Poll: 37% of young Russians want to restore the monarchy

[The world will shine with light in our nightmare]

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Royal Central

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

I think they missed a crucial development

 

[Chunk Yogurt for President!]

If only Nicholas had just become a constitutional monarch.  Things would be a lot better now.

[Blue3]

If only Nicholas had just become a constitutional monarch.  Things would be a lot better now.

Yeah, if they had just had a Magna Carta moment in the 1910's instead, the entire course of the 20th and 21st centuries would probably be changed for the better.

[Ronnie]

I've wondered why Russia even bothers to retain their current facade of democracy.  They might as well just get rid of voting and their pathetic legislature, and make Putin their Tsar.  What difference would it make?

[DC Al Fine]

I've wondered why Russia even bothers to retain their current facade of democracy.  They might as well just get rid of voting and their pathetic legislature, and make Putin their Tsar.  What difference would it make?

You're being a bit too simplistic. Even in an authoritarian system, "elections" are a useful tool for plausible deniability and to test where the political winds are going.

[Crumpets]

This might not be as bad of an idea as it sounds. Part of the problem with a presidential system with a single head of state and government is that it causes people to project a great deal of symbolism onto a job that really requires a lot of concrete and un-glorious work. You get presidents like Trump who "represent" something people want to see, and you get Presidents who are criticized for being "unlikeable" because people don't want to have a beer with them.

Putin knows this, and has managed to play up his symbolic role in Russia to such an extent that he is given massive leeway to do pretty much anything he wants in terms of actually running the government and formulating policy. With a figurehead monarchy in place, it gives the role of the elected government a much clearer role and the people a greater sense of agency when it comes to choosing their elected officials, which in turn forces those officials to produce results and improve people's day-to-day lives, rather than moving borders a few hundred miles so Russia will look on a map more like what it did in the good old days.

[Beet]

They should restore the CPSU by election instead.

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

If only Nicholas had just become a constitutional monarch.  Things would be a lot better now.

Yeah, if they had just had a Magna Carta moment in the 1910's instead, the entire course of the 20th and 21st centuries would probably be changed for the better.

They had one in 1881, but Alexander II got assassinated for his troubles and his already reactionary son became even more so.

[Tintrlvr]

I've wondered why Russia even bothers to retain their current facade of democracy.  They might as well just get rid of voting and their pathetic legislature, and make Putin their Tsar.  What difference would it make?

You're being a bit too simplistic. Even in an authoritarian system, "elections" are a useful tool for plausible deniability and to test where the political winds are going.

Hell, even North Korea has "elections."

[Blue3]

I've wondered why Russia even bothers to retain their current facade of democracy.  They might as well just get rid of voting and their pathetic legislature, and make Putin their Tsar.  What difference would it make?

You're being a bit too simplistic. Even in an authoritarian system, "elections" are a useful tool for plausible deniability and to test where the political winds are going.

Hell, even North Korea has "elections."

They're a Democratic People's Republic, don't you know?

[Zuza]

If only Nicholas had just become a constitutional monarch.  Things would be a lot better now.

Yeah, if they had just had a Magna Carta moment in the 1910's instead, the entire course of the 20th and 21st centuries would probably be changed for the better.

They had one in 1881, but Alexander II got assassinated for his troubles and his already reactionary son became even more so.

Actually, the 1881 Loris-Melikov "constitution" project was much more moderate than the 1905 manifesto (which resembled a real constitution). But, it seems, in 1905 it was too little too late.

[Crumpets]

One important point to acknowledge here is that, should Russia decide to return to a monarchy, there is a succession dispute as to who the current monarch would be between Maria Vladimirovna and Andrew Romanov, who interestingly enough, actually lives in Marin County, California. He was also born just three weeks after the founding of the USSR.

[kelestian]

You know, this poll should be estimated correctly. All the polls show that russian youth is more democratic, more tolerant and more liberal than older people. Maybe they think about constitutional monarchy like in Europe and don't hate kings like people who were born in USSR.

Also, there are two serious problems with idea of reconstruction of monarchy in RF. First of all, there is no political organization which support this measure, and almost nobody from public persons declare support for the new Tsar. I remember only two people, both from Crimea: Poklonskaya, former prosecutor and now deputy in Duma, but she looks more like lunatic with extreme love to Nicolas 2, she even told on TV that she had seen how chrism came out from tsar's monument. Second person is Crimea's head Aksenov, he told about monarchy but later said that he only want putin to be live-long ruler of Russia. And nobody from political mainstream support this speech.

Second big problem is lack of legitimal pretendents. Putin of course is supreme ruler, but he doesn't want to be the king oficcially, he hasn't wife and hasn't son-successor.
About Romanov family, communists destroyed this family completely; only far branches exist now. The most famous person is Maria Vladimirovna and her son George, from branch of great duke Kirill. Kirill and his children were terrible persons and of course his branch has no real legitimacy. During Yeltsin-time, some russian politicians speculated about returning of Kirillovichi, for example head of Presidential Administration Voloshin. They invited Maria and her son to visit Russia. But later it became clear that Kirillovichi are long far away from Russia and russian people mentally, they are western people and even George don't speak russian well. Also Maria was implicated in some financial machinations and she is YUUUGE woman, not a queen-like.

Some years ago newspapers speculated about someone from British Royal family as the next Tsar of Russia, about prince Harry and other persons. But it was just a joke.

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

Some years ago newspapers speculated about someone from British Royal family as the next Tsar of Russia, about prince Harry and other persons. But it was just a joke.

Frederick Forsyth novel The Icon ended with Prince Michael of Kent invited to become the Tsar under constitutional monarchy. Forsyth's royalist Mary Sue really messed up what was otherwise a good book.

