Monarchy vs. Autocracy — What's the Difference?

Monarchy is a government ruled by a single leader, often a king or queen.

Autocracy can arise through various means, not just inheritance.

Monarchy can be absolute or constitutional in nature.

Autocracy is a system where a single person has absolute power.

Monarchy is frequently tied to historical and cultural traditions.

Autocracy typically concentrates power in the hands of the leader.

Monarchy often involves a hereditary succession to the throne.

Autocracy is characterized by the absence of constitutional limitations.

Monarchy often has a ceremonial aspect, especially in constitutional setups.

Autocracy can exist in different social and political settings.

A monarchy is a form of government in which a person, the monarch, is head of state for life or until abdication. The political legitimacy and authority of the monarch may vary from restricted and largely symbolic (constitutional monarchy), to fully autocratic (absolute monarchy), and can expand across the domains of the executive, legislative, and judicial.

Government by a single person having unlimited power; despotism.

Government by a monarch.

Autocracy is a system of government in which supreme power over a state is concentrated in the hands of one person, whose decisions are subject to neither external legal restraints nor regularized mechanisms of popular control (except perhaps for the implicit threat of coup d'état or other forms of rebellion).In earlier times, the term autocrat was coined as a favorable description of a ruler, having some connection to the concept of "lack of conflicts of interests" as well as an indication of grandeur and power. This use of the term continued into modern times, as the Russian Emperor was styled "Autocrat of all the Russias" as late as the early 20th century.

A state ruled or headed by a monarch.

A country or state that is governed by a single person with unlimited power.

A government in which sovereignty is embodied within a single, today usually hereditary head of state (whether as a figurehead or as a powerful ruler).

(uncountable) A form of government in which unlimited power is held by a single individual.

The territory ruled over by a monarch; a kingdom.

(countable) An instance of this government.

A form of government where sovereignty is embodied by a single ruler in a state and his high aristocracy representing their separate divided lands within the state and their low aristocracy representing their separate divided fiefs.

Independent or self-derived power; absolute or controlling authority; supremacy.

States based on a system of governance headed by a king or a queen.

Supreme, uncontrolled, unlimited authority, or right of governing in a single person, as of an autocrat.

A state or government in which the supreme power is lodged in the hands of a monarch.

Political independence or absolute sovereignty (of a state); autonomy.

A system of government in which the chief ruler is a monarch.

The action of the vital principle, or of the instinctive powers, toward the preservation of the individual; also, the vital principle.

The territory ruled over by a monarch; a kingdom.

A political system governed by a single individual

An autocracy governed by a monarch who usually inherits the authority

A political theory favoring unlimited authority by a single individual

Monarchy is a form of government where a single person, usually by inheritance, rules a country.

Usually, a king, queen, or a royal family member rules.

Autocracy is a system of government where one person has unlimited, unchecked power.

Yes, constitutional monarchies can have democratic elements like a parliament.

Not necessarily, it can be but isn’t always.

Generally, yes. Autocracy involves centralized, absolute power.

One person, often called an autocrat, dictator, or despot.

Yes, many modern monarchies are constitutional.

Usually, no. The leader has absolute power.

Often through hereditary succession.

Through various means, including coups, elections, or appointments.

Mostly, but there are elective monarchies.

Less common than democracies, but they do exist.

Yes, but mostly in the form of constitutional monarchies.

Yes, an absolute monarchy is a form of autocracy.