Monarchy

While it's been proven time and time again throughout history that monarchy is a very ineffective form of governing, it still has a huge cultural presence and value in many nations throughout the world. One of the most prominent and well known monarchy's, as we all know, is that of the United Kingdom. While the queen doesn't have much actual real political power, she is still the most influential cultural icon on the British social stage. The British monarchy, the house of Windsor, is permanently intertwined with their culture, and has been for centuries. Of course, they aren't the only royal line out there. Many other European nations still have a royal line in place such as Sweden, Belgium, Denmark, Spain, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands, and like the United Kingdom, those monarchs play a huge role in the culture of their respective nations. Monarchs, as far as my understanding goes, play more of a cultural and historical role than an actual political one. Of course there was a time when monarchs actually ruled their countries, but there were so many instances of incompetent individuals rising to the throne due to their royal lineage, that the system naturally converted to more democratic means of governing. Of course there are some places in the world today where monarchs still hold actual power, especially places such as Saudi Arabia. As far as I know, the Saudi king, as well as the rest of the house of Saud, is still effectively the head of state and holds the majority of the power in their nation. Like the monarchies of Europe, the Saudi king also is intrinsic to the culture of that nation, has been for centuries, and most likely will continue to be so for many generations to come. The history of monarchies is absolutely fascinating. From the stories of nations such as France and the Russian empire ousting their royalties in bloody revolutions, to the Hapsburgs, to all the intermingling of the royal lines throughout the world. It should be said, however, that the inbreeding of the royal families of Europe is disturbing and makes one cringe to think about, but during the times when monarchs ruled with actual power, their respective societies saw keeping the royal bloodline pure as paramount to their holding on to their authority. I'm very familiar with the history of my own nation, the United States, and how one of the central ideas that played a role in the formation of the US was the rejection of the concept of monarchy in general. Americans were repulsed at the idea of being ruled by some king across an ocean, and effectively unchained themselves from that institution. While the rejection of royalty is integral to my national identity, I recognize that the recognition of royalty is integral to the national identity of many others. While a flawed and ineffective system, the cultural authority of monarchs throughout the world will continue to be held for many centuries to come, and we will all continue to hold them in a degree of esteem no matter the governmental changes that are bound to be implemented.