talos402000
SOC-7
What sort of code would a Constitutional Monarchy have, one where there was a hereditary ruler, but still a republic with citizens rights enshrined in an unbreakable constitution?
Constitutional Monarchy
- Thread starter talos402000
- Start date
Strongly depends upon what the monarchy's rights and holdings happen to be.
In a very weak monarch system, the Monarch may be merely a figurehead, maintained at state expense, and expected to perform on cue.
In a strong monarch system, they may still be a full branch (Executive, Legislative, Judicial, perhaps even a separate financial branch), maybe even two.
A lot depends upon who established the monarchy, who established the republic, and why they have both.
For example, a weak monarch nothing but inquisitorial power alone - the power to investigate and bring criminal charges - can be a very surprisiingly potent force.
A judicial monarch might be seen as particularly potent - unless he cannot remove judges.
A monarch with no governmental authority, but who is recognized as sole owner by right of all land, and rents it out can be incredibly powerful... simply by termination of tennancy for projects he hates or his political enemies.
Likewise, if taxation is his power, and nothing else, with no other tax authority allowed, he can hold the budget hostage - a defacto veto...
In a very weak monarch system, the Monarch may be merely a figurehead, maintained at state expense, and expected to perform on cue.
In a strong monarch system, they may still be a full branch (Executive, Legislative, Judicial, perhaps even a separate financial branch), maybe even two.
A lot depends upon who established the monarchy, who established the republic, and why they have both.
For example, a weak monarch nothing but inquisitorial power alone - the power to investigate and bring criminal charges - can be a very surprisiingly potent force.
A judicial monarch might be seen as particularly potent - unless he cannot remove judges.
A monarch with no governmental authority, but who is recognized as sole owner by right of all land, and rents it out can be incredibly powerful... simply by termination of tennancy for projects he hates or his political enemies.
Likewise, if taxation is his power, and nothing else, with no other tax authority allowed, he can hold the budget hostage - a defacto veto...
talos402000, you meant government code right?
As Aramis noted, it would depend on what powers the monarchy or other government officials have, and what rights the citizens have relative to the "constitution". Most modern European-style Constitutional Monarchies would probably fall under Government Type-4 (Representative Democracy), as they have representative parliaments with a constitutionally-limited Monarch as head of state.
States whose monarch's, nobles, and/or officials have wider authority under the "constitution" might instead qualify as either Government Type-3 (Self-perpetuating Oligarchy) or Type-C (Charismatic Oligarchy).
In general, the thing to keep in mind is that the government code in the UWP is less about detailing the inner-workings of a political system, and more about how a Traveller visiting the world will perceive the government as he is forced to interact with it.
Drakon
SOC-14 1K
You can use most government codes to represent a monarchy
All of the oligarchies will probably have some Party Secratary, or Prime Overlord to act as spokesman or leader of the ruling party.
The same can be said for the Bureaucracies. Just because things are run by bureaucrats doesn't mean there aren't nobles pulling the strings of those bureaucrats.
Dictatorships, obviously, work. The religious ones as well as nothing says king more than "Divine Right".
SO you can use almost any government code.
Condottiere
SOC-14 5K
Ancient lineages or traditions tend to be the remnant of a hereditary sacred head priest, so generally religious over- or under-tones, depending how much that aspect is emphasized. Or considered relevant by their subjects.
Modern usurpation, since republicanism is a more likely outcome for a recent addition to the family of nations, tend to be dynastic dictatorships.
Modern usurpation, since republicanism is a more likely outcome for a recent addition to the family of nations, tend to be dynastic dictatorships.
Marc himself wrote in 1982 about how a monarchy might be defined using Government Codes:
"Within the Traveller system, such a government could be classified as a self-perpetuating oligarchy (hereditary monarchy), representative democracy (constitutional monarchy), feudal technocracy (enlightened feudal monarchy), captive government (puppet monarchy), civil service bureaucracy, or any of several others. The simple term monarchy becomes nonsense when one attempts to apply it to a widespread classification system."
- Traveller Apocrypha-2 CD-ROM.
"Within the Traveller system, such a government could be classified as a self-perpetuating oligarchy (hereditary monarchy), representative democracy (constitutional monarchy), feudal technocracy (enlightened feudal monarchy), captive government (puppet monarchy), civil service bureaucracy, or any of several others. The simple term monarchy becomes nonsense when one attempts to apply it to a widespread classification system."
- Traveller Apocrypha-2 CD-ROM.
That's basically it.
