Monarchy Or Money Power

An original and empirically grounded analysis of the Gulf monarchies and their role in shaping the political economy of the Middle East.

Peisistratos and his sons dominated Athenian politics in the second half of the 6th century BC although the sources are contradictory as to whether their reign of tyranny was a good or bad thing.

The British royal family has experienced a resurgence in public interest at the same time as global inequalities have expanded between 'the elites' and 'the rest'. Yet, the monarchy is absent from conversations about inequality. This is the only book arguing that we cannot talk about inequalities in Britain today without talking about the monarchy.

An avowed republican investigates the unexpected durability and potential benefits of constitutional monarchies. When he was deposed in Egypt in 1952, King Farouk predicted that there would be five monarchs left at the end of the century: the kings of hearts, diamonds, clubs, spades, and England. To date, his prediction has proved wrong, and while the twentieth century saw the collapse of monarchies across Europe, many democratic societies have retained them. God Save the Queen is the first book to look at constitutional monarchies globally, and is particularly relevant given the pro-democracy movement in Thailand and recent scandals around the British and Spanish royal families. Is monarchy merely a feudal relic that should be abolished, or does the division between ceremonial and actual power act as a brake on authoritarian politicians? And what is the role of monarchy in the independent countries of the Commonwealth that have retained the Queen as head of state? This book suggests that monarchy deserves neither the adulation of the right nor the dismissal of the left. In an era of autocratic populism, does constitutional monarchy provide some safeguards against the megalomania of political leaders? Is a President Boris potentially more dangerous than a Prime Minister Boris?

"Classical theorists once predicted that monarchy must eventually give way to capitalism. But is monarchy really dead--an archaic institution from the feudal past? In Royal Capitalism: The Monarchy, Wealth, and Social Classes in Thailand, Puangchon Unchanam examines one particularly successful monarchy: that of Thailand's King Bhumibol Adulyadej or Rama IX, whose seven-decade reign not only survived but thrived amid the country's transition to industrial capitalism. Indeed, the Thai crown's active role in national politics, the market economy, and popular culture has made it not only the dominant institution in the kingdom, but also the wealthiest monarchy in the world today. Tracing Rama IX's reign (1946-2016), Puangchon shows how the Thai crown was transformed into a 'bourgeois monarchy,' distinctive in several key ways. Rather than representing only royal and religious values, the monarchy rebranded itself by embracing the traditional middle-class ethic of hard work, frugality, and self-sufficiency. Rather than only relying upon coercion, the crown sought political legitimacy. And rather than simply controlling national assets, the crown became the country's major broker, connecting business elites, patronizing their industries, and partnering with giant corporations. Thanks to these distinctive features that it has recently embodied, the Thai monarchy enjoys hegemonic status in the capitalist state, preeminent status in the market, and popular support from the urban bourgeoisie"

Royal Bounty is a pioneering study of the monarchy's social role and its influence in the institutional and civic life of Britain from George III to the present. Drawing on previously unused material from the Royal Archives and elsewhere, the book opens a rich vein in the history of the monarchy which has hitherto received scant attention. Full of revealing insights and novel information (including the precise annual charitable donations of the Queen herself and other members of the royal family), the book illuminates the transformation of the idea of nobility and the centrality of charitable service in the monarchy's survival. Elegantly written, wry, and handsomely illustrated, it will appeal to everyone interested in voluntarism, social policy, the monarchy and its future.