Absolute Monarchism (AbMon), or Absolutism, is an authoritarian ideology which advocates for a single monarch with absolute rule over the state who is not bound by any formal rules, often being seen as owning the countries they reside over. Such rule is often justified through religious means though some modern proponents of this ideology use
secular arguments.
History
Antiquity
Absolute Monarchy in Antiquity where monarchs managed to garner extreme amounts of power over their kingdoms. Sometimes even achieving a cult of personality, a famous example being the Pharaohs of Ancient Egypt.
Medieval Period
While most Monarchies in Europe were limited by the feudal system, some monarchs have managed to garner enough power to rule in an absolute or semi-absolute manner. An example of an absolute monarchy in Europe existed in Russia under Peter the Great who expanded the power of the monarch by reducing the nobility power and creating a central bureaucracy. This created the Russian tradition of absolutism, also known as Tsarist autocracy and was expanded on by Catherine the Great. Some of these examples have often failed due to certain republican revolutions. Although, some have managed to end without Revolutions.
China also experienced periods of Absolute Monarchism, which usually decayed into more Bureaucratic forms of government, which caused them to lose the percieved "Mandate of Heaven" and be overthrown, which was believed to cause the cycle to repeat.
Modern Day
Currently there are a couple of absolute monarchies, those being: Brunei Darussalam, Kingdom of Eswatini, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Sultanate of Oman, Vatican City and the State of Qatar. Some monarchies lost the title of "absolute" relatively recently, those being: The Kingdom of Bhutan, The Kingdom of Nepal (now a republic) and The Kingdom of Tonga. There are also some Non- Ceremonial Constitutional Monarchies that get lumped in to the category of "absolute monarchies" by left-wing journalists, example being the Principality of Liechtenstein.
Some powerful dictatorships are put into the category of "Absolute Monarchies", notably the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, although both followers of such dictatorships' ideologies and followers of absolute monarchism disagree with this assessment.
Beliefs
God-Given Right to Rule
Most absolute Monarchies lay their claim to power on Religion, making most absolute monarchies theocratic or Establishmentarian in nature. This concept is called "The Divine Right of Kings" in Europe and "The Mandate of Heaven" in China, and "Devaraja/Chakravarti" in India and its sphere of influence in Southeast Asia, although there are some differences in their theology and practices. This does not have to be the case and there can be a secular absolute monarchy.
Supremacy as a requirement to order
One of the main secular arguments for Absolute Monarchy is that for a society to have order and security, it must have power that stems from one absolute body and that body should be the monarch.
Variants
Albania
- Ahmet Zogu, or Zog I of Albania was the leader of Albania from 1922 to 1939. At age 27, he first served as Albania's youngest ever prime minister (1922–1924), then as president (1925–1928), and finally as king (1928–1939).
He held various ministerial posts in the Albanian government before being driven into exile in June 1924, but returned later in the year with Yugoslav and White Russian military support and was subsequently elected prime minister. Zog was elected president in January 1925 and vested with dictatorial powers, with which he enacted major domestic reforms, suppressed civil liberties, and struck an alliance with Benito Mussolini's Italy. In September 1928, Albania was proclaimed a monarchy and he acceded to the throne as Zog I, King of the Albanians.
During his leadership, he implemented fiscal reforms such as privatization and established a militaristic, nationalist and traditionalist regime. However, fascist Italy betrayed him, occupying Albania and putting Victor Emmanuel in charge as a figurehead, with the true power being held by fascist collaborations, which were later reorganized into the republican Baili Kombetar.
China
- Yuan Shikai was a Chinese military and government official who rose to power during the late Qing dynasty and eventually ended the Qing dynasty rule of China in 1912, later becoming the Emperor of China.
He established the first modern army and a more efficient provincial government in North China during the last years of the Qing dynasty before forcing the abdication of the Xuantong Emperor, the last monarch of the Qing dynasty in 1912. Through negotiation, he became the first President of the Republic of China in 1912. This army and bureaucratic control were the foundation of his autocratic rule. In 1915 he attempted to restore the hereditary monarchy in China, with himself as the Hongxian Emperor.
He first tried to save the dynasty with a number of modernization projects including bureaucratic, fiscal, judicial, educational, and other reforms, despite playing a key part in the failure of the Hundred Days' Reform with others conservative elements.
Personality and Behavior
They may be shown to speak Elizabethan English/Shakespearean English, unless they represent someone outside of England. They are quick to anger and like to shout, 'OFF WITH THEIR HEAD!' when ordering someone's execution.
How to Draw
The symbol for Absolute Monarchism is a combination of the color purple, which is a color commonly associated with monarchism as well as a black V-shaped pattern which in the Polcompball community is used to represent authoritarianism in other ideology balls.
- Draw a ball with eyes.
- Draw a "V" shape in black.
- Fill the inside part of the ball purple, and the outside black.
- Add a crown on top (Gold for the crown, and red for the jewels),
And you're done!
