WWI: The War That Destroyed The Monarchies
How the great empires fell and what history tells us about the future of the British Monarchy.
The past two years have been a time of unrest and instability for the British Monarchy, and with the passing of HRH the Duke of Edinburgh, the people of Britain may begin to question the relevance the Crown still holds as the older generations die off.
However, this question had been asked before in the past during the Great War, and the story of that conflict may help the current generation see the uncertain future more clearly. From the rise of different political ideologies to unprecedented amounts of social changes and a war that shattered empires, the story of the Great War parallels the current British question in many ways.
Within sixty years, the social structure and conditions of Europe had been eroded and changed completely. In 1800, there were no factories and the majority of people were rural farmers and artisans, but by 1900, railroads connected the continent, factories dotted cities, and urbanization was rampant.
The rapid and unrelenting change was a result of the Industrial Revolution, as steam power began fuelling large and efficient machines. As a result, the number of factories grew, and more people moved into the cities for employment. However, a side effect of the Industrial Revolution was the split between the working, middle and upper classes.
The Upper Class represented the remanence of the pre-Industrial Era social structure, and the monarchies retained power through them. However, their influence was slowly waning, as the Middle Class began taking on government positions and dictating economic policies, while the Lower Class became more outspoken against wealth inequality and increasing their social benefits. The rapid change in society had been extraordinarily quick, and the Upper Class failed to keep up. As such, it was only a matter of time before the two rising lower classes began taking a piece out of the aristocracy pie, which sandwiched the declining power of the Monarchies.
With the advancement of the Middle and Working Classes, new political ideologies grew to challenge the ancient Monarchies, as libertarianism and socialism were popularized in their own respective social classes. Due to the appalling standards of work and living faced by the poor, Socialism, an ideology that favors greater wealth distribution and government-controlled jobs, spread across the Lower Class during the late 19th century.
In contrast, the factory owners that had existed since the conception of the Industrial Revolution favored the hands-off approach towards the economy and cultural affairs that Libertarianism afforded since it benefited their profits. Despite their fundamental differences, both ideologies opposed the traditional Monarchical views on rigid class division which weakened the Aristocracy. As a result, the majority of Monarchies slowly began surrendering political control. For instance, in Germany the Kaiser allowed the creation of a parliament in 1871, while the Lower Classes harbored increasing resentment towards the rich. As such, the roots of Monarchy had been weakened by the spread of rival ideologies, and this weakness opened the way to their final collapse in WWI.
In the twilight days of empires, the people fought one last war for their kings and emperors, before history closed the chapter upon the centuries-old system, and the world entered a new age without the old Monarchies. The First World War destroyed the concept of Crowns, as the war was a catastrophe that destroyed a generation of youth, and disillusioned many people from the idea of fighting for empires and thrones.
As such, the people of the Middle and Working Classes took advantage and toppled the three Empires of Europe, namely Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Russia. As the monarchies fell, the British held firm onto their thrones. The key factor for their survival was that the king held no real power even in the nineteenth century. As a result, the Lower Classes found it hard to attack the Monarchy directly as they had no say in legislation. In addition, the Royal Family remained hugely popular during the war, as it opened up for the rest of the country to see. Whether it be members of the Royal Family serving in the war or military tours, the people felt a connection with the Monarchy, as they could see them as real people in contrast with the stiff and Absolute Monarchies of Europe.
Through the benefit of having no political power, the British Monarchy became a unifying force, which led to its survival up to this day. Despite its continuation as a symbolic institution through opposing the ideals of a traditional Monarchy, the current situation for the British can draw many parallels with the fall of the European Dynasties.
Issues regarding class division in the modern-day world model the Socialist movements in the late nineteenth century, as both problems stained the monarchies in the eyes of the lower classes. In addition, questions regarding the validity of the supposed unifying force the British Monarchy provides have arisen in recent times, as numerous scandals weaken its popularity. Subsequently, the Monarchy became more aligned with celebrities rather than an ancient institution for the people. Similarly, the old Crowns of Europe detached themselves from the people which led to their downfall.
Subsequently, the question of whether or not the people are becoming disillusioned with the British Monarchy will play a major role in the future of the Crown, as history states that collapse will happen if monarchy does not adapt. In conclusion, the lessons learned from the fall of the old monarchies will be instrumental in either the survival or abolition of the last systems and traditions of a bygone era.
Sources:
https://www.encyclopedia.com/international/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/nineteenth-century
