CivcraftImport:Government/monarchy

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= Theory =

A monarchy is a form of government in which sovereignty is actually or nominally embodied in a single individual (the monarch). Although it has many variants defined by the amount of power the monarch holds and how the monarch comes to power, the most historically common form of monarchy is that the monarch holds absolute power (Absolute Monarchy, a form of Autocracy) and comes to power by inheritance through family (Hereditary Monarchy).

In CivCraft players are not able to produce families, so monarchies with players, such as Gondolin, as the head of state are either electorate or opportunist. In the case of Prussia, the head of state is a chicken, which can produce offspring. These offspring inherit the Throne when the King dies.

= Variants =

The term &quot;monarchy&quot; is a broad umbrella-term that covers several variants which are more specific in how much power the monarch has, as well as how a person becomes a monarch:

Absolute
In an absolute monarchy, the King or Queen holds absolute power within the government and is bound by no constitution or law. All laws and actions must go through the monarch, but there may be smaller governing groups appointed by the monarch to deal with management on a minor level. Generally, the monarch remains in total control until until s/he either dies, can no longer effectively function, or passes the throne on to their successor.

In-game example: Principality of Loveshack

Constitutional
Constitutional monarchy (or limited monarchy) is form of government in which a monarch acts as head of state within the guidelines of a constitution, whether it be a written, uncodified, or blended constitution. Many constitutional monarchies have a parliament, or similar governing body, where the monarch only has a ceremonial role or small amounts of power depending on the constitution. Most constitutional monarchies with a parliament also have a Prime Minister who is effectively the head of the government.

In-game example: The Kingdom of Prussia

Elective
An elective monarchy is a form of monarchy were the monarch is elected to the throne, instead of the crown being passed down through inheritance. The people elect the monarch from the nobility, or the nobility elect the monarch from within their ranks. In times of emergency monarchies would look to elective monarchy to elect a Regent until the government could be reestablish.

Federal
A federal monarchy is a federation of states joined under a single ruling monarchy. These individual states may have their own monarchies or systems of government, but they are subject to the over-all head of the federation. The states are, to an extent, self-governing, but the monarchy has the final say.

In-game example: The Kingdom of Gondolin

= History =

When the first monarchy on CivCraft was founded is unknown, but the two current major monarchies, Gondolin and Prussia, were founded in April 2012, and the 13th of August, 2012, respectively. The two Kingdoms actually went to war on the 22nd of February, 2013, when the nominal Prime Minister of Prussia, _dbb_, declares war on Gondolin in a drunken stupor after longstanding tensions. No actual fighting occured between the two Kingdoms, and the situation has calmed down to the point where no-one considers them at war anymore.

There are and have been several smaller monarchies throughout the server. Monarchies always have and still play an important role on the geopolitical landscape.

= Politics =

As implied above, monarchies can be divided into two types: one where the monarch holds all political power, and one where a separate body holds the power and the monarch's position is mostly ceremonial. In the former, it doesn't matter how knowledgeable the monarch is in terms of politics when s/he comes to power. As it is set up, they must make the decisions that will affect their Kingdom, for better or for worse. In the latter, the Prime Minister answers to many foreign and internal demands and decisions. Generally, they are voted or appointed to office because of their knowledge of politics.

Monarchies are on the political right, with large variation depending on the individual monarch.

= Economics =

Monarchies are generally only a political body with no standard economic model, thus nearly every type of economy can exist under a monarchy.

Historically, however, monarchies are known to be oppressive of their subjects for the purpose of sustaining the wealth and power of the ruling family (the middle ages in Europe). In CivCraft, no such monarchy has effectively existed.

= The Individual =

Simply put, the individual under a monarchy is a subject to the monarch. Their role can greatly vary depending on the monarchy they are under, from serfdom to being entirely independent.

In Gondolin, the citizens have a great degree of freedom where they only defer to Gondolin in matters of defense and foreign relations. In Prussia, the individual is also completely free, but is encouraged to assist the Kingdom in matters of construction, production, repair, and war.

= Society =

Being the subjects of the monarch, society generally has a strong focus on the matters and lives of the monarchy even if they are only ceremonial, such as modern-day United Kingdom. There are varying degrees of loyalty in society, as with every government, from people who would die defending the King or Queen to those who defect. If the monarch is well-liked, they can generally unite its people for a common cause.