{"id":564,"date":"2021-07-05T21:27:09","date_gmt":"2021-07-05T20:27:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/generic.wordpress.soton.ac.uk\/history\/?p=564"},"modified":"2024-08-31T17:05:52","modified_gmt":"2024-08-31T16:05:52","slug":"564","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/generic.wordpress.soton.ac.uk\/history\/2021\/07\/05\/564\/","title":{"rendered":"Monarchy and Democracy in Liechtenstein"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

by Dr Alastair Paynter<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In 2021, 44 states worldwide have a monarch as Head of State. Of these, sixteen are part of the Commonwealth (although this will be reduced to fifteen when Barbados becomes a republic). In Europe alone, there are twelve sovereign monarchies\u2014Andorra, Belgium, Denmark, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Monaco, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom and Vatican City. In most of these states, the power of the monarch has been drastically reduced over the last century to the extent that the roles are largely symbolic and ceremonial. In others, like the United Kingdom, the monarchy does still possess more powers than most imagine, but has over the course of modern history tended not to use them. Many today consider monarchical power to be inherently anti-democratic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, one curious case-study to the contrary is the Principality of Liechtenstein. This tiny, Alpine microstate lies nestled between Switzerland and Austria, and has a population of only 38,000. A relatively poor agrarian country just a century ago, it has since grown into one of the most prosperous states in the world (it has the third highest GDP per person in the world when adjusted for purchasing power parity), with an economy rooted in manufacturing and finance. Yet what makes Liechtenstein\u2019s politics so unique? It is the only state in the world whose constitution balances a strong, active monarchy with both representative and direct democracy. There are frequent referendums on legislative measures and the people themselves can bring measures to the table with the popular initiative. Yet, at the same time, the ruling Prince possesses a level of political power unheard of in other modern European states. He can veto any law, dismiss any government or minister at will and appoint judges. Such powers have the support of significant portion of the population. In fact Prince Hans-Adam II has considered them essential to a meaningful monarchy, rejecting the idea that \u2018the Prince should be no more than a hand-shaking puppet for the Government, which is partly the case in other monarchies.\u2019             <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The story of Liechtenstein\u2019s constitutional development is a fascinating one. The Principality\u2019s name comes from the family name of its rulers, the Liechtensteins. In 1699, Hans Adam I, whose grandfather Karl had been made a hereditary Prince of the Holy Roman Empire by Ferdinand II in 1621, purchased the Lordship of Schellenberg, followed by the County of Vaduz in 1712. In 1719 Emperor Charles VI decreed that Schellenberg and Vaduz be united into one territory, the new Principality of Liechtenstein. After the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire in 1806, Liechtenstein was incorporated into the new Confederation of the Rhine, its Prince no longer owing any feudal obligations beyond the Principality itself. In the century following the Napoleonic wars, Liechtenstein had a number of successive constitutions\u2014in 1818, 1862 and then 1921\u2014each one more liberal than the last. By avoiding involvement in the First World War, the royal family managed to avoid the fate of their close neighbours in Austria, whereupon their national policy turned west to become more closely aligned with Switzerland, with whom it shares a customs and monetary union. Despite its precarious position, and a failed Nazi putsch, Liechtenstein, like Switzerland, managed to maintain its neutrality during the Second World War.             <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Swiss influence has been telling in one very important way. In the 1921 constitution, sovereignty was rooted in both the Prince and the people, and following the Swiss example, referendums were introduced. Through the referendum and the popular initiative Liechtenstein enjoys a level of direct democracy unheard of in nearly the entire rest of the world. The most recent significant changes to the constitution occurred in 2003, when the people overwhelmingly voted in favour of Prince Hans-Adam II\u2019s* controversial proposed changes to the constitution. The changes were criticised by the Council of Europe and widely reported at the time in the world\u2019s media as a \u2018regressive\u2019 step away from modern constitutional monarchy and back towards the absolute monarchy of Europe\u2019s past. The reality is quite different. While Liechtenstein certainly balances the old and the new, it would be a mistake to simply see it as a kind of high-tech, anachronistic holdover from the Holy Roman Empire. For one thing, owing to Hans-Adam\u2019s libertarian philosophy, individual municipalities can vote to secede from the Principality and the people can even vote for the abolition of the monarchy. Such a move is highly unlikely, however, given the popularity of the monarchy, a fact cemented by the regular, extensive engagement of the royals with ordinary citizens. In fact, a counter-referendum to curtail the Prince\u2019s power was defeated in 2012, with 76% people voting against. While containing many \u2018traditional\u2019 elements, Liechtenstein is very much a modern monarchy, albeit one of a very different mould from other European states. It may be a tiny state, but its successes over the past century certainly merit greater attention. It shows that decentralised democracy can indeed work well with traditional monarchic authority. It also suggests that the popular conception of political modernity as a trend towards either republicanism or weaker purely ceremonial monarchy is at best misleading.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

