EPB 2

  

The Decline of Monarchy in Nepal, the Ascendancy of the Professional Middle Class and the Event that Transformed Them. 

By Kathleen M. Gallagher

 

In this article, written by Kathleen M. Gallagher, we are given a brief overview of Nepalese monarchy and how its decline was instigated by the role of political activism being triggered by ideas from abroad that saw a modernised view which opposed the existing traditionalist ideas the country had in place. Gallagher’s aim through this text is essentially focusing on the people and their impacts to this decline, looking at how these outsider ideas ultimately led to the restoration of democracy that came with the fall of the Shah Dynasty in 2008. The article touches on the historical lead up to the monarchy’s decline, giving context as to how a certain event became a catalyst for the rise of the professional middle class and its links to democracy within the country. 

 

The shift from traditional to modern politics in Nepal is one of the bigger key points that can be taken from Gallagher’s work, as the retelling of the events that led up to the monarchy’s abolishment is heavily dominated by the key idea that the monarchy’s eventual fall was determined by the rise in modern ideas reaching those within the country. From what this article alludes to we see that the shift from traditional to modern politics in Nepal was heavily influenced by outside ideas, the Nepali people becoming aware of modern ways of ruling and countries that existed under democratic rule rather than one heavily dominated by a monarch. Gallagher talks about the consequences these professionals faced based on the way in which they dealt with this information of abroad rulers, highlighting the issues that came with documenting the negatives of the regime such as human rights violations, violence inflicted by the state’s rule, and the corruption behind the scenes. This paints the idea that those in professional positions used this new knowledge from abroad to critique the ongoing regime in Nepal, bringing in modernised ideas that challenged what the monarchy was enforcing under its rule, ultimately leading to these groups suffering the consequences that came with bringing these issues to the public. With the article focusing on this aspect, we can see the importance of the role of outsider forces in the decline of the Nepalese Monarchy, a reoccurring factor mentioned throughout the article.

 

With a large focus on the people and their impact on the movement, Gallagher’s article touches on how the professional middle class played a huge role in disbanding the monarchy, specifically with a focus on the forum at Tribhuvan University as a leading factor. This specific section of the article talks about the backlash that came from this forum, which led to support for this movement rising due to the violence inflicted by state officials onto those critiquing the current system. My interpretation of the article can be one that focuses on the impact in which this movement had, the strikes that occurred and the messages behind them that ultimately ended the traditionalist regime the monarchy upheld. Gallagher’s article touching on these protests reflects how the monarchy was ultimately ended due to the immense push back from the professional middle class at the time. From her words and the context provided in the article, we can gather that the events that transpired at the university forum were a pivotal factor in the changes the political scene of Nepal experienced.

 

Gallagher’s article ultimately gives us a glimpse and the process that occurred in order for the Nepalese monarchy to fall at the hands of a aspects that challenged the regime the country originally upheld. The article focuses strongly on the history of the Nepalese Monarchy looking at how its gradual decline eventually saw the end of this rule. Linking this back to the course, we can see that the regime in which the country stood by was overruled by the change in mindsets of those who noticed the faults of the monarchy, this being the suppression of media and the increase of modernity which saw the Nepali people being exposed to more non-traditional ideologies, ultimately leading to the switch to a more democratic political system where the people did not have to rely on the monarchy to determine their livelihoods, something related to themes we have previously touched on throughout other aspects of this class. The article was created with the intentions of explaining the historical context behind the shift in Nepal’s monarchy, the legitimacy of it and how the public’s discontent with the system ultimately led to the challenging of the monarchy and other systems linked to this rule.