Color Name | HEX | RGB | |
---|---|---|---|
Purple | #B83DBA | 184, 61, 186 | |
Black | #141414 | 20, 20, 20 | |
Gold | #FEE400 | 254, 228, 0 | |
Red | #FF0000 | 255, 0, 0 |
Relationships
Amicable
- Noocracy - Am I not the wisest of philosopher kings?
- Monarchism - I loveth thee the way thou art, mine father. Unmixed, whole, personal, & absolute monarchy!
- Chinese Theocracy - The wise men of the east knowest my ways.
- Autocracy - From the ashes of Rome, my empire shall rise as a phoenix.
- Bonapartism - perhaps the French Revolution was not that bad after all...
- Enlightened Absolutism - My empire shall spread technological advancement and civilization!
- Braunism - A contemporary Polish, free market-loving variant of myself.
- Neoreactionaryism - A secular contemporary proponent of mine own system and very good student.
- Neocameralism - One of his many wise ideas and an interesting system for my Kingdom.
- Christian Theocracy - God Himself hath sanctioned my rule!
Wait, what dost thou mean 'tis sinful to have a harem of mistresses? - Islamic Theocracy - Had it not been for thee, I wouldst have faded into irrelevance.
- Centralism - I have had enough of all these vassals, autonomies, and local laws. The law in this realm is MY law.
Dubious
- Meritocracy - We oft allow non-nobles to rise to prominence; howe'er, that doth depend on mine feelings.
- Stratocracy - Thou hast helped to spread our empire far and wide but thou hast mostly betrayed me for his fantasy of power.
- Hoppeanism - I know not why thou dost not like me if thou art an anarchist, but I will playeth along, if that doth keep me in power.
- Aristocracy - If he followeth mine rules, he is a fine fellow; however, should he revolteth I shall not hesitate to deprive him of his title, wealth, and if possible, life itself.
- Integralism - What do you mean i must share power with the clergy?
Foes
- Anarcho-Monarchism - What e'en is this?
- Jacobinism - Louis was great! Thou wert a mistake! Your severed jaw is the crown of Bonaparte!
- Republicanism - Thou art a destroyer of kingdoms and a fornicator of mothers!
- Feudalism - Crypto-constitutionalist or pro-nobility oligarchist knave! Dost thou not knowest smaller states will bow not to mine?
- Leninism - Thou wert a failure from the beginning. Thou hast only prolonged thy death.
- Juche - I AM NOT THEE, WE ARE NOT THE SAME, WE ARE DIFF'RENT!
- Parliamentarianism - BLOODY REGICIDE!!! The King's right to rule is given by God! How darest thou oppose him!
- Constitutional Monarchism - Pathetic. Thou seriously want plebs to have some power?
- Ceremonial Monarchism - 'TIS NOT A MONARCHY, 'TIS AN ABOMINATION!!! THOU ART MOST DISTEMPERATE!!
- Liberalism - What are these equal rights thou dost speak of?
- Marxism–Leninism - How darest thou replace me in Russia?
- Khomeinism - BRINGETH BACK THE SHAH!
- National Liberalism - The 19th century patriotic movements were quite terrible.
- Tridemism - HA HA Chinese Empire go... Wait, NOT MY GLORIOUS EMPIRE!!! STOP DESTROYING IT!!!
- Illegalism - TO THE DUNGEONS WITH YOU!
- Insurrectionary Anarchism - I WILL HAVE YOU HUNG, DRAWN AND QUARTERED YOU WRETCHED SWINE!
Further Information
Literature
- Six Books of Commonwealth by Jean Bodin
- Sixe bookes of politickes or ciuil doctrine by Justus Lipsius
- True Law of Free Monarchies by King James VI and I
- A worthy panegyrick upon monarchy written anonymously
- Patriarcha: or the Natural Power of Kings by Sir Robert Filmer
- Collection of Tracts by Sir Robert FIlmer
- Leviathan by Thomas Hobbes
- De Cive by Thomas Hobbes
- Politics Drawn from Holy Scripture by Jacques-Bénigne Bossuet
- De Monarchia by Dante Alighieri
- Herodotus Govt Debate by Herodotus
- The divine right of kings asserted in general by W.P. Esq.
- The Age Of Absolutism 1660-1815 by Max Beloff
- Absolutism and its discontents : state and society in seventeenth century France and England by Micheal S. Kimmel
- Democracy – The God That Failed: The Economics and Politics of Monarchy, Democracy and Natural Order by Hans-Hermann Hoppe
Wikipedia
- Absolute Monarchy
- Patriarchalism
- Divine Right of Kings
- Mandate of Heaven
- Tsarist Autocracy
- Absolute Monarchy in France
- Politics of Saudi Arabia
Video
- Thomas Hobbes's Argument For Absolute Monarchy by Academic Agent
Online Communities
Gallery
Comics
Notes
- ↑ For most historical absolute monarchies, there usually existed a claim to the divine right to rule from some deity(ies).
- ↑ Ivan restricted the peasants right to movement, laying the foundations for Serfdom