Why absolute monarchy is bad

Queen Ranavalona faced several plots and at least one serious coup attempt; as she grew more paranoid she forced more people to undergo the notorious tangena test: eating three pieces of chicken skin before swallowing a poisonous nut that caused the victim to vomit if it did not actually poison them, which it often did.

If all three pieces were not found in the vomit, the victim was executed. Having encouraged Christianity at the start of her reign, Queen Ranavalona changed policy and instituted ruthless persecution of native Christians. She survived all plots against her and died in her bed. The CFS was presented to the world as a model of liberty and prosperity, devoted to the elimination of slavery.

Only gradually did the world learn that it was in fact a slave state in which the Congolese were ruled by terror. Mutilation was also widely used as a punishment for workers who ran away or collected less than their quota. An investigation by the British consular official Roger Casement revealed that the Belgian Force Publique regarded the Congolese as little more than animals to be killed for sport.

The king fought a high-profile legal battle to prevent details of his regime in Congo from being made public, and it took an international campaign to force him to hand Congo over to the Belgian government. Sign in. Back to Main menu Virtual events Masterclasses. Home Period Medieval 9 of the worst monarchs in history. Sign up to receive our royal newsletter Enter your email address now to receive news, features, podcasts and more Thanks for signing up to receive our royal newsletter Register to HistoryExtra now to manage your newsletter preferences Sign in.

Sign me up! More on: Weird and wonderful history. As history went on, Swiss towns and some town meetings in early American colonies and states used it.

Early US states began to use systems where constitutions or constitutional amendments were officially valid by referendums. Switzerland and many US states included direct democracy in their constitutions during the 19th century, and then Germany and a few others adopted it in World War 1.

Modern Democracy our Direct Democracy today is said to have originated from the ideas of more political representation and voting rights - people wanted to be more involved in their Government. Modern democracy was not developed from the idea of assembly democracy like the Athens, but that is a fundament in the scheme of things. Authoritarianism is a Government with strong central power and very few political freedoms. There is political pluralism in place for political groups, legislatures, political parties, etc, ensuring that all powerful controlling groups are on the same page.

A fundamental acceptance of an authority the identification of the regime as a necessary evil to combat "easily recognizable societal problems".

Oppression and restraints on opposing political sides and Anti-Government sides. Executive power not completely defined, and often very unstable being whatever the leaders want at that time. They are similar, but differences like the aggression Dictatorships hold towards opposing side and political crackdowns which in the past can be by sending opposing people to labour camps, or even killing them separates them.

There are many kinds of Government, and they all differ. These Governments have all developed overtime, and some are older than the others. In most instances, citizens in lower socioeconomic classes receive fewer privileges. The goal of an absolute monarchy is to retain power for as long as possible. To do so, it becomes necessary to place any competitors for the ruling position at a disadvantage should they attempt a coup.

Reinforcing power structures by rewarding faithful individuals in the noble class, while restricting the rights of the general population, is a common method used to retain control. Bad leadership can take an excelling nation and cripple it. Within the context of an absolute monarchy, what the ruler decrees becomes the law of the land. This power can be used for good. It can also be used to commit terrible atrocities or bankrupt the economy while funneling resources toward personal wealth.

Because there is absolute power involved, it is difficult for anyone to stop someone with ill intent, since the leader can simply outlaw any opposition to their point of view. It increases the potential of societal rebellion. An absolute monarchy is able to stay in power for as long as the people allow it, either through desire, intimidation, or outright fear and oppression. Eventually, if the people are being treated poorly for long enough, there is a higher risk of some form of rebellion forming within the country.

Rebellions within an absolute monarchy tend to be violent and deadly on both sides. The line of leadership is already established. People within an absolute monarchy have no say in who gets to be the leader of their nation. Most absolute monarchies are governed by a single family, which then declares, through a line of ascension, who will become the next leader to govern.

This type of structure further increases the chances of a rebellion occurring because there is no guarantee on how well a future leader will govern. Skip to content Home What are the disadvantages of an absolute monarchy? Ben Davis May 16, What are the disadvantages of an absolute monarchy? What are the advantages and disadvantages of absolutism? Is absolute monarchy Good or bad? What is good about absolute monarchy?

What is the disadvantage of constitutional monarchy?