absolute ruler is the representative of religion. Under this form of government, all three branches of power pass into the hands of a clergyman. Examples of such states in Europe have survived only on the territory of the Vatican, where the Pope is both the head of the church and the ruler of state. But in Muslim countries there are a few more modern theocratic-monarchical examples - Saudi Arabia, Brunei.

Types of monarchy today

The flame of the revolution failed to eradicate the monarchical system throughout the world. This form of government has survived into the 21st century in many respected countries.

In Europe, in the small parliamentary principality of Andorra, as of 2013, two princes ruled at once - Francois Hollande and Joan Enric Vives y Cicilla.

In Belgium, King Philip has been on the throne since 2013. A small country with a smaller population than Moscow or Tokyo is not just a constitutional parliamentary monarchy, but also a federal territorial system.

Pope Francis has been the head of the Vatican since 2013. The Vatican is a city-state that still maintains a theocratic monarchy.

The famous parliamentary monarchy of Great Britain has been ruled by Queen Elizabeth II since 1952, and in Denmark by Queen Margrethe II since 1972.

In addition, the monarchical system has been preserved in Spain, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, the Order of Malta, Monaco and many other countries.

Exist in modern world? Where on the planet are countries still ruled by kings and sultans? Find answers to these questions in our article. In addition, you will learn what a constitutional monarchy is. You will also find examples of countries of this form of government in this publication.

The main forms of government in the modern world

To date, there are two main models government controlled: monarchist and republican. By monarchy is meant a form of government in which power belongs to one person. It can be a king, emperor, emir, prince, sultan, etc. Second distinguishing feature monarchical system - the process of transferring this power by inheritance (and not by the results of popular elections).

Today there are absolute, theocratic and constitutional monarchies. Republics (the second form of government) are more common in the modern world: they are about 70%. The republican model of government assumes the election of the supreme authorities - the parliament and (or) the president.

The most famous monarchies of the planet: Great Britain, Denmark, Norway, Japan, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates (UAE). Examples of country-republics: Poland, Russia, France, Mexico, Ukraine. However, in this article we are only interested in countries with a constitutional monarchy (you will find a list of these states below).

Monarchy: absolute, theocratic, constitutional

There are three types of monarchical countries (there are about 40 of them in the world). It can be theocratic, absolute and constitutional monarchy. Let us briefly consider the features of each of them, and dwell on the last in more detail.

In absolute monarchies, all power is concentrated in the hands of one person. He makes absolutely all decisions, realizing the internal and foreign policy of their country. The clearest example of such a monarchy can be called Saudi Arabia.

In a theocratic monarchy, power belongs to the highest church (spiritual) minister. The only example of such a country is the Vatican, where the absolute authority for the population is the Pope. True, some researchers classify Brunei and even Great Britain as theocratic monarchies. It's no secret that the Queen of England is also the head of the church.

A constitutional monarchy is...

A constitutional monarchy is a model of government in which the power of the monarch is significantly limited.

Sometimes he can be completely deprived of supreme authority. In this case, the monarch is only a formal figure, a kind of symbol of the state (as, for example, in Great Britain).

All these legal restrictions on the power of the monarch, as a rule, are reflected in the constitution of a particular state (hence the name of this form of government).

Types of constitutional monarchy

Modern constitutional monarchies can be parliamentary or dualistic. In the first, the government is formed by the country's parliament, to which it reports. In dualistic constitutional monarchies, ministers are appointed (and removed) by the monarch himself. Parliament only has the right of some vetoes.

It is worth noting that the division of countries into republics and monarchies sometimes turns out to be somewhat arbitrary. After all, even in the most can be observed certain aspects succession of power (appointment of relatives and friends to important government posts). This applies to Russia, Ukraine and even the United States.

Constitutional Monarchy: Examples of Countries

To date, 31 states of the world can be attributed to constitutional monarchies. The third part of them is located in Western and Northern Europe. About 80% of all constitutional monarchies in the modern world are parliamentary, and only seven are dualistic.

The following are all countries with a constitutional monarchy (list). The region in which the state is located is indicated in brackets:

Luxembourg (Western Europe).
Liechtenstein (Western Europe).
Principality of Monaco (Western Europe).
Great Britain (Western Europe).
Netherlands (Western Europe).
Belgium (Western Europe).
Denmark (Western Europe).
Norway (Western Europe).
Sweden (Western Europe).
Spain (Western Europe).
Andorra (Western Europe).
Kuwait (Middle East).
UAE (Middle East).
Jordan (Middle East).
Japan (East Asia).
Cambodia (Southeast Asia).
Thailand (Southeast Asia).
Bhutan (Southeast Asia).
Australia (Australia and Oceania).
New Zealand (Australia and Oceania).
Papua New Guinea (Australia and Oceania).
Tonga (Australia and Oceania).
Solomon Islands (Australia and Oceania).
Canada (North America).
Morocco (North Africa).
Lesotho (South Africa).
Grenada (Caribbean).
Jamaica (Caribbean).
Saint Lucia (Caribbean).
Saint Kitts and Nevis (Caribbean).
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (Caribbean).

