Tsar-fetched? Almost a third of Russians favour restoration of the Monarchy

[-:Undertaker:-]

http://rt.com/politics/russia-monarchy-return-poll-661/

Tsar-fetched? Almost a third of Russians favor return of monarchy


http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/84/Tsar_Nicholas_II_%26_King_George_V.JPG
Tsar Nicholas II of the Russian Empire and King-Emperor George V of the British Empire in 1913.


A recent poll has shown that 28 percent of Russian citizens want their country to be again ruled by Tsars, and 13 percent suggest a current politician could claim the throne.

The research has been done by the All-Russian Center for Public Opinion. The results were announced by the head of this organization, Valery Fedorov, at a Moscow conference dedicated to the 400th anniversary of the Romanov Russian royal house.

According to Fedorov, 28 percent of Russians support the restoration of monarchy or said they would not object to it.

At the same time, only six percent said that a modern monarch must be from the Romanov dynasty. About 13 percent hold that a contemporary Russian politician could become a new Tsar and suggested a nationwide referendum to decide who. Only four percent admitted they had a favorite candidate but almost all monarchists agreed that the future Tsar must be an Orthodox Christian. 80 percent of all respondents said that no living Russian politician or public figure was worthy of the throne.

At the same time, 67 percent of those polled said that Russia should leave monarchy in the past and 82 percent agreed that the current republican constitution is the best for the country.

Russia was ruled by absolute monarchs from the mid-sixteenth century with Ivan IV the Terrible until the early 20th century. The last Emperor, Nicholas II abdicated after the Great October Socialist Revolution in 1917 and was executed by Bolsheviks together with his family in 1918.

Although there's a big majority against, the trend does seem to be in growing favour of restoring the Monarchy - as this poll points out, opposition to the return of the Monarchy is mainly amongst communists and the elderly: http://rt.com/politics/poll-monarchy-tsar-russians-493/

I have heard rumours in the past that President Putin is keen in restoring the Monarchy one day although whether he will remains to be seen. He's certainly restored many other parts of Imperial Russia so who knows. It'd be nice to see the Romanovs back on the Russian throne - although of course as a constitutional monarchy. Apparently due to the links between the monarchies, Prince Harry could claim to be a successor - so i've read anyway.

There's a very interesting article on how the Russian Government over the years has possibly been preparing for a future Coronation and a future Tsar... http://www.opendemocracy.net/od-russia/daniil-kotsyubinsky/uneasy-lies-head-that-wears-crown The article also quotes another poll which put support for restoring the Monarchy at 39%.

Thoughts?

[The Don]

So majority of the population are against it :P I can't see russia having a tsar again.

[Kardan]

82% are happy with the current government. Sounds good to me.

[GommeInc]

Can't imagine it in our lifetime especially as it is a minority. Russia needs to sort itself out anyway, a monarchy will not solve that :P

[-:Undertaker:-]

I think the reason why it's becoming more likely is because Putin understands that Russia, throughout history, has always relied on a strongman in the centre to hold the country together otherwise it goes to ruin. I think what Putin is thinking about is his succession - in the same way Yeltsin was when he was considering bringing back the Monarchy - and is looking towards constitutional monarchy as a way to 'cement' his conservative Russian nationalism that he's established in the post-Soviet era. It makes sense, because what happens without Putin there?

There's two recent examples of the unthinkable happening after all - Spain restored it's Monarchy in the mid-1970s after being a Republic since the 1920s/30s and Cambodia which restored it's monarchy in the 1990s after being a Republic since the 1960s/70s (would have to double check those figures). I know some countries in Eastern Europe are also making small moves to possibly restoring their monarchies too which were ditched when the socialists took over.

[Grig]

I think the reason why it's becoming more likely is because Putin understands that Russia, throughout history, has always relied on a strongman in the centre to hold the country together otherwise it goes to ruin. I think what Putin is thinking about is his succession - in the same way Yeltsin was when he was considering bringing back the Monarchy - and is looking towards constitutional monarchy as a way to 'cement' his conservative Russian nationalism that he's established in the post-Soviet era. It makes sense, because what happens without Putin there?

There's two recent examples of the unthinkable happening after all - Spain restored it's Monarchy in the mid-1970s after being a Republic since the 1920s/30s and Cambodia which restored it's monarchy in the 1990s after being a Republic since the 1960s/70s (would have to double check those figures). I know some countries in Eastern Europe are also making small moves to possibly restoring their monarchies too which were ditched when the socialists took over.

With Spain it was not unthinkable at all. It was less a Republic and more a totalitarian dictatorship. Franco made the king his protegee thinking that he would be Francoesque as per say if he would bring him up and instill his values. However, it turned out to be much different.

I think you're looking at way too broad of a picture here, even with Russia. Monarchy's been gone for far too long and Putin is looking more at the former Soviet state than towards the Russian empire.

[-:Undertaker:-]

With Spain it was not unthinkable at all. It was less a Republic and more a totalitarian dictatorship. Franco made the king his protegee thinking that he would be Francoesque as per say if he would bring him up and instill his values. However, it turned out to be much different.

I think you're looking at way too broad of a picture here, even with Russia. Monarchy's been gone for far too long and Putin is looking more at the former Soviet state than towards the Russian empire.

Not saying it will happen, just saying it's a distant possibility. And whilst that's true with Spain, it's also highly unusual considering the amount of time that had passed. The same can be said for the restoration of the Dutch Monarchy whereby the Netherlands were a republic from the late 1500's until after 1800 when a monarchy was restored to the throne. Of course all the restorations are different, but they do happen for all different reasons and that's my point.

And on Putin, I get where you are coming from but I think he's a mixture of the two. The Russian state has spent enormous amounts undoing the damage that the Soviet Union did - now why would an ex-KGB agent who seemingly loves the USSR want to do such a thing? The same can be said in the way he's restored the Imperial embelm (with the crowns) along with the rehabilitation of the Royal Family and the way Russia is bringing back the Church into public life.

[Ardemax]

Most of them don't realise how awful things were under (most) of the Tsars. It won't happen.