The Old Right: Monarchism

In a medieval European context monarchism was a centrist ideology, not a right-wing ideology. Conventional Catholic thought was happy to acknowledge the princes. The gospel urges Christians to ‘render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s’ (Matthew 22: 21). The normal situation in medieval Europe was of secular government by kings or emperors who were crowned by the pope or by archbishops authorized by him. This was formalized in the doctrine of the ‘two swords’ – secular and clerical authority supporting each other and respecting each other’s spheres of influence. In effect there was a division of powers with the Church administering areas of family and property law and having its own taxes. There was royal influence over Church appointments. However, the power of the Church to place a kingdom under an interdict was a more powerful weapon than the armies of kings, or the emperor.

The more radical idea of the divine right of kings became established only after the development of the modern idea of state sovereignty and after the Protestant kings took leadership over the Christian Church in their countries (starting with Henry VIII). As parliamentary forces in seventeenth-century England increasingly stressed the idea of popular sovereignty, the Stuart kings were attracted to the idea that countries could only have one sovereign and that he held authority from God. In countries like France in which republics were founded, the restoration of the power of monarchy became the symbol of anti-democratic and ultra-conservative forces. In other countries that retained a monarchy, a pro-monarchist position was more moderate (as in nineteenth-century Germany where Bismarck combined social reformism and nationalism with monarchism).

1 Give Ukrainian equivalents for the following words and expressions.

Medieval, gospel, secular government, archbishop, tax, appointment, sovereignty, restoration.

2 Translate words and word combinations from Ukrainian into English and use them in your own sentences.

Центристська ідеологія, визнавати, Папа Римський, королівський вплив, реформізм.

3 Complete the sentences.

1. As parliamentary forces ...

2. The gospel ...

3. This was formalized ...

4. The more radical idea ...

5. In countries like France ...

6. In a medieval European context ...

4 Comprehension questions.

1. What kind of ideology is monarchism?

2. Where and when did monarchism prevail?

3. What are the foundations of monarchism?

4. What influence did monarchism experience? What was the connection between Church and secular ruler?

5. How did the idea of sovereignty influence monarchism?

6 Say if the following statements are true according to the text.

1. In a medieval European context monarchism was a right-wing ideology.

2. In medieval Europe kings or emperors were crowned by the pope or by archbishops.

3. Government by kings or emperors was secular.

4. The Church administered the areas of family and property law and had its own taxes.

5. There was no royal influence over Church appointments.

6. The Protestant kings took leadership over the Christian Church in their countries.

7. The restoration of the power of monarchy became the symbol of democratic forces.

8. Bismarck combined social radicalism and nationalism with monarchism.

Vocabulary Focus. Put the correct words from a–d below in the text. Watch the video on http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-JmfCVnG2I to check your answers.