Systems Of Kinship Emerged During The Middle Ages. Absolute And Constitutional Monarchy - Essay Example

There is no body of laws to govern the conduct of the monarch, therefore few or no legal constraints to their conduct. He or she is the head of government and state. Most absolute monarchs justify it by claiming they have divine rights to the throne. In the twentieth century most absolute monarchs could not withstand the wave of opposition from the people who regarded them as defeated and outdated, because of the failure of political and economic systems, which fell apart, under their rule. In the twenty first century, most absolute monarchs exist in the Arab world.

They have managed to stay relevant because they have allowed technological and scientific advancement into their territories. Religion has also played a major role; hence their societies have remained relatively conservative. In theory absolute monarchs have unlimited powers, however in practice, their powers are curtailed by political leaders from other social classes such as nobility and clergy. Modern examples of absolute monarchs are Oman, Saudi Arabia, and Swaziland. Napoleon Bonaparte is considered as a successful absolute monarch who ruled France in the sixteenth century.

This was important for France at that particular time because the country was in chaos as people did not follow the rule of law and the nobility controlled the state finances. An absolute monarchy was seen as the only way out. Most countries saw a decline in absolute monarchies because they became republics after civil unrests in the nineteenth century such as the French revolution. Constitutional monarchy is also referred to as limited monarchy. The monarch is bound by the constitution of the land, which can either be unwritten or written.

In constitutional monarchs, the monarch is the head of the state, a position acquired through heritance or marriage, while, a prime minister elected through a democratic process is the head of government. The powers held by this type of monarch vary from country to the other. Most constitutional monarchs exist in western European countries. Examples of constitutional monarchs include United Kingdom, Japan, Sweden, Belgium and Thailand. Governance functions fall on politicians, while monarchs perform ceremonial duties and are usually perceived as a unifying symbol of a country .

This century has forty four independent monarch states of which sixteen have Queen Elizabeth of England, as their head of state. The monarch usually provides continuity because, even as heads of government change, monarchs retain their positions. Most existing constitutional monarchs in this century perform ceremonial duties and usually seen as a continuation of a country’s traditional systems, and a symbol of unity. This role was witnessed in Austria in 1977, where, there was a deadlock in the parliament.

The monarch replaced the prime minister and budget proceeding went on uninterrupted. It should be noted that the monarch is neutral in political matters. The powers vested on monarchs vary from country to another, for example in Sweden the monarch is only ceremonial and in United Kingdom, the queen is the head of the armed forces. The head of constitutional monarchs are usually a male or female; however in a monarch such as the principality of Monaco, powers will be transferred to France if no male heir is born.

Japan and Thailand are the monarchs with the largest population of subjects. This type of monarch is good for the people because it protects the civil rights of the