Long to Reign?: The Survival of Monarchies in the Modern World - Hardcover

Purdue, A.W.

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9780750922081: Long to Reign?: The Survival of Monarchies in the Modern World

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0750922087 ISBN 13: 9780750922081

Publisher: The History Press, 2005

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This timely book looks at the role, survival and future of the institution of monarchy.

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Synopsis:

At the beginning of the twentieth century, monarchy was by far the most common form of government: emperors sat on the thrones of Germany, Austria-Hungary, Persia, China, Russia and the Ottoman Empire, while there were kings of Bulgaria, Serbia, Italy, Romania, Greece, Korea and Cambodia. After he lost his throne in 1952, King Farouk of Egypt predicted that by the end of the century there would be only five kings: the kings of hearts, aces, clubs and spades, and the King of England. That prediction has not come true, for there remain the Emperor of Japan and the kings of Thailand, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Belgium, Saudi-Arabia and Jordan and the queen of the Netherlands, in addition to the British queen. Malaysia is a kingdom of sorts, and Spain has become one again. The number of monarchies has appreciably diminished, yet monarchies and dynasties continue to have charisma: the appeal of the House of Habsburg remains potent in Austria and Hungary, the Romanovs have supporters in Russia, and even in France a recent public opinion poll showed nearly one in five would welcome a restored monarchy.

Divided into three sections, this book examines the various common denominators in those countries which have retained their monarchies, and concludes with an argument for the important role played by monarchies as agents of continuity, guarding and representing the national ethos.

About the Author:

Bill Purdue is senior lecturer in history at the Open University. His other books include The Monarchy and the British People (Batsford, 1998) and The Civilisation of the crowd: Popular Culture in England, 1750-1900 (Sutton Publishing, 1999). Sutton published a new edition of his The Making of the Modern Christmas in 2000.

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