On the map below, all these countries are marked in green.

Is constitutional monarchy the ideal form of government?

There is an opinion that the constitutional monarchy is the key to the stability and welfare of the country. Is it so?

Of course, a constitutional monarchy is not capable of automatically solving all the problems that arise before the state. However, it is ready to offer society a certain political stability. After all, in such countries a constant struggle for power (imaginary or real) is absent a priori.

The constitutional-monarchical model has a number of other advantages. As practice shows, it was in such states that it was possible to build the world's best social security systems for citizens. And we are talking not only about the countries of the Scandinavian Peninsula.

You can take, for example, the same countries of the Persian Gulf (UAE, Kuwait). They have much less oil than in the same Russia. However, in a few decades, from poor countries, whose population was exclusively engaged in grazing in oases, they were able to turn into successful, prosperous and fully established states.

The most famous constitutional monarchies of the world: Great Britain, Norway, Kuwait

Great Britain is one of the most famous parliamentary monarchies on the planet. (as well as formally another 15 Commonwealth countries) is Queen Elizabeth II. However, one should not think that she is a purely symbolic figure. The British Queen has a powerful right to dissolve Parliament. In addition, it is she who is the commander-in-chief of the British troops.

The Norwegian king is also the head of state, according to the Constitution, which has been in force since 1814. To quote this document, Norway is "a free monarchical state with a limited and hereditary form of government." Moreover, initially the king had broader powers, which gradually narrowed.

One more parliamentary monarchy since 1962 is Kuwait. The role of the head of state here is played by the emir, who has broad powers: he dissolves the parliament, signs laws, appoints the head of the government; he also commands the troops of Kuwait. It is curious that in this amazing country women are absolutely equal in their political rights with men, which is not at all typical for the states of the Arab world.

Finally

Now you know what a constitutional monarchy is. Examples of this country are present on all continents of the planet, except for Antarctica. These are the gray-haired wealthy states of the old Europe, and the young richest

Is it possible to say that the most optimal form of government in the world is precisely a constitutional monarchy? Examples of countries - successful and highly developed - fully confirm this assumption.

The monarchy as a form of government is very heterogeneous and has shown over the centuries its flexibility and variability, thanks to which it managed to "survive" in modern highly developed democratic states.

With great reservations, it is possible to build the following scheme for the development of the monarchical form of government from its inception to the present day. Historically, the early feudal monarchy was the first, followed by the estate-representative monarchy, which then turned into an absolute monarchy. As a result of the bourgeois-democratic revolutions, the absolute monarchy was abolished and replaced by a constitutional (also called limited) monarchy. The constitutional monarchy, in turn, went through two phases of development: from a dualistic monarchy to a parliamentary one. Parliamentary monarchy is the final stage in the development of this institution.

The early feudal monarchy has now disappeared without a trace, so we will not dwell on this type in detail.

The estate-representative monarchy also no longer exists, however, in some countries its relics (remnants) have been preserved, enshrined in state law. Class representation is a principle of organizing representative power, according to which deputies of representative institutions do not represent the entire population of the country or its separate territorial parts, but closed social groups - estates from which these deputies are directly elected (or appointed). Estate representation was historically the first system of representation (in Western Europe, the first estate-representative monarchies appeared as early as the 12th century) and existed in many European states until the beginning of the 20th century, when it finally gave way to national representation. At present, the vestige of estate representation is, for example, the House of Lords of the British Parliament, where hereditary and personal spiritual and secular lords sit, i.e. members of the clergy and nobility.

In the modern world, two historical types of monarchy remain - absolute and constitutional. The constitutional monarchy, as mentioned above, exists in two forms, differing in the degree of limitation of the power of the monarch: dualistic and parliamentary. monarchy. Absolute monarchy also exists today in two forms - secular and theocratic (Vatican).

