# Monarchy. Republic. ...Something else? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [February 8, 2012, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/monarchy-republic-something-else/612245 "2012-02-08T23:48:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2012, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/monarchy-republic-something-else/612245/1 "2012-02-08T23:48:20Z")
Over in the [Queen celebrates 60 years](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=641048) thread, there is mention of a republic as being the alternative to a monarchy. I am wondering… are there any _other_ alternatives? A dictatorship is essentially an absolute monarchy without a succession mechanism… a constitutional monarchy can provide democratic control similar to that a republic can provide… is there any other political system that is completely different? If we were to get rid of the monarchy, would a republic be our only replacement? ---
**Author:** ![robert\_columbia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e79b87/32.png) [@robert\_columbia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robert_columbia)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2012, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/monarchy-republic-something-else/612245/2 "2012-02-08T23:59:22Z")
> [@Sunspace](#): > > Over in the [Queen celebrates 60 years](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=641048) thread, there is mention of a republic as being the alternative to a monarchy. I am wondering… are there any _other_ alternatives? A dictatorship is essentially an absolute monarchy without a succession mechanism… a constitutional monarchy can provide democratic control similar to that a republic can provide… is there any other political system that is completely different? If we were to get rid of the monarchy, would a republic be our only replacement? I was taught that a Republic was defined as a nation without a hereditary ruler, so dictatorships like Cuba are republics. I’ve also heard the term Republic used in contrast to a Direct Democracy (i.e. a country where every citizen votes on every issue rather than electing representatives to do that). ---
**Author:** ![Malden\_Capell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/malden_capell/32/5274_2.png) [@Malden\_Capell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malden_Capell)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2012, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/monarchy-republic-something-else/612245/3 "2012-02-09T00:02:14Z")
It’s a tricky one. I’m happy with the monarchy, but if a system was proposed that was superior to the present system I’d accept a need to change. Right now there isn’t any demonstrably superior system. Ultimately though as the monarchy is ceremonial it matters little to people, so they’ll not care enough to want to change it. ---
**Author:** ![Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a587f6/32.png) [@Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freddy_the_Pig)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2012, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/monarchy-republic-something-else/612245/4 "2012-02-09T00:29:20Z")
You could try anarchy. ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2012, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/monarchy-republic-something-else/612245/5 "2012-02-09T15:38:59Z")
> [@Freddy\_the\_Pig](#): > > You could try anarchy. But then you lose productivity and induce high levels of unhappiness for three turns until your new government is installed. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2012, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/monarchy-republic-something-else/612245/6 "2012-02-09T18:28:49Z")
Look down the right margin here, and take your pick: [Government - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Form_of_government) > [@robert\_columbia](#): > > I was taught that a Republic was defined as a nation without a hereditary ruler, so dictatorships like Cuba are republics… Not quite: [http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/republic](http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/republic). Vatican City, for instance, has no hereditary ruler, but it’s no republic. History is full of elected or appointed nonhereditary monarchs. Certainly “republic” is an elastic enough term that many countries, ranging from liberal multiparty democracies to one-party oppressive police states, use that word to describe themselves. ---
**Author:** ![psychonaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psychonaut/32/4655_2.png) [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2012, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/monarchy-republic-something-else/612245/7 "2012-02-09T21:24:01Z")
There’s the kind of [socialism](http://www.worldsocialism.org/) sometimes referred to as anarchosocialism or libertarian communism. It doesn’t have a government or leaders at all.