* although Hans-Adam is the reigning prince, by constitutional convention, his son, the Hereditary Prince Alois became regent in 2004.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by Dr Alastair Paynter In 2021, 44 states worldwide have a monarch as Head of State. Of these, sixteen are part of the Commonwealth (although this will be reduced to fifteen when Barbados becomes a republic). In Europe alone, there are twelve sovereign monarchies\u2014Andorra, Belgium, Denmark, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Monaco, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom and Vatican City. …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4909,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-564","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-notes-from-the-archive","column","threecol"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/s9DnLX-564","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":142,"url":"https:\/\/generic.wordpress.soton.ac.uk\/history\/2018\/05\/30\/the-origins-of-the-drone-program\/","url_meta":{"origin":564,"position":0},"title":"The Origins of the Drone Program","author":"Niamh Cullen","date":"30th May 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"The armed drone is one of the most important counterterrorism instruments used by both the United States, and United Kingdom, and its deployment is both constant and controversial. The origins of this weapon, and the birth of the programme that utilises it, however, are not well known. In this essay,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Comment and debate"","block_context":{"text":"Comment and debate","link":"https:\/\/generic.wordpress.soton.ac.uk\/history\/category\/comment-and-debate\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lawfare.s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/staging\/s3fs-public\/viaFastCompany.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lawfare.s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/staging\/s3fs-public\/viaFastCompany.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lawfare.s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/staging\/s3fs-public\/viaFastCompany.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lawfare.s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/staging\/s3fs-public\/viaFastCompany.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":439,"url":"https:\/\/generic.wordpress.soton.ac.uk\/history\/2019\/09\/09\/fly-like-an-eagle\/","url_meta":{"origin":564,"position":1},"title":"Fly like an Eagle","author":"Jonathan Hunt","date":"9th September 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"My Study Abroad Year at Temple University in Philadelphia by Tom Golebiowski When I first applied to study history at the University of Southampton, the idea of going on a year abroad hardly crossed my mind. I was coming to Southampton for the fantastic course, the exciting social life and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Undergraduate"","block_context":{"text":"Undergraduate","link":"https:\/\/generic.wordpress.soton.ac.uk\/history\/category\/undergraduate\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Independence Hall in Philadelphia","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/generic.wordpress.soton.ac.uk\/history\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/236\/2019\/09\/INDE-Square-960-X-480_1.jpg?fit=960%2C480&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/generic.wordpress.soton.ac.uk\/history\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/236\/2019\/09\/INDE-Square-960-X-480_1.jpg?fit=960%2C480&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/generic.wordpress.soton.ac.uk\/history\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/236\/2019\/09\/INDE-Square-960-X-480_1.jpg?fit=960%2C480&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/generic.wordpress.soton.ac.uk\/history\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/236\/2019\/09\/INDE-Square-960-X-480_1.jpg?fit=960%2C480&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":64,"url":"https:\/\/generic.wordpress.soton.ac.uk\/history\/2018\/01\/31\/staff-qa-alan-ross\/","url_meta":{"origin":564,"position":2},"title":"Staff Q&A: Alan Ross","author":"George Gilbert","date":"31st January 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Today, we have another interview, this time with Dr Alan Ross. History at Southampton: How would you describe yourself as a historian? Alan Ross: I tend to think of myself as a traditional Classicist: I use detailed linguistic and textual interrogation of ancient authors to answer literary, philosophical, and historical\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Meet the Department"","block_context":{"text":"Meet the Department","link":"https:\/\/generic.wordpress.soton.ac.uk\/history\/category\/meet-the-department\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":462,"url":"https:\/\/generic.wordpress.soton.ac.uk\/history\/2020\/01\/07\/dylan-guthrie-and-roosevelt-the-story-of-a-song\/","url_meta":{"origin":564,"position":3},"title":"Dylan, Guthrie, and Roosevelt \u2013 the story of a song","author":"Jonathan Hunt","date":"7th January 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Adrian Smith, Rob Joy, and Mike Hammond \"The Band\" headed by Bob Dylan plays at a memorial concert for the iconic American folk singer Woody Guthrie at Carnegie Hall in New York city on January 20, 1968. Michael Ochs Archives\/Getty Images Twelve, 20-minute episodes tell the story of Bob Dylan\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Research"","block_context":{"text":"Research","link":"https:\/\/generic.wordpress.soton.ac.uk\/history\/category\/research\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Bob Dylan at Carnegie Hall in 1968","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/generic.wordpress.soton.ac.uk\/history\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/236\/2020\/01\/rs-8429-woody-624x420-1354915374-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/generic.wordpress.soton.ac.uk\/history\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/236\/2020\/01\/rs-8429-woody-624x420-1354915374-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/generic.wordpress.soton.ac.uk\/history\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/236\/2020\/01\/rs-8429-woody-624x420-1354915374-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/generic.wordpress.soton.ac.uk\/history\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/236\/2020\/01\/rs-8429-woody-624x420-1354915374-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/generic.wordpress.soton.ac.uk\/history\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/236\/2020\/01\/rs-8429-woody-624x420-1354915374-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":713,"url":"https:\/\/generic.wordpress.soton.ac.uk\/history\/2024\/03\/13\/british-museum-exhibition-exposes-hypocrisy-of-new-loan-agreements-for-looted-objects\/","url_meta":{"origin":564,"position":4},"title":"British Museum exhibition exposes hypocrisy of new loan agreements for looted\u00a0objects","author":"Nathan Bossoh","date":"13th March 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"On February the 15th\u00a0the British Museum opened\u00a0Rediscovering Gems, a new small exhibition displaying a range of prized ancient Roman and Greek artefacts. The prompt for this exhibition stemmed from an announcement last year which revealed that numerous pieces from the museum\u2019s collection were missing, stolen or damaged. 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