So, absolute monarchy is a kind of monarchical form of government, characterized by the legal and actual concentration of all the fullness state power(legislative, executive, judicial), as well as spiritual (religious) power in the hands of the monarch (according to the formula of the Petrovsky Military Charter - “an autocratic monarch who should not give an answer to anyone in the world about his affairs”). 8 absolute monarchies: Bahrain, Brunei, Vatican, Qatar, Kuwait, UAE, Oman, Saudi Arabia. In some of these countries, the first steps towards the transition to a constitutional monarchy have been taken in recent decades. In particular, constitutions were adopted in Kuwait (in 1962), the United Arab Emirates (in 1971), Qatar (in 1972), Bahrain (in 1973), and elections to legislative parliaments were also held in Kuwait and Bahrain (subsequently loose). However, these reforms have not yet changed the absolute character of monarchies. V Saudi Arabia and Oman have no constitutions, and the relevant relations are regulated by separate state-legal acts (in Saudi Arabia, the country's constitution is officially considered Koran), According to constitutions and other state-legal acts in absolute monarchies, the monarch exercises executive power jointly with the government, and legislative - with the help of various kinds of legislative bodies (elected or appointed) Legislative bodies are a special category of state bodies whose main function is to consider bills without the right to accept them. However, in terms of their formation and operation procedure, they may resemble parliamentary institutions.

A special kind of absolute monarchy is the absolute theocratic monarchy - a special form of state organization. authority under which the latter belongs to the church hierarchy. The current example of such a monarchy. is the Vatican City State. Legislative, executive and judicial branch belong to the Vatican dad elected for life by the College of Cardinals. From the theocratic monarchy, the so-called. clerical state.

A constitutional (limited) monarchy is a special kind of monarchical form of government in which the power of the monarch is limited. constitution, there is an elected legislature - parliament and independent courts. Constitutional (limited) monarchy first arose in Great Britain at the end of the 17th century. as a result of the bourgeois revolution. The characteristic institutions of this type of monarchy are the so-called. countersignature and civil list.

A countersignature (countersignature) is a fastening of an act of the monarch by the signature of the head of government or a minister, which means that the minister who fastened it bears legal and political responsibility for this act. K. is formally explained by the fact that the monarch, as head of state, is not responsible for his actions. In fact, the countersignature was introduced in England at the beginning of the 18th century as an effective means of limiting the power of the king. It is the appearance of the countersignature that can be considered the moment of the final victory of the constitutional monarchy in England, as in other countries.

Civil List - the amount of money annually allocated for the maintenance of the monarch in constitutional monarchies. The size of this amount is fixed by law at the beginning of each reign and may be further increased, but not reduced.

The dualistic monarchy is historically a transitional form from absolute monarchy to the parliamentary Under a dualistic monarchy, the power of the monarch is limited constitution, but the monarch both formally (i.e., due to constitutional norms) and even more actually (due to weakness, underdevelopment of democratic institutions) retains extensive powers of authority, which puts him at the center of the entire political system of a given state. Thus, under a dualistic monarchy, the government formally bears dual responsibility to the monarch and parliament, but in reality it is subject, as a rule, to the will of the monarch. It is as a dualistic monarchy that one can characterize the form of government that existed in Russian Empire from October 17, 1905 to the February Revolution of 1917, as well as in Kaiser's Germany (1871-1918). Currently D.m. exists in Morocco, Jordan, Thailand, Nepal, Malaysia.

Parliamentary monarchy - a more progressive kind constitutional monarchy. It is characterized by the fact that the monarch purely nominally performs his functions. Even if the constitution gives him great powers (as, for example, in the Netherlands, Denmark), he, by virtue of constitutional and legal custom, cannot use them on his own. All acts emanating from the monarch require the official approval of the ministers. In a number of parliamentary monarchies (Japan, Sweden), the monarch, according to the constitution, does not even formally have any significant powers. The government under a parliamentary monarchy is formally and actually responsible to the parliament, which, in accordance with the constitution, has formal supremacy among other organs of the state.

Monarchy- a form of government in which the supreme power fully or partially belongs to the representative of the ruling dynasty - the monarch (king, king, 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;

Lifelong possession of power by the monarch: the laws of the monarchy do not provide for the removal of the monarch from power;

The 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, there are two types of monarchies: absolute and constitutional.

Absolute (unlimited) monarchy – form of government of an autocratic nature: the monarch single-handedly issues laws, directs the government, controls justice (Russia in 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, Brunei. There is no representative body here, the king is also the supreme judge.

Absolute monarchy has authoritarian regime. Type of absolute monarchy theocratic Monarchy, those. a 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 by an elected body - parliament - and a special legal act - the constitution. Here there is a distribution of the powers of the supreme power between the sole body - the monarch and the collective body - parliament. A constitutional monarchy currently exists, for example, in the UK, Denmark, Belgium, Spain, Japan and other countries.

A constitutional monarchy can be dualistic and parliamentary. In a dualistic monarchy the organization of the highest organs 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 adopted 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 are characterized by the following features:

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

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 election;

The head of government is the leader of the party with largest number deputy seats in parliament;

Laws are adopted 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 some 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 expedient form of state power.

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