God Save The Queen

the strange persistence of monarchies
Dennis Altman

‘This very readable little book encourages us to think more about the game of thrones and the different ways it might be played.’

Jeff Sparrow, The Age

‘A useful reconnaissance across a very large field of study.’

David McIntyre, New Internationalist

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‘At 153 pages God Save the Queen is a quick read, and Altman packs a lot into it, whizzing through the histories and current political climates of an array of countries to gain better understanding of the way monarchies have sustained themselves and evolved. … It’s the ability, in such a relatively brief space of words, to capture the breadth of diversity and nuances of modern monarchy, that makes Altman’s exploration of the phenomenon truly fascinating.’

Ben Pobjie, The Australian

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?

‘This very readable little book encourages us to think more about the game of thrones and the different ways it might be played.’

Jeff Sparrow, The Age

‘A useful reconnaissance across a very large field of study.’

David McIntyre, New Internationalist

View all reviews

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Details

Format:Paperback

Size: 198mm × 129mm

Extent:160pp

ISBN (13):9781913348625

RRP:£9.99

Pub date:9 Dec 2021

High-res cover:Download Image

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Dennis Altman

Dennis Altman first came to attention with his book Homosexual: oppression & liberation in 1972. His recent books include Global Sex, Gore Vidal’s America, and Unrequited Love: diary of an accidental activist. Dennis is a Professorial Fellow at La Trobe University in Melbourne. He has been Visiting Professor of Australian Studies at Harvard, and was listed by The Bulletin as one of the 100 most influential Australians ever.

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We publish books that matter — narrative and literary nonfiction on important topics, and the best of local, international, and translated fiction.

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