19 Foremost Advantages and Disadvantages of Monarchy

Using a term to define a government that is ruled by single person, such as a king or queen, monarchy is a political system that involves a hereditary chain of command. This means that only the relatives or descendants of the head of state can take over power in the event of the leader’s death.

Just as in the chain of command in democratic countries, the commander in chief is the president, who is followed by the vice president, the secretary of the state and then the cabinet members. Though monarchy has the same order to this chain of command, it does not mean that an heir to the throne is well suited to rule if he is next in line for the monarchy or related to the reigning monarch. And similar to other forms of government, it also has advantages and disadvantages.

List of Advantages of Monarchy

1. It brings about a solid government.
Monarchy’s singularity of power provides people with a symbolic and focused area for group loyalty and identity. There will only be one individual who will make the decisions, so they will be made quickly, and there will be fewer arguments with regards to new policies going to be imposed.

2. It can lead to leadership stability.
A monarch has life tenure and is not subject to national elections, unlike other heads of state under other political systems.

3. It offers more savings for the government with the absence of elections.
This form of government reduces the huge amounts of expenditure of the country from the elections, as there is no need to elect the next leader. The existing monarch will be the one to choose who his or her successor.

4. It allows for a non-partisan leadership.
Monarchs are born to rule without the obligation to answer to anyone. On the other hand, politicians need to win the elections and reach out to the people to try to win their votes, which is something that monarchs do not really experience.

5. It encourages respect for the ruler.
The masses will have greater respect for their monarch than an elected president, as the latter can rule for only a certain term.

6. It lessens cases of corrupt practices.
Nations that are being ruled by monarchs experience less corruption. Also, these rulers know that they are not ruling for a term, so they most probably have no lust for money. They do not intend to misuse their authority for corrupt practices.

7. It looks into family as a state model.
A monarch is considered as the country’s father and the subjects are his children. This form of government is an organic kind of human organization that everyone can easily relate to.

8. It does not share blames.
A monarch would not share the blame or pass it to others once he makes a bad decision in the same way that politicians do. However, it is just him while politicians are hundreds.

9. It encourages leadership suitability.
An heir to the throne will be taught the proper ways to rule as early as his/her childhood years, while traditional politicians only learn about these things when they are already grown up.

10. It is useful for civilized and undeveloped societies.
In the beginning of time, man was barbarous and uncivilized—he was not at all disciplined. During such a time, monarchy was the only form of government that made man disciplined and law-abiding.

List of Disadvantages of Monarchy

1. It might lead to a poor leadership.
Monarchy requires a single person ruling the entire country as long as he or she lives. This means that the masses do not have the power to remove him or her from leadership even if he is not functioning accordingly.

2. It does not allow democratic legitimacy.
A monarch is not elected or chosen by the people, unlike politicians.

3. It might lead to having a leader who might not be as serious as needed.
A person who knows that he or she will rule the country for the rest of his or her life might not take the responsibility to serve for the betterment of the people seriously. He is aware that he or she does not answer to anyone, which can lead to economic disruption.

4. It lacks democratic accountability and liability.
If a monarch has become an inefficient and bad leader, he cannot be held liable by the people.

5. It invests much power and fame to a single individual.
A monarch is recognized as a supreme legislator, judicator and executor. Though he is helped by personal advisors, he still has the final say, and no other person is allowed to break this.

6. Its structure is very difficult to change internally.
In the event that monarchs become irresponsible and ineffective, it can be quite difficult for the people to force these leaders out or replace them with those they think are more effective.

7. Its hereditary office for its leader is not justifiable.
The post of monarchs is the highest, and only a competent person should hold it. If a head of state’s office is hereditary, the leader shall hold it irrespective of his capability, which might create problems for the administration.

8. It can degenerate into tyranny.
Power can corrupt anyone, and after sometime, a king or his successors might degrade themselves and exploit the people, bringing into the administration tyranny.

9. It can lead to inequality of wealth.
In a monarchy type of government, the leader, his ministers and the ruling class would amass wealth, but the common people’s plight would remain miserable. Neither the public would get higher positions nor enjoy any kind of special right.

Conclusion

Monarchy is ideal for a type of leadership or government, which many individuals would agree, but we cannot deny the fact that there are also some people who dislike it. Some countries that are still under monarchy are the UK, Andorra, Belgium, Cambodia, Bhutan, Denmark, Brunei, Luxembourg, Kuwait, Liechtenstein, Jordan, Japan, Monaco and Malaysia. As we can see, these countries have managed to become successful under monarchy. But based on the advantages and disadvantages listed above, what do you think about this form of government?