On Being a Monarchist

I thought I would post an entry on being a monarchist, or rather on letting others know that I am a monarchist. Monarchists are such a rare breed here in America and hearing the experiences of another would perhaps have helped me admit to myself that I was a monarchist, that it was okay to think the way I did and that I didn't have to fear others' reactions.

When I first felt my faith in this Republic failing and my interest in monarchy as a more viable form of government, I was still in the military. I was deathly afraid to let anyone know lest I be persecuted by my fellow soldiers at the least, and at the worst be discharged (in retrospect my fears at the worst were rather unfounded but nonetheless truly felt). I let a few select friends and classmates know of my monarchist leanings, and of course found the blogosphere as an outlet for my beliefs. As time passed--and I was eventually discharged from the military due to a line-of-duty injury I incurred during a drill weekend--I began to let more people know of my beliefs.

As more time passed, I found that no one thought I was a freak, a lunatic, or crazy. In fact, to this day when I tell people that I am a monarchist the most common response is "What's that?" Most Americans simply don't know anything about monarchy as a working form of government. I explain my exact beliefs. They think it's unusual, different, interesting, even eccentric (but I must admit I can be rather eccentric at times), but no one has taken offense at my beliefs. Even with this blog (with the exception of a few uncharitable--and down-right jerk lunatics) I have not come across anyone who intellectually disagrees with me that does not respect my beliefs--they may disagree with my views, but they respect me for taking the time and effort to express those beliefs.

I don't know if any other monarchists here in America or any where else that monarchy is treated in a less-than-enthusiastic manner have experienced the same fears of expressing monarchist beliefs, but if so take courage. Letting the world know you are a monarchist isn't nearly as hard as it may seem (but I do advise you to be prudent in what you say and to whom you say it lest it hurt your current or future employment options). Don't be afraid to be yourself. If monarchy is to see a resurgence in this world, monarchists like you and I must be willing to let the world know that we are out there!

Monarchy and Modern Europe

A reader recently suggested that I write a post on the prospects of a European-wide monarchy. I can't say that I see the prospects of one either likely or a positive thing for Europe.

Whether we monarchists like it or not (and this monarchist definitely does not like it!) Europe exists under the bureaucracy of the European Union, that democratic behemoth that seeks to spread it's flag over ever increasing territories. I don't see the prospects of the current ruling monarchies of Europe as rosy under the EU as it is: any monarchy that is a member nation of the EU will likely see further stripping of monarchical powers, more so than is already present. Under such conditions, how would one monarchy hope to gain power (real or otherwise) over the entire continent?

If a continental-wide monarchy were to exist, either the present monarchies would either have to be abolished or would see much of their already limited powers passed on to the European monarch. In addition, in those countries where the monarchy enjoys a modicum of popularity (such as the United Kingdom), the people would have to either give up their monarch or see him become even more of a figurehead than he already is. Can you imagine the British giving up their Queen for some continental monarch? I certainly cannot.

Many Catholic monarchists want to see the restoration of the Holy Roman Empire, stretching its fingers of power across the entire European continent. I must remind my readers that I am not an Austrian monarchist, but a German monarchist. I advocate the restoration of the German Empire (the Kaiserreich), not the HRE. While I would certainly like to see the restoration of the Austrian Empire in some form, I would not want this to include Germany proper. I, along with many German monarchists, would not want to see the Fatherland once again under the finger of an Austrian. The Hohenzollerns fought too hard in the past to thrust off the heavy hand of Austrian dominance to accept it once again.

In summary, while I certainly advocate the return of monarchy as the dominant form of government in Europe, I would not want such a return to include a European-wide monarchy. Let us monarchists set our goals along more small and reasonable lines.