Absolute Monarchism

**Absolute monarchy**, or **despotic monarchy**,[1][2] is a form of monarchy in which one ruler has supreme authority and where that authority is not restricted by any written laws, legislature, or customs.[3] These are often, but not always, hereditary monarchies. In contrast, in constitutional monarchies, the head of state's authority derives from and is legally bounded or restricted by a constitution or legislature.[4]

An Absolute Monarchy is an extreme right wing ideology in which a King, Queen, Emperor or Empress has the most fundamental and supreme authority similar to that of a Dictator but less powers such as a Monarch can be removed whether as a Dictator can not.

Some monarchies have weak or symbolic legislatures and other governmental bodies the monarch can alter or dissolve at will. Countries where monarchs still maintain absolute power are: Brunei,[5] Oman,[6] Saudi Arabia,[7]Swaziland,[8] Vatican City[9] and the individual emirates composing the United Arab Emirates, which itself is a free association of such monarchies – a federal monarchy.[10]

**Absolute monarchy**, or **despotic monarchy**,[1][2] is a form of monarchy in which one ruler has supreme authority and where that authority is not restricted by any written laws, legislature, or customs.[3] These are often, but not always, hereditary monarchies. In contrast, in constitutional monarchies, the head of state's authority derives from and is legally bounded or restricted by a constitution or legislature.[4]

Some monarchies have weak or symbolic legislatures and other governmental bodies the monarch can alter or dissolve at will. Countries where monarchs still maintain absolute power are: Brunei,[5] Oman,[6] Saudi Arabia,[7]Swaziland,[8] Vatican City[9] and the individual emirates composing the United Arab Emirates, which itself is a free association of such monarchies – a federal monarchy.[10]

The popularity of the notion of absolute monarchy declined substantially after the American Revolution and the French Revolution, which promoted theories of government based on popular sovereignty.

Many nations formerly with absolute monarchies, such as Jordan, Kuwait and Morocco, have moved towards constitutional monarchy, although in some cases the monarch retains tremendous power, to the point that the parliament's influence on political life is negligible.

In Bhutan, the government moved from absolute monarchy to constitutional monarchy following planned parliamentary elections to the Tshogdu in 2003, and the election of a National Assembly in 2008. Nepal had several swings between constitutional rule and direct rule related to the Nepalese Civil War, the Maoist insurgency, and the 2001 Nepalese royal massacre, with the Nepalese monarchy being abolished on May 28, 2008. In Tonga, the King had majority control of the Legislative Assembly until 2010.

On the other hand, Liechtenstein has moved towards expanding the power of the monarch: the Prince of Liechtenstein was given expanded powers after a referendum amending the Constitution of Liechtenstein in 2003, which led the BBC to describe the prince as an "absolute monarch again".[20]

The ruling Kim family of North Korea (Kim Il-sung, Kim Jong-il and Kim Jong-un) has been described as a *de facto* absolute monarchy[21][22][23] or "hereditary dictatorship".[24] In 2013, Clause 2 of Article 10 of the new edited Ten Fundamental Principles of the Korean Workers' Party states that the party and revolution must be carried "eternally" by the "Baekdu (Kim's) bloodline".[25]