Will we be able to stay an absolute monarchy on Victoria III ?

  • We have updated our Community Code of Conduct. Please read through the new rules for the forum that are an integral part of Paradox Interactive’s User Agreement.

BochePoilu

Recruit
24 Badges
May 30, 2021
6
33
  • Europa Universalis IV: Rights of Man
  • Victoria 3 Sign Up
  • Europa Universalis 4: Emperor
  • Battle for Bosporus
  • Crusader Kings III: Royal Edition
  • Crusader Kings III
  • Hearts of Iron IV: La Resistance
  • Hearts of Iron IV: Expansion Pass
  • Hearts of Iron IV: Expansion Pass
  • Hearts of Iron IV: Death or Dishonor
  • Europa Universalis IV: Third Rome
  • Hearts of Iron IV: Together for Victory
  • Crusader Kings II
  • Hearts of Iron IV: Cadet
  • Europa Universalis IV: Cossacks
  • Europa Universalis IV: Common Sense
  • Europa Universalis IV: El Dorado
  • Cities: Skylines
  • Victoria 2: Heart of Darkness
  • Victoria 2: A House Divided
  • Victoria 2
  • Europa Universalis IV: Wealth of Nations
  • Europa Universalis IV: Art of War
  • Europa Universalis IV
Bonjour,

I think that the worst flaw in this game is the lack of freedom in politics. We are forced to accede to the reform request of our POPs, otherwise we obtain a big Jacobin revolution every 6 months which paralyze the game ... and we cannot influence the POPs to appreciate the Monarchy, with propaganda or whatever.

So its just impossible to stay an absolute Monarchy for the whole game, and I was desapoint about that. In each game the same thing happens and we can't do nothing to avoid this.
The game lets us believe that we can go back in the reforms while it is almos impossible, each game is like a market road. lmao
My dream was to remake the Absolute Monarchy in France, and I was disappointed to see that it was impossible without cheating.. :( (Vive le Roi !)

Do you think they will "fix" that on Victoria III? What do you think about that ?

Ps : Sorry for my English, im a Frenchy. xd
 
  • 26Like
  • 5
Reactions:
Yes, though you may find it challenging to do so if you also want to have full education, a liberalized economy and other such factors that will result in a strong base of IGs pushing for voting rights. Much easier to do if you remain agrarian and largely illiterate. Either way it should definitely be *possible*.
 
  • 64Like
  • 25
  • 5
  • 1Haha
Reactions:
Yes, though you may find it challenging to do so if you also want to have full education, a liberalized economy and other such factors that will result in a strong base of IGs pushing for voting rights. Much easier to do if you remain agrarian and largely illiterate. Either way it should definitely be *possible*.
Are you challenging me? It would be interesting an achievement about it, to be an absolute monarchy and great power in 1936 or something.
 
  • 10Like
  • 3Haha
  • 1
Reactions:
A Frenchman asking if you can remain an absolute monarchy? Heads will surely roll over this!
Yes, though you may find it challenging to do so if you also want to have full education, a liberalized economy and other such factors that will result in a strong base of IGs pushing for voting rights. Much easier to do if you remain agrarian and largely illiterate. Either way it should definitely be *possible*.
It's reassuring to know that the old strategy of "treat em' mean, keep em' keen", is still just as valid as ever.
 
  • 3Love
  • 2Haha
Reactions:
Yes, though you may find it challenging to do so if you also want to have full education, a liberalized economy and other such factors that will result in a strong base of IGs pushing for voting rights. Much easier to do if you remain agrarian and largely illiterate. Either way it should definitely be *possible*.
BASED BASED BASED
A7BF9FD4-7DD1-41F1-936A-4C39947710C7.png
 
  • 9Like
  • 8Haha
  • 2
Reactions:
Bonjour,

I think that the worst flaw in this game is the lack of freedom in politics. We are forced to accede to the reform request of our POPs, otherwise we obtain a big Jacobin revolution every 6 months which paralyze the game ... and we cannot influence the POPs to appreciate the Monarchy, with propaganda or whatever.

So its just impossible to stay an absolute Monarchy for the whole game, and I was desapoint about that. In each game the same thing happens and we can't do nothing to avoid this.
The game lets us believe that we can go back in the reforms while it is almos impossible, each game is like a market road. lmao
My dream was to remake the Absolute Monarchy in France, and I was disappointed to see that it was impossible without cheating.. :( (Vive le Roi !)

