The dualistic monarchy is a subspecies of the constitutional monarchy, in which the ruler retains extensive power, limited by the constitution. Power is exercised by one person. This form of government is rarely used today and has the status of a political rudiment.
Under the dualistic monarchy, the ruler formally coordinates his actions with other representatives of the government, for example, parliament. But in practice, he can bring any decision to life and take it alone. Since the monarch chooses all the employees of the ruling apparatus and advisers himself, and with the slightest disobedience he can dismiss them.
This form of government got its name due to the fact that in the country's power structure, in addition to the monarch, there is another important person - the first minister. The essence of such a dual power implies that all the orders of the monarch should be confirmed by the minister and only after that brought to life.
However, only the monarch himself can appoint the first minister, and he can remove him from office at will. Thus, the dualistic monarchy is often reduced to absolute power, transmitted from generation to generation through the dynasty.
The history of the dualistic monarchy
The dualistic monarchy has historically developed as a transitional form from absolute to constitutional monarchy. Its constitution is supposed to have a constitution. Parliament makes laws, and control is in the hands of the monarch. It is he who appoints executive ministers who are responsible only to him.
The government really usually submits to the will of the monarch, but formally bears double responsibility to the parliament and the monarch. The peculiarity of the system of government is that the power of the monarch, although limited by the constitution, is also, by virtue of constitutional norms, and by virtue of traditions, the sole ruler retains broad authority. This puts him at the center of the political system of the state.
Among historians, the prevailing view is that the dualistic monarchy is a kind of compromise between the absolute power of the monarch and the desire of the people to participate in the political life of the state. Often, such regimes become an intermediary between the republic and the absolute monarchy (dictatorship).
Under a dualistic monarchy, the ruler has the right of an absolute veto, which means that he can block any law and without any approval it will not come into force. In addition, the monarch can issue extraordinary decrees that have the force of law and even higher, and most importantly, he has the right to dissolve parliament. All this in many ways actually replaces the dualistic monarchy with the absolute.
Currently, such a state apparatus is almost never found. Most countries have chosen a presidential-parliamentary type of government, reinforced by the voice of the people.
Countries with a dualistic monarchy
Some states today remain faithful to historically established traditions in the management system. Among them one can find examples of the dualistic monarchy. Such states exist on all continents of the Eastern Hemisphere. In particular, in Europe they include:
- Luxembourg,
- Sweden,
- Monaco,
- Denmark,
- Liechtenstein
In the Middle East:
- Jordan,
- Bahrain,
- Kuwait,
- United Arab Emirates.
In the Far East can be called Japan. At the same time, political scientists attribute a number of these countries to an absolute monarchy, where all executive and legislative power is in the hands of one ruler. It is worth noting that in some states the concepts of constitutional and dualistic monarchy are considered synonyms. For example, these countries: Sweden, Denmark, Luxembourg. In the countries of Asia and Africa: Morocco, Nepal and Jordan, there is also a dualistic monarchy.
But still today, the political system, in which the sovereign’s power is more significant than parliamentary, can be called a rather rare phenomenon. Monarchies as such either, as in the countries of Europe, have turned into decoration, or simply disappeared from the political map of the world.
Historians call several countries where the dualistic principle of state management really existed at the turn of the XIX-XX centuries. This, for example, was in many important countries: Italy, Prussia, Austria-Hungary. However, such power systems were swept away by revolutions and world wars.
Even such recognized dualistic monarchies as Morocco and Jordan, according to political scientists, are more likely to gravitate towards absolutism. However, this can be explained by the significant role of traditions and customs in a Muslim country. In Jordan, for example, the government is responsible to the parliament, but if the parliament wants to remove the cabinet, it will require the approval of the king. This means that the monarch has all the leverage to ignore the opinion of the legislature if necessary.
Retrospective
In the Russian Empire, a dualistic monarchy was also established for a short time. This happened in 1905, when the authority of Emperor Nicholas II fell sharply. The decline in popularity was due to defeat in the war against Japan and armed uprisings among the population, ending in unprecedented bloodshed. Under public pressure, Nicholas II agreed to give up his absolute power and established a parliament.
The period of the dualistic monarchy in Russia lasted until 1917. It was a decade between the two revolutions. All this time, conflicts regularly flared up between the legislative and executive branches. Supported by Prime Minister Peter Stolypin, Nicholas II more than once dissolved the parliament. Only the State Duma of the third convocation worked out the entire period allotted by law until the February Revolution.
The most prominent representative of the dualistic monarchy in the past is considered the Austro-Hungarian Empire. This form of government was established from 1867 until the collapse of the empire. A feature of this state was that it was divided into two autonomous parts from each other with its own rules and laws.
Looking even deeper into the centuries, one can find a similar form of government in all of Europe and in Asia. The dualistic monarchy was a transitional stage from the absolute rule of the throne to the parliamentary system, which lasted for many centuries.
