What kind of rights do people have in a monarchy?

Question

please try to be a little specific cause this is for a summer assignment for school. thanks guys. (i couldnt find this answer ANYWHERE!)

Answer 1

There are two main types of monarchy, absolute monarchy and constitutional monarchy.

An absolute monarchy is essentially a dictatorship where the dictator inherited the throne and serves as head of state and head of government. In this system the monarch has all executive power and gives very little to the people. Saudi Arabia has such a monarchy.

In a constitutional monarchy, the monarch is still the head of state but not the head of government. Most constitutional monarchies are democracies were the people have all the power through the elected parliament or legislature, the monarch is just a figurehead without any executive power. The United Kingdom, Spain and Japan have such a monarchy. This system of government (the Westminster system) is generally regarded by most constitutional scholars as safer and more accountable than the presidential system of the Untied States as the head of state and head of government are separate.

Although the Westminster system can work with an elected president instead of a monarch, having a non-political head of state can be very useful. For example, if a tyrannical Prime Minister even managed to get to power, the monarch would be the only one who could remove such a PM and call an election. This is what happened in Thailand after the 1981 coup, when the King stepped in to restore democracy. In a sense, the UK's unelected head of state is democracy's last line of defense.

Answer 2

It's like a dictatorship. They can be benevolent, or malevolent. All depends on who the person is. You really can't define rights in an Autocracy.

Answer 3

It depends on the country. Western monarchies are all constitutional monarchies and parliament and the premier/prime minister have the real power and the monarchy, as head of state, is mostly just a figurehead. The people have pretty much the same rights we do. Historically, and elsewhere in the world, they can be pretty much dictators, some benevolent, who may still give many of the same rights we enjoy, or not, but either way they rule by fiat and can give or take away rights on a whim.  

Answer 4

They only have whatever rights their ruler decides to give them.

Essentially they have none.

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