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Monarchy is a system of government in which one person reigns, usually a king or queen (Dictionary.com, 2017). In ancient Greece the monarch was a king since women were not viewed as equals to men and they therefore had no rights. Monarchies were rare and were distinguished from tyranny when the hereditary ruler ruled in genuine interest of the people. The monarch would take power legally and his sovereignty was hereditary. The ruler was entitled to remain in power until the time of his death. An example of a city state whose government was a monarchy was the city state of Corinth.
References
Dictionary.com. (2017). Monarchy. Retrieved from http://www.dictionary.com/browse/monarchy
Almost any place that you live in, you will find that there is some sort of government set up there. A government is basically a form of system of rule, by which state, community, etc. is governed by. Although, most places do have a government set up, the type of government in which they have differ from each place. One of the most popular forms of government that is used often today would be democracy; this means that the government is ruled by the people. Monarchy is another one that you should be aware of because it is one of the oldest forms of government and it is still used today in some places. A monarchy government consists of the rule
A republic can be defined as “A state in which the head of government is not a monarch or
Firstly it’s important to understand the meaning of a monarchy. A monarchy is a supreme power or sovereignty held by a single person. Ancient Greece at the time rarely had monarchies and if they did it was in the form of a tyranny where the ruler would have little interest in the people. Spartan was known for it’s two king rule and monarchies did exist but they shared power with the states and two of the famous ones are of Macedonia and Epeiros. Not all monarchs had absolute power especially at the times when in war which was led by Spartan army. Spartan Kings could be put on
Absolute Monarchy was a major form of government in Europe during the Renaissance. The monarch of that country controlled every aspect of their country and acts as the undisputed head of state. Whether economic, social, religious, or domestic the monarch had his say in every matter in their country. While except in places like the Middle East and Africa, absolute monarchs have ceased to exist, their policies and actions are used in the governments of today.
With a dictionary definition (cited above), there is little end result between all definitions besides democracy. monarchy, oligarchy, aristocracy, tyranny all translate to few people or individual(s) ruling with power. Indeed, aristocracy and oligarchy are synonymous within this definition, as well as monarchy, aristocracy, and tyranny. The former being ruled by groups while the latter in definition are ruled by individuals. Not much difference.
There are different types of monarchies, each with a different level of control used by the monarch. An absolute monarch has supreme power over his or her lands, and citizens. King Louis XIV of France once stated that “L'état, c'est moi” literally translating into, “The state, It is me”. An absolute monarchy and a dictator are very closely related, both leaders have absolute power, but the way they receive the power, and act on that power is very different. Another type of monarchy is a constitutional monarchy. A constitutional monarchy has a monarch who rules by a constitution, the monarch can’t do whatever he or she wants to, they must follow the constitution. Normally constitutional monarchies also have a parliament, which is used to govern laws.
Many extensive examples of tyranny have existed in ancient Greece. One of the most influential examples is considered to be Thrasybulus, who was the tyrant of Miletus during the 7th century. Thrasybulus is manly well known for his action of walking through a field of corn with a messenger from Corinth. Thrasybulus believed that a ruler needed to remove its competition or the ruler would be eliminated. After his influence, tyranny would soon take an impact in the region and societies would not respond very well. Thrasybulus set the foundation for how many tyrants would rule for years to come.
In this context, an absolute monarch would be revolve around a single leader (usually a king) that would make decisions without the assistance of the aristocracy, such as a the nobility, the parliament, or other organizations that include the interest of wealthy families or government officials. In this case, the king would act alone in deciding the political, economic, and military decisions of the people, which would illustrate the absolute power that is wielded by the individual making the decisions. This governmental interpretation of the term “absolute” defines how a king would rule without the interference or inhibitions of an aristocracy or democratic form of government. Of course, the realization of this type o government can be better explained through the context of the absolute monarchy in France, which was founded in the leadership of king Louis
These governments came in different styles such as a monarchy which was led by a king. Another form of government that was seen among the Greeks was aristocracy in which the polis was ruled by a small group of noble, land owning families. One of the more notable polis of ancient Greek was that of Sparta in which they used the oligarchy as there form of government. This type of government is where the people are ruled by a few powerful people. Finally, there was democracy which means “rule of the people” (The Legacy of Ancient Greece and Rome 1-7). This was the government that Athens utilized and helped establish. These varying types of government can be seen throughout governments today, however, it is the government established by the Athenians and their political structure that had a greater impact on the west than that of its Greek polis counterparts.
The Greeks system of democracy was an entirely new concept when it was created, and one that has had lasting affects as it continues to influence present day politics around the globe. Modern day democracies may very well not exist if it wasn’t for the success the Athenians had with democracy. Today we look back at these ancient civilizations and we try to better our current society by learning from their mistakes and building on their success.
The older of the two, Ancient Greece was a civilization for three centuries, from 800 B.C. to 500 B.C. Ancient Greece advanced in art, poetry, and technology. More importantly, Ancient Greece was the age where the polis, or city-state, was invented. The polis was a defining feature in Greek political life for a few hundred years (Ancient Greece).
One monarchy, which is characterized by the rule of one person, in ancient Greece was Macedonia. This region was
The current Queen has been in her position since her father’s death in 1952. As “constitutional monarchy” already implies, the Monarch is bound by a constitution, meaning that the Queen cannot rule on her own and become a power hungry dictator (“The Queen reigns, but she does not rule”). Also, since the position as King or Queen is hereditary, the Sovereign does not have to be elected or re-elected, meaning they do not need to focus on gaining and keeping the popularity and affection of the people, unlike the Members of Parliament. The Monarch can put all her effort in the country. The Queen functions as a non-political figure-head which means she remains politically neutral and therefore unites instead of divides the people.
A monarchy is a state or nation in which the supreme power is actually or nominally lodged in a monarch, or a hereditary sole and absolute ruler of a state or nation, such as a king, queen, or emperor. Many monarch rulers believed in the Divine Right Theory of Kingship as it helped them to maintain absolutism, this is a political and religious doctrine of royal and political legitimacy. (Dictionary.com) It assures that a monarch is subject to no earthly authority. They receive the right to rule directly from the will of God and therefore is not subject to the will of his people or the Catholic Church. Only God can judge a king. (Wiki DRK) The Divine Right Theory of Kingship had such a lack of responsibility that it has been known to produce evil kings.
Constitutional monarchy can be described as a form of government in which a monarch acts as the head of state but functions within the parameters or guidelines of a written and/or unwritten constitution. Although the government may function officially in the monarch’s name, the monarch does not set public policies or choose the political leaders. Constitutional monarchy therefore differs from absolute monarchy where the monarch controls political decision making without being restricted by constitutional constraints. Consequently, a constitutional monarch has often been defined as a sovereign who reigns but does not rule. Constitutional monarchies have also been called limited monarchies, crowned republics or parliamentary monarchies.