Absolutism/Parliamentary monarchy Absolutism is a monarchical form of government in which the monarch exercises ultimate governing authority as head of state

and head of government, his or her power not being limited by a constitution or by the law. An absolute monarch thus wields unrestricted political power over thesovereign state and its subject people. In an absolute monarchy, the transmission of power is twofold; hereditary and marital.Absolute monarchy differs from limited monarchy, in which the monarchs authority is legally bound or restricted by a constitution. Absolutism is typically used in conjunction with some European monarchs during the transition fromfeudalism to capitalism, and monarchs described as absolute can especially be found in the 16th century through the 19th century. Absolutism is characterized by the ending of feudal partitioning, consolidation of power with the monarch, rise of state power, unification of the state laws, and a decrease in the influence of the Church and the nobility. Absolute monarchs are also associated with the rise of professional standing armies, professional bureaucracies, the codification of state laws, and the rise of ideologies that justify the absolutist monarchy. Absolutist monarchs typically were considered to have the divine right of kings as a cornerstone of the philosophy that justified their power. Absolute monarchs spent considerable sums on extravagant houses for themselves and their nobles. In an absolutist state, monarchs often required nobles to live in the royal palace, while state officials ruled the noble lands in their absence. This was designed to reduce the effective power of the nobility by causing nobles to become reliant upon the largesses of the monarch for their livelihoods. In theory, the absolute monarch exercises total power over the land and its subject people, yet in practice the monarchy is counter-balanced by political groups from among the social classes and castes of the realm: the aristocracy, clergy (see caesaropapism), bourgeoisie, and proletarians. Some monarchies have weak or symbolic parliaments and other governmental bodies that the monarch can alter or dissolve at will. The popularity of the notion of absolute monarchy declined substantially after the French Revolution which promoted theories of government based on popular sovereignty. Many nations formerly with absolute monarchies, such as Morocco, have moved

towards constitutional monarchy, although in some cases the monarch retains tremendous power, to the point that the parliament's influence on political life is negligible.

Parliamentary Monarchy Constitutional monarchy (or limited monarchy) is a form of government in which

a monarch acts ashead of state within the parameters of a constitution, whether it be a written, uncodified or blended constitution. This form of government differs from absolute monarchy in

which an absolute monarch serves as the sole source of political power in the state and is not legally bound by any constitution. Most constitutional monarchies employ a parliamentary system in which the monarch may have strictly ceremonial duties or may have reserve powers, depending on the constitution. Under most modern constitutional monarchies there is also a prime minister who is the head of government and exercises effective political power. In the past, constitutional monarchy has co-existed with fascist and quasi-fascist regimes such as Fascist Italy and Francoist Spain and with military dictatorships. However on other occasions constitutional monarchs have played a crucial role in thwarting coups d'tat and the overthrow of democratic institutions by fascist or communist movements. Examples include the attempted 23-F coup in Spain in 1981, and the 1981 and 1985 coup attempts in Thailand. In both cases action taken by the king proved decisive. Contemporary constitutional monarchies include Australia, The

Bahamas, Barbados, Belgium, Belize,Bhutan, Bahrain, Cambodia, Canada, Denmark, Grenada, Jama ica, Japan, Jordan, Kuwait,Liechtenstein, Lesotho, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Monaco, Morocco, New Zealand, theNetherlands, Norway, Papua New Guinea, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Solomon Islands,Spain, Sweden, Thailand, Tuvalu, and the United Kingdom. There also exist today several federal constitutional monarchies. In these countries, each subdivision has a distinct government and head of government, but all subdivisions share a monarch who is head of state of the federation as a united whole. The latest country that was completely transformed from an absolute monarchy to a constitutional democratic monarchy isBhutan.