During the recent century and a half the attitude of Europe has undergone a sudden change and the general tendency is to discredit monarchism and adopt republicanism.  The one great European power which first attempted to make a trial of republicanism is Great Britain.  In the Seventeenth Century a revolution broke out in England and King Charles I was condemned to death by Parliament and executed as a traitor to the nation.  A republic was established and the administration was called republican with Cromwell as regent, i.e.  President, Cromwell was able to control the power of government because at the head of the revolutionary army he defeated the King.  This English republic however, only existed for a few years and was finally defeated in turn.  The reason was that the problem of succession after the death of Cromwell was difficult to solve.  Cromwell had a desire to place his son in his place as regent after his death, but as the English people were then unsuited for a republic and his son had not the ability to act as chief executive, the republic of England suddenly disappeared.  The British people then abandoned the republican system and readopted the monarchical system.  Thus Charles II, the son of Charles I, was made King not only with the support of the army but also with the general consent of the country.

The second European race which attempted to have a republic was the American.  In the Eighteenth Century the United States of America was established in consequence of the success of a revolution.  But the American revolution was not at first intended to overthrow the monarchy.  What it sought to do was to throw off the yoke of the monarchy and become independent.  The revolution, however, succeeded and the circumstances were such that there was no other alternative but to have a republic:  for there was no royal or Imperial descendant to shoulder the responsibilities of the state.  Another factor was the influence of the advocates of republicanism who came to America in the previous century from England and saturated the minds of the Americans with the ideas of republicanism.  The minds of the American people were so imbued with the ideas of republicanism that a republican form of government was the ideal of the entire race.  Had General Washington—­the leader of the revolutionary army—­had the desire to become a monarch himself he would probably have been successful.  But Washington’s one aim was to respect republicanism and he had no aspiration to become King.  Besides he had no son capable of succeeding him on the throne.  Consequently on the day independence was won, the republican form of government was adopted without hesitation, and it has survived over a hundred years.