Name – Student nr – Class – Teacher
Why Abolishing the Dutch Monarchy is Necessary
In October 2020, the Dutch royal family made the headlines when the King and his family
went on a holiday to Greece while the rest of the Dutch citizens were in partial lockdown
and advised not to travel (Anderson, 2020). Many citizens of the Netherlands were
disappointed at the lack of solidarity coming from the royal family, and it is in such a
moment that citizens might question whether having a monarchy in these modern times
really is necessary or not. Where the monarchial system of rule used to be seen as the best
institutional arrangement to achieve public order and coordinate dilemmas in small and
disconnected societies in the pre-modern era, in the current world of globalization and
interconnectedness, the monarchial system does not appear to be as pertinent and
necessary as it used to be (Gerring Et Al., 2020). As can be noticed, the Netherlands has
flourished into a seventeen million inhabitants’ country with high-quality infrastructure,
advanced forms of communication, and who, due to the Port of Rotterdam, has a
connection to many parts of the world (Port of Rotterdam, n.d.). Consequently, the Dutch
monarchy should be abolished because of the limited role that the King has in the
Netherlands, the vast amount that taxpayers must pay to maintain the royal family, and the
increased interest in a Dutch parliamentary republic.
To begin with, the limited decision-making power of the King shows that, the Netherlands
would be able to continue to be governed by the Dutch parliament and without the need of
a royal family. The Dutch monarchy, unlike the Lower House (Tweede Kamer) that gets
elected by Dutch nationals, is not a democratic institution. According to Article 24 of ‘The
Constitution of the Kingdom of the Netherlands’, the title to the Throne is only hereditary to
the legitimate descendants of King William I (Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations,
2019, p. 9), and this makes the King or Queen of the Netherlands the head of state. Yet,
when it comes to decision-making in the Dutch government, although the Dutch King does
have the power to dissolve the government if it is needed, it is the ministers who are in
charge of making and overseeing these decisions (Royal House of the Netherlands, n.d.).
Additionally, by 1870, after several political conflicts between the monarch and the
Why Abolishing the Dutch Monarchy is Necessary
In October 2020, the Dutch royal family made the headlines when the King and his family
went on a holiday to Greece while the rest of the Dutch citizens were in partial lockdown
and advised not to travel (Anderson, 2020). Many citizens of the Netherlands were
disappointed at the lack of solidarity coming from the royal family, and it is in such a
moment that citizens might question whether having a monarchy in these modern times
really is necessary or not. Where the monarchial system of rule used to be seen as the best
institutional arrangement to achieve public order and coordinate dilemmas in small and
disconnected societies in the pre-modern era, in the current world of globalization and
interconnectedness, the monarchial system does not appear to be as pertinent and
necessary as it used to be (Gerring Et Al., 2020). As can be noticed, the Netherlands has
flourished into a seventeen million inhabitants’ country with high-quality infrastructure,
advanced forms of communication, and who, due to the Port of Rotterdam, has a
connection to many parts of the world (Port of Rotterdam, n.d.). Consequently, the Dutch
monarchy should be abolished because of the limited role that the King has in the
Netherlands, the vast amount that taxpayers must pay to maintain the royal family, and the
increased interest in a Dutch parliamentary republic.
To begin with, the limited decision-making power of the King shows that, the Netherlands
would be able to continue to be governed by the Dutch parliament and without the need of
a royal family. The Dutch monarchy, unlike the Lower House (Tweede Kamer) that gets
elected by Dutch nationals, is not a democratic institution. According to Article 24 of ‘The
Constitution of the Kingdom of the Netherlands’, the title to the Throne is only hereditary to
the legitimate descendants of King William I (Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations,
2019, p. 9), and this makes the King or Queen of the Netherlands the head of state. Yet,
when it comes to decision-making in the Dutch government, although the Dutch King does
have the power to dissolve the government if it is needed, it is the ministers who are in
charge of making and overseeing these decisions (Royal House of the Netherlands, n.d.).
Additionally, by 1870, after several political conflicts between the monarch and the
