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edited 11th Apr '18 6:31:51 PM by dRoy
It depends on what "by themselves" means. No ruler can make things happen without other people following their orders. The term "absolute monarch" implies such obedience, so if the question is, "Can an absolute monarch cause a nation's economy to go in the shitter by issuing stupid orders that other people follow," then the answer is absolutely yes.
See The Caligula for one form this can take, but in general, if everyone has to follow the monarch's orders, and the monarch tells them to invest the entire treasury in ostriches or something, then it's almost trivially easy for stuff to fall apart.
Edited by Fighteer on May 22nd 2020 at 12:39:36 PM
"It's Occam's Shuriken! If the answer is elusive, never rule out ninjas!"Quickest way to do it is probably through currency shenanigans. Issue a decree switching from paper money to silver, or from silver to gold, or from gold to tulips or houses or Bitcoins, adding percent purity to taste. Let simmer as the whole kingdom loses purchasing power overnight and starts flopping around in contractionary spasm. Toss in some helpful public advices on which cake recipes to try in these trying times. Maybe start contacting friendly foreign monarchs to help bail you out before the peasants figure out how guillotines work. And you're good to go.
You don't need an absolute monarchy to pull this off, by the way. For a less extreme example, look up the 2016 Indian demonetisation crisis.
Of course, the problem with incompetent leadership isn't just the decisions that the leader makes personally, but also the rot that sets into the institutions that the country needs to run. Not pointing fingers, but let's say your absolute monarch appointed his son-in-law, an idle estate holder, to a slew of administrative positions he's wholly unqualified for. At best, you'd now have vital state institutions being run by a distracted amateur; at worst, a career nepotist is now all set to bring in his cronies to pillage every last cent out of them. Soon the kingdom will find its coffers empty; tax collectors will be hard-pressed to make up the shortcoming, especially with the new tax codes being suspiciously lenient on the rich magnates who are friends with the king; investors both domestic and foreign will start eyeing safer places to park their money. From there, it's only a matter of time until an insolvency crisis hits. Can't run much of an absolute monarchy if you're too deep in debt to pay your Faceless Mooks, after all.
Again, it's not all exclusive to absolute monarchies. A full-fledged nation-state is a complex machine with a lot of moving parts. A ruler with strong political mandate can break a whole lot of them at once if they so wish, but left without oversight, many of said parts will rot away on their own on account of human greed and complacency. The one consistent thing is no matter how much power a ruler holds, they'll always find it politically expedient to blame their underlings for the state's failings. As the old saying goes, the tsar is blameless; only his boyars are corrupt.
Edited by eagleoftheninth on May 22nd 2020 at 3:17:17 AM
One day, we will read his name in the news and cheer.Would throwing silver paint on a monster to burn it be more funny, awesome, or just narmy? Again, this is a Gravity Falls fanfic, so either of the first two would work, but I'd like to avoid the latter.
RIP KissAnime.Historically, the fastest way a ruler could undermine their kingdom's economy was to borrow heavily to finance a war, and then lose the war. Lot of broke kingdoms back then.
@Delphine: If this fanfic is being written in the comedic tone of the original, I would go with something like:
[Dipper]: Oh no, I've dropped the silver paint down this shaft and I can't reach it!
[Mable]: Don't worry, I've still got my silver-based glitter! [Throws glitter at monster]
[Monster]: Ahhh! It burns! But is also makes me feel all sparkly!
Edited by DeMarquis on May 22nd 2020 at 3:12:42 PM
I'm done trying to sound smart. "Clear" is the new smart.The clergy?
Whatever your favourite work is, there is a Vocal Minority that considers it the Worst. Whatever. Ever!.I agree with the posters, who suggested that Hearts should be scholars/clergy. But yes, what about the artisans then? Thus I suggest that one of the suits should be them and merchants instead of the royalty. And you can put the royalty above the four suits, or you can let every suit have their own king/leader.
Edited by Kickisan on May 25th 2020 at 12:47:49 PM
Wikipedia. Neopagan websites and school materials have a tendency to make up stuff when they don't know something (like the meanings of runes) or twist the facts (like claiming Loki turned into a stallion and impregnated a mare, while in the actual myth Loki turned into a mare and GOT impregnated by a stallion)
Edited by Nukeli on May 26th 2020 at 3:11:45 PM
~*bleh*~Norse mythology: how about this site
? I can't vouch for it myself, but it looks informative and interesting.
I'm drafting a 20 Minutes into the Future conspiracy thriller where USA has become a christofascist dictatorship. The main character, Carter, is fleeing towards Canada, but gets caught in a tangle of conspiracies, one of them headed by Marshall, a disgraced heir leading an underground band of "terrorists". The idealistic Carter is swayed by Marshall's charisma, and joins them. Marshall gathers a following by claiming to fight for liberty, while he's actually only in it for wealth and revenge at his brothernote , willing to lead his followers to their deaths to bring him down, and not actually caring what happens to USA at all. Simultaneously, FBI is closing in, traitors are everywhere, everybody has to go further and further to stay alive and free, the government officials conspire against each other, and the date of Marshall's endgame approaches rapidly. I originally thought titling it "And the republic for which it stands" as a reference to the pledge of allegiance, but it's obviously too long. Suggestions? Or would "The July 4th Plot" be a good name?
Edited by Nukeli on May 29th 2020 at 8:00:59 PM
~*bleh*~
"We the people" ?
Nothing too specific, but if you haven't come across it yet, check out this isochronic travel map from 1881,
which documented travel times from London to various parts of the globe based on contemporary postal and shipping timetables.
Relating to the question i asked above, how long would it be plausible for them to stay off the grid after the government became aware of their existence? (It's set in 2022. They do minor sabotage, steal food and weapons, and eventually assassinate an official). The setting doesn't have any tech that our present time doesn't have, and Marshall's soldiersnote blend in with the general population, hide their faces, and give their bests shots at discreetness, but only a few of them are real soldiers. They get support from Russian government and a Mexican cartelnote , spend most of the story hiding in a nunnery, and rely on suprise and civil unrest when they go for the final attack. A few members, including Marshall's second in command, are former soldiers (TIC was Navy SEAL) but most of them are civilians, victims, and would-be victims fighting for survival, and Marshall runs the group in a bit of a personality-culty fashion, trying to distract from their situation and losses and kind of wants to be seen as something sacred so that the others wouldn't question his motives and actions.
Edited by Nukeli on Jun 1st 2020 at 4:30:06 PM
~*bleh*~

Silver is associated with the moon, which in mythological history is associated with dark secrets (specifically, moonlight reveals dark secrets). Silver is also associated with purity because it doesn't tarnish and if you polish it, it reflects so well you can see your image in it (again, it reveals "truth"). If you regard vampires and werewolves as "made of evil" (which according to historical folklore they are), then silver would be anathema to them.
I'm done trying to sound smart. "Clear" is the new smart.