Stove, Robert J. Kings, Queens and Fallen Monarchies. Royal Dynasties of Interwar Europe

Among the great hidden narratives of 20th century history are the movements in Europe between the two world wars that aimed to restore the royal and imperial houses that had been ousted from power in 1918 (or, in the case of Portugal, eight years earlier). These endeavours achieved a far greater media presence and often strategic importance than one would expect from the superficial, often disparaging treatment by most historians since then. Campaigns to reinstate dynasties such as the Hohenzollerns, the Habsburgs, the Wittelsbachs, the Bragancas and even the French House of Orléans were taken seriously at the highest levels of government and journalism in London and Paris, not to mention the Holy See. This book attempts to shed light on this phenomenon. It deals with both the 'soft power' manifestations of the phenomenon (e.g. the newspaper magnate Lord Rothermere's plans for the Hungarian throne for his son) and the 'hard power' manifestations of the phenomenon, of which the successful monarchical campaigns in Albania and Greece were arguably the most dramatic. With a cast that includes not only the monarchist candidates themselves, but also Churchill, Lloyd George, Hitler, Mussolini and Franco