The Traveller government codes were probably not written by a political science major because they don't really conform to current understanding of how governments work.
Most governments (politeia) are generally classified by some or all of the following criteria:
* Centralization of power (bureaucracy)
* Leaders (one, two, many?)
* Power structure (distribution)
* Power source (foundation)
* Power legitimization
Classic terms for government based upon Latin or Greek usually only apply one of those criteria...
- Aristrocracy
- Democracy
- Kritarchy
- Plutocracy
- Polyarchy
- Triarchy
- etc.
There is some writing about this at the traveler Wiki. You can find it here:
External Link: [http://wiki.travellerrpg.com/Government Government]
So, a constitutional monarchy could be just about any of the classic government codes.
In modern political science terms, most constitutional monarchies tend to be what are called unitary states.
Hope that helps.
Shalom,
Maksim-Smelchak.
creativehum
SOC-14 1K
I think it helps a lot. Not as a essay on how actual governments work, but as an explanation of the tools Traveller built to aid in creating RPG settings and situations rich for adventure and RPG play.
Choice quotes:
"The reason, in reality, is that they are not omitted or absent; the many varied types of government which can be imagined all fit into the basic scheme given in the Traveller government tables. To understand this, it is important to remember just what purpose the government factor is meant to serve. Traveller players and characters are rarely involved with governments on the international and interplanetary level. That is to say, they do not deal with kings or presidents or heads of state; they deal with individual members of broad government mechanisms, they deal with office holders and employees whose attitudes and actions are shaped by the type of government they serve. As a result, travellers are rarely interested in the upper reaches of government; they want to know what they can expect from the governmental structure at their own level. For example, if a group of travellers were to journey across the United States from coast to coast, they would be interested in the degree of responsiveness they could expect from local governments, in how easy the local court clerk would respond to information requests, or in the degree of difficulty that could be expected in obtaining certain licenses. As they moved through Nebraska, the fact that that state has a unicameral legislature would be of little or no importance....
"By the very nature of the classification system, it is also possible for the referee to create and add additional government types for any specific campaign. Remember that the generation system is intended primarily as a prod to imagination. For example, a referee may wish to define a specific type of government more fully, and to establish a specific factor or code for it. Although it is possible to envision a military government within several of the existing codes, it is also possible to define one specifically – perhaps as the result of a coup, or as the rule of a militaristic society similar to that of Sparta. In such a case, the letter M could be allocated to military or Spartan government. Once such a note is made, the referee can then impose that government where he or she thinks it appropriate; the adventure or campaign effects follow from that point."
[emphasis added]
The document also makes it clear that the UWP are as loose and up to the Referee. I have always found the conflation of the UWP as
a) a tool for the Referee of an RPG to create fresh, inspired worlds;
and b) a bureaucratic notation made by an in-fiction organization (the Scouts) that is supposed to sum up the world with some sort of accuracy...
to be sadness.
I don't think the tool works well when split between these two agendas.
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talos402000
SOC-7
I'm back from overseas, finally. Sorry I couldn't reply to any of your comments, but thanks for all the comments and resources provided. And yes, I did wonder what government code would represent a constitutional monarchy.
The consensus seems to be that their isn't one. Or rather the definition is too broad. I myself lean towards self-perpetuating oligarchy, but that's just me.
The consensus seems to be that their isn't one. Or rather the definition is too broad. I myself lean towards self-perpetuating oligarchy, but that's just me.
GypsyComet
SOC-14 1K
The definitions are loose because they represent the dominant structure, not the whole structure. Great Britain is technically a Constitutional Monarchy, but the day to day government functions are seen in a two House Parliamentary legislature built through two different methods (popular vote being only one of them) and a vast Bureaucracy. The Royal Family serves largely as a distraction FROM government.
Maybe dominant is not the best word.
Perhaps official might be a better word.
North Korea officially calls itself the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK).
- Few of us would probably think the democratic or republic parts of North Korea are particularly apt.
Classifying a polity based on only one dimension definitely has strong limitations.
Shalom,
Maksim-Smelchak.
In general, the government type is there to give an idea of what a visitor to the world is likely to encounter or have to deal with as he interacts with the society.
So GypsyComet's point is well-taken. The average visitor to Britain (presuming he has to deal with the government in some fashion) is going to encounter the Representative-Democratic element or the Bureaucracy, not the Monarchical elements.
The historical government of Britain prior to the 17th Century might well be classified as a Self-Perpetuating Oligarchy, however.
