A limited monarchy is a government where the monarch’s powers are limited by a constitution, while in an absolute monarchy, the monarch has unchecked powers. Limited monarchies are often constitutional monarchies, with political power held by an elected parliament or congress. In contrast, absolute monarchies give political power to the king or queen, who may have little effective authority in a limited monarchy. Most monarchies have been absolute historically, but democratically elected governments have become more common. The position of monarch is generally hereditary, with an established order of succession determining the next monarch.
A limited monarchy is a government in which a monarch serves as head of state but has powers limited by a constitution. In an absolute monarchy, the monarch has unchecked powers and acts as both the head of state and the head of government. Therefore, the main difference between a limited and an absolute monarchy is the amount of power the monarch has. Many countries that once had absolute monarchies have become limited monarchies.
How monarchies operate
Limited monarchies are often called constitutional monarchies because the powers of monarchs are defined by their countries’ constitutions. Often, political power in a limited monarchy is held by an elected parliament or congress. In such a case, a prime minister or other official serves as the head of government and political leader of the country.
An absolute monarchy gives the political power to a king or queen to rule the country and its people. In modern times, an absolute monarchy might have a parliament to give the impression of a democratically elected government. In reality, such a parliament could hold little political power and could be overruled or dissolved by the monarch at any moment.
Power differences
It is often the case that a king or queen in a limited monarchy has many ceremonial powers, such as opening a session of parliament. Under these circumstances, the monarch may only be able to exercise political power with government advice or approval. Although the monarch is formally responsible for all government, he may have little effective authority. In some countries, the monarch does not even have a nominal role as chief executive and serves almost exclusively as a ceremonial figurehead.
In an absolute monarchy the opposite is true. A king or queen might meet with officials to receive information, but the final decision rests with the monarch. An absolute monarch could also appoint members of the government instead of allowing officials to be elected by the country’s citizens. An absolute monarchy can resemble a dictatorship.
Historically, most monarchies have been absolute. In the years following the French Revolution of 1790, however, absolute monarchies became rarer and democratically elected governments became more common around the world. As of 2011, examples of absolute monarchies included Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman and Swaziland.
Succession in monarchies
In both limited and absolute monarchies, the position of monarch is generally a hereditary position and the title is often passed to the eldest son of the current monarch. In some cases, however, the title may simply pass to the eldest child, whether male or female. If the monarch is childless, an established order of succession generally determines which of the monarch’s next of kin will inherit the title.
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