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Monarchy versus Republic
May. 19th, 2011 11:04 pmThe People's Democratic Republic of Korea is a monarchy.
So is the Syrian Arab Republic.
And so, until the rebels get their act together, is the Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya.
On the other hand, most of the so-called Commonwealth Realms are really republics; their Governors-General, nominally appointed by the Queen, are actually chosen by elected heads of government, i.e. Prime Ministers. Moreover, the people of Australia voted a few years ago to retain Queen Elizabeth II as the country's head of state. If you choose your head of state in an election, you are surely a republic, no?
Japan might also be called a republic, for its constitution reduces the emperor to a mere symbol of the state and proclaims the sovereignty of the Japanese people. In the same category fall countries such as Sweden where the monarch lacks any reserve powers.
Historically, Poland in the seventeenth and eighteenth century called itself "Najjaśniejsza Rzeczpospolita Polska" ("Most Serene Republic of Poland"). Its head of state was an elected king.
The closest thing we've seen to that in this century has been Simeon II, Tsar of Bulgaria from 1943 to 1946, who was in 2001 elected prime minister of the Republic of Bulgaria under the name Simeon Sakskoburggotski (Saxe-Coburg-Gotha).
Except, of course, for Pope Benedict XVI.
So is the Syrian Arab Republic.
And so, until the rebels get their act together, is the Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya.
On the other hand, most of the so-called Commonwealth Realms are really republics; their Governors-General, nominally appointed by the Queen, are actually chosen by elected heads of government, i.e. Prime Ministers. Moreover, the people of Australia voted a few years ago to retain Queen Elizabeth II as the country's head of state. If you choose your head of state in an election, you are surely a republic, no?
Japan might also be called a republic, for its constitution reduces the emperor to a mere symbol of the state and proclaims the sovereignty of the Japanese people. In the same category fall countries such as Sweden where the monarch lacks any reserve powers.
Historically, Poland in the seventeenth and eighteenth century called itself "Najjaśniejsza Rzeczpospolita Polska" ("Most Serene Republic of Poland"). Its head of state was an elected king.
The closest thing we've seen to that in this century has been Simeon II, Tsar of Bulgaria from 1943 to 1946, who was in 2001 elected prime minister of the Republic of Bulgaria under the name Simeon Sakskoburggotski (Saxe-Coburg-Gotha).
Except, of course, for Pope Benedict XVI.