[Maxwell]

yeah... it's time to start over.

[President Punxsutawney Phil]

If Russia has any royal family in a new monarchy, they'd be better off making a well respected leader during the movement to rein in Putin and his cronies and making them Tsar/Tsarina.

[smoltchanov]

An important thing to consider here- WHICH monarchy?? Absolutist old-Russia style? That's what we do have now (in all but name), with Putin being "de facto tsar". Swedish-style constitutional monarchy? Even i, who don't cherish monarchy too much generally, would agree. And so on....

[President Punxsutawney Phil]

An important thing to consider here- WHICH monarchy?? Absolutist old-Russia style? That's what we do have now (in all but name), with Putin being "de facto tsar". Swedish-style constitutional monarchy? Even i, who don't cherish monarchy too much generally, would agree. And so on....

Personally I favor the monarch having a fair amount of actual power to check the Parliament, but mechanisms existing for rendering them powerless for periods if they step over the line. But it would be hard enacting that in practice.

[smoltchanov]

An important thing to consider here- WHICH monarchy?? Absolutist old-Russia style? That's what we do have now (in all but name), with Putin being "de facto tsar". Swedish-style constitutional monarchy? Even i, who don't cherish monarchy too much generally, would agree. And so on....

Personally I favor the monarch having a fair amount of actual power to check the Parliament, but mechanisms existing for rendering them powerless for periods if they step over the line. But it would be hard enacting that in practice.

Especially in Russia. The only form of monarchy it knew is an absolute one...

[Tintrlvr]

One important point to acknowledge here is that, should Russia decide to return to a monarchy, there is a succession dispute as to who the current monarch would be between Maria Vladimirovna and Andrew Romanov, who interestingly enough, actually lives in Marin County, California. He was also born just three weeks after the founding of the USSR.

Maria Vladimirovna is officially endorsed by the Patriarch of Moscow, so it's hard to imagine anyone else being chosen if they did restore the Romanovs.

[kelestian]

One important point to acknowledge here is that, should Russia decide to return to a monarchy, there is a succession dispute as to who the current monarch would be between Maria Vladimirovna and Andrew Romanov, who interestingly enough, actually lives in Marin County, California. He was also born just three weeks after the founding of the USSR.

Maria Vladimirovna is officially endorsed by the Patriarch of Moscow, so it's hard to imagine anyone else being chosen if they did restore the Romanovs.

Where did you read this? I can't remember any speech from Patriarch Kirill, where he supported reconstruction of monarchy. Also he isn't independent powerful figure.

[smoltchanov]

One important point to acknowledge here is that, should Russia decide to return to a monarchy, there is a succession dispute as to who the current monarch would be between Maria Vladimirovna and Andrew Romanov, who interestingly enough, actually lives in Marin County, California. He was also born just three weeks after the founding of the USSR.

Maria Vladimirovna is officially endorsed by the Patriarch of Moscow, so it's hard to imagine anyone else being chosen if they did restore the Romanovs.

Where did you read this? I can't remember any speech from Patriarch Kirill, where he supported reconstruction of monarchy. Also he isn't independent powerful figure.

In fact - he is absolutely dependent. Much more so then his predecessor. A servant of Putin, in one phrase. With even more hardline views.

[Zuza]

I've just found a WCIOM poll which is probably the poll mentioned in this article (though it was conducted not by Izvestia, which is a newspaper, but by WCIOM, and some numbers are the same, but some others are different; either way, WCIOM poll deserves more trust than a poll allegedly conducted by a newspaper and cited without any links by a monarchist web site).

Actual results, as usual, depend on what exactly people are asked.

What form of government better is better for Russia?
Monarchy - 8 % (down from 11 % in 2013)
Republic - 88 % (up from 82 %)

What opinion about monarchy is closer to you?
I support monarchy and see a person who could become a monarch - 6 %
I am in principle not opposed to monarchy but do not see a person who could become a monarch - 22 %
I oppose monarchy - 68 %

Younger people tend to be very slightly pro-monarchy (among people aged 18-24 results are 7 %, 26 % and 64 % respectively, among people in 60+ group they are 3 %, 13 % and 79 %, difference with other age groups is less significant). In Moscow and St. Petersburg indeed 37 % chose the first or the second option, although it is obviously incorrect to group them as "supporters of monarchy restoration".

These numbers are believable and are fairly stable since 2006 when this question was asked for the first time. It worth note that restoration of monarchy was never seriously discussed and if it will started to be discussed regularly public opinion can change. For example, in an extremely unlikely case if Putin and Russian media will start agitate people for monarchy (maybe Putin will decide to declare himself a monarch, or, which is less hilarious, to become Russian Francisco Franco), pro-monarchist sentiments could rise massively.

[Tintrlvr]

One important point to acknowledge here is that, should Russia decide to return to a monarchy, there is a succession dispute as to who the current monarch would be between Maria Vladimirovna and Andrew Romanov, who interestingly enough, actually lives in Marin County, California. He was also born just three weeks after the founding of the USSR.

Maria Vladimirovna is officially endorsed by the Patriarch of Moscow, so it's hard to imagine anyone else being chosen if they did restore the Romanovs.

Where did you read this? I can't remember any speech from Patriarch Kirill, where he supported reconstruction of monarchy. Also he isn't independent powerful figure.

I don't read Russian, but I trust Wikipedia's interpretation of this article (backed up by Google Translate, ha), where he doesn't endorse her for the throne (and specifically disendorses the monarchy generally) but does say she is the rightful successor to the House of Romanov. Presumably, in the unlikely hypothetical where the monarchy were to be restored, it would be with his support.

A monarchy of course wouldn't necessarily be Romanov. The House of Putin, anyone?