Do you think they will "fix" that on Victoria III? What do you think about that ?

Ps : Sorry for my English, im a Frenchy. xd
Hopefully they fix that system
 
  • 1Haha
  • 1Like
Reactions:
I don't know, the thing about absolute monarchies in history is that they were always really unstable and enforced through... well, force. Pretty much all of them that I can think of had major revolutionary movements of people advocating for more liberties, and semi-regular mutinies and uprisings against authoritarian power. I strongly doubt it's going to be possible to maintain a country full of contented reactionaries, when you have a majority of them working unlimited work days for pittance wages in dangerous factories. If you really want to maintain an absolute monarchy, you're going to have to work hard to eradicate any movement of people who agitate for liberty.
 
  • 10
  • 2Like
  • 1
Reactions:
I don't know, the thing about absolute monarchies in history is that they were always really unstable and enforced through... well, force. Pretty much all of them that I can think of had major revolutionary movements of people advocating for more liberties, and semi-regular mutinies and uprisings against authoritarian power. I strongly doubt it's going to be possible to maintain a country full of contented reactionaries, when you have a majority of them working unlimited work days for pittance wages in dangerous factories. If you really want to maintain an absolute monarchy, you're going to have to work hard to eradicate any movement of people who agitate for liberty.
or yuo know, give them labour rights? namely minimun wage and better safety conditions and 8 hour weeks? after all the goal is to stay in power, not to get the capitalists rich, this was valid strategy in victoria 2 (even tough yuo had to cheat to be able to pass said laws) a non-liberal economy does not mean the total and complete absence of workers rights, after all guilds existed under absolutism in the 1600's to 1700's, why can't there be unions (non-socialist of course) in an absolute monarchy?
 
  • 10
  • 2Haha
  • 1
Reactions:
So its just impossible to stay an absolute Monarchy for the whole game, and I was desapoint about that.
My dream was to remake the Absolute Monarchy in France, and I was disappointed to see that it was impossible without cheating.. :( (Vive le Roi !)

It was definitely possible I quite often played Vic II that way. One needed to have massive army centered around capital just to put down rebels and it was annoying. But after you get socialists in upper house and are able to pass social reforms It gets a little easier.

I don't know, the thing about absolute monarchies in history is that they were always really unstable and enforced through... well, force. Pretty much all of them that I can think of had major revolutionary movements of people advocating for more liberties, and semi-regular mutinies and uprisings against authoritarian power.

Parliamentary systems also had problems with stability. For example constitutional monarchy in France had revolution that put more liberal Orleanists on the throne but they also got overthrown. Then there was republic but also unstable - it was quickly replaced by Bonapartist regime. In Spain there was parliamentary monarchy but it didn't save the nation from internal struggle - we had carlists uprisings and short lived republican revolution. And what happened after Republic was introduced in China? Complete chaos. Liberal revolutions were done by small number of revolutionaries while majority of populations were always monarchist and conservative. Democratic systems were quite unstable at first and needed a long period of brainwashing of the masses to be as stable as they are nowadays.


I strongly doubt it's going to be possible to maintain a country full of contented reactionaries, when you have a majority of them working unlimited work days for pittance wages in dangerous factories.

What has unlimited work at factories to do with absolute monarchies? It has more connection to liberal republics. Reactionary circles were against capitalism and that's why bourgeoise revolutionaries overthrown absolute monarchies to have their republics where there would be free trade and the richest would rule. Capitalists were often enemies of monarchies. They needed to destroy feudal system to have peasants flow into factories to work those unlimited work days. Simple folk and poor people were in general much more monarchist than bourgeoise and middle class.

If you really want to maintain an absolute monarchy, you're going to have to work hard to eradicate any movement of people who agitate for liberty.

Lol "liberty". Monarchies were overthrown by small radical movements of bourgeoise and degenerated intellectuals who often came from nobility. There was no such a thing as popular movement of people for liberty, its a myth. Simple folk was always a bastion of the Throne.
 
