[weikel]

No supposedly about it. After the 30 years war the western world was a pretty stable place until "Democracy" was imposed by Wilson upon everyone.

[Sam Cree]

I am not that familiar with the time and concepts of which you speak, tho they sound interesting.

I do believe that the average citizen has been better off under monarchies than under outright socialist governments like the U.S.S.R., or governments derived from similar roots as the socialists, such as the fascists states.

[B-Chan]

I couldn't agree more. Absolute monarchy is the ultimate private property state. Since the kingdom is his private property, a wise king will always act with rational self-interest to increase its worth and value, thus bringing benefit to its inhabitants. On the other hand, a representative government, while "owned" by the citizens in theory, is actually owned by the bureaucratic mandarin class that administers it, a group with no stake in the welfare or success of the state outside of making sure the checks go out on time. It's the difference between FedEx and the United States Postal Service.

Incidentally, I love Die Meistersinger von Nurnburg. Herr Wagner himself is a different matter. "Lieb der Kunst, Hass der Kunstler."