Absolute Monarchy – The Least Effective Form Of Government
There are many forms of government. Monarchy is the least effective because the people who are being ruled never have a say in who gets to be the leader. In addition, the people could be stuck with a bad leader for a long period of time. There are many countries today and in history that can fall into the category of the worst monarchy. Commodus, Nero, and Domitian were all examples of bad monarchs in history who abused their authority and ruled harshly.
Monarchy is a system of government used in historic times when people were living in large family groups. This system of government is usually inherited and ruled by a King or Queen. There are three different types of Monarchies: Constitutional, Absolute, and Elected. In a Constitutional Monarchy, the monarch reigns but does not rule. This means that he/she is in charge but parliament governs on behalf of the people. The monarch has the right to advise, council and warn. Also, all legislation- which basically is laws- must be signed by them before actually becoming a law. An Absolute Monarchy sounds exactly like what it is. In this light of a Monarch, the Monarch holds full autocratic authority, full authorisation, to do as they please. Which means they make all the laws and they are not subject to any laws. Absolute Monarch is also known to be the worst type of Monarch. As Lord Acton said, “Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely”. Lastly, Elective Monarchy which is a bit like a President being elected except it is a Monarch. Once elected they are the monarch until death or there abduction- renouncement of one's throne. There family does not succeed automatically and must be nominated or “run” for the position.
There are many quotes that oppose the idea of monarchy. In the West African fantasy, “Children of Blood and Bone”, the author Tomi Adeyemi writes about monarchy. It reads, “You crushed us to build your monarchy on the backs of our blood and bone. Your mistake wasn't keeping us alive it was thinking we’d never fight back.” In Thomas Paine’s book, “Common Sense”, He makes a quote relating to monarchy. It reads, “Government, like dress, is the badge of lost innocence;The Palaces of kings are built on the ruins of the bowers of paradise.” In the book “Stamboul Train”, also known as “Orient Express”, Graham makes a negative quote pertaining to monarchy. It reads, “You put the small thief in Prison, but the big thief lives in the palace.” These three quotes all support the idea that monarchy is cruel and unfair.
Commodus is one of the worst rulers of Rome. He became emperor of Rome in 177 AD. He ruled for about fifteen years. During that time, he did not focus on the importance of political and military issues. As he ruled he became drunk with power and abused his authority. Commodus was so obsessed with himself that he changed his last name to Hercules, because he thought he was a living God. Rome went through an economic crisis because of his careless spending. He used the money to build statues of himself all over his Empire. finally roam suffer through a Civil War under his Rule and he was killed in 192 AD on December 31st.
Another monarchy that was considered to be a bad ruler is Nero. He became king at age 16. During his reign as Emperor of Rome’s finances where mismanaged. This led to taxes being increased and many of Rome's national treasures being taken. Not only was he careless with Rome's money but he also was a savage. He tried to murder his mother, he set Rome on fire just to rebuild it, and he killed two of his wives. “The Roman Emperor Nero is considered one of history's greatest criminals.”
Last but not least, Emperor Domitian of Rome was also a ruler who abused his authority during his reign. He became ruler September 81 AD. He also was wasteful with money. Rome's money was used to fund Domitian’s personal entertainment interest like gymnastics, music, and theater. Also he used the money to rebuild his palace. The religious community like Christians and Jews suffered because he forced people to follow pagan religion or worship Roman gods. Citizens were treated cruelly if they chose to have different morals or if they choose to believe differently. He was a paranoid ruler. 'Domitian is viewed as one of the most tyrannical Emperors in Roman history”. All these rulers showed that being more concerned with their power and their well-being than of the people they rule over. This is a big reason why monarch is least effective. All that power and money can get to ones head.
In conclusion, there are many different configurations of government around the world. The least effective of those is Monarchy. It gives no power to the people being governed. Also, the monarch could be harsh and unfair like past monarchs have proven. There are some countries that still practice monarchy today; like Saudi Arabia. The Royal family is the head of state and they restrict most political rights and liberties. They practice discriminating laws against women and religion. Many monarchs have taken the power to there head and have made their country fall. The proof is in the pudding, that the process of monarchy is repetitive and unsuccessful.