Last edited:
  • 20
  • 14
  • 4Like
  • 3Haha
  • 1
Reactions:
Yes, though you may find it challenging to do so if you also want to have full education, a liberalized economy and other such factors that will result in a strong base of IGs pushing for voting rights. Much easier to do if you remain agrarian and largely illiterate. Either way it should definitely be *possible*.
How much flexibility is available in setting up ruling coalition from various IGs? For example, would it be possible to create something akin to the "conservative socialism" Metternich envisioned (though never implemented) late in his political career, a absolutist monarchical regime with strong social safety nets and government intervention in the economy; essentially, the aristocracy and the proletariat teaming up to screw over the bourgeoisie?
 
  • 6
  • 2Like
Reactions:
Bonjour,

I think that the worst flaw in this game is the lack of freedom in politics. We are forced to accede to the reform request of our POPs, otherwise we obtain a big Jacobin revolution every 6 months which paralyze the game ... and we cannot influence the POPs to appreciate the Monarchy, with propaganda or whatever.

So its just impossible to stay an absolute Monarchy for the whole game, and I was desapoint about that. In each game the same thing happens and we can't do nothing to avoid this.
The game lets us believe that we can go back in the reforms while it is almos impossible, each game is like a market road. lmao
My dream was to remake the Absolute Monarchy in France, and I was disappointed to see that it was impossible without cheating.. :( (Vive le Roi !)

Do you think they will "fix" that on Victoria III? What do you think about that ?

Ps : Sorry for my English, im a Frenchy. xd
You could do it in Vic2, it wasn't easy but it wasn't impossible either
 
How much flexibility is available in setting up ruling coalition from various IGs? For example, would it be possible to create something akin to the "conservative socialism" Metternich envisioned (though never implemented) late in his political career, a absolutist monarchical regime with strong social safety nets and government intervention in the economy; essentially, the aristocracy and the proletariat teaming up to screw over the bourgeoisie?
Yes, you will be able to do this. It will be a balancing act, because the aristocracy and the proletariat tend to have different ideas about how a country should be run. But with the right laws and political strength distribution in your population, it should be possible to keep such a coalition in power. And everything is of course easier to pull off if you can make people financially content.
 
  • 43Like
  • 13
Reactions:
Yes, you will be able to do this. It will be a balancing act, because the aristocracy and the proletariat tend to have different ideas about how a country should be run. But with the right laws and political strength distribution in your population, it should be possible to keep such a coalition in power. And everything is of course easier to pull off if you can make people financially content.
Cool! And makes sense, there's a reason that while 'court socialism' was often talked about, it never seemed to quite get implemented.
 
  • 2Like
Reactions:
Within the timeframe of Victoria 3 there were two different dynasties of monarchs ruling in France. This wasn't really modelled in Vicky 2 and I'm hoping it will be in 3! Would be cool if I could bring back the Orleanists later on in the game instead of being forced to take the historical Louis-Napoleon route when I want to do a monarchist France run.

Also this sort of makes me want to do a run as an independant Canadian monarchy. Would be cool!
 
  • 3Like
Reactions:
I'm gonna bust my balls trying to make this work as japan, trust me.

I'm currently doing it right now in Vic 2 with HPM - Tokugawa won the Boshin War, no Meiji Restauration. Closed borders, not a single political or social right - not even rights to public meetings - with Serfdom/Slavery thrown into the mix. Going as far to the Reactionary right I can go this side of the Mito Domain school.

I do have to crack a few skulls once and a while, but with 130+ brigades at 50% maintenance I say good luck to them - I have almost double of peacetime army that Czarist Russia has.
 
Last edited:
  • 1Haha
  • 1Like
Reactions:
I'd really like to see some pros and cons, mechanically, to different types of government. In Victoria 2, going more liberal didn't have much downsides.

Reforms were almost always beneficial, but hard to pass. There needs to be a reason why a player (as a national spirit) wouldn't want to pass some reforms.
 
  • 10
  • 3Like
Reactions:
The biggest downside to remaining an Absolute Monarchy, IMHO, outside of bombs being constantly thrown around, should be a sense of general backwardedness. Land is the principal source of wealth, so production tend to be local and generally non-competitive, no real impetus to develop industry, bureaucratic unresponsiveness and inefficiency.

That, and interest groups should be much more aggressive in trying to influence your rule. Yes, your government decides everything, but that means that if things do not work you and the system get all the blame. Even in pre-revolution Imperial Russia there was two constant sources of threats to Autocracy - Peasant Revolts and Palace Coups.
 
Last edited:
  • 3Like
  • 3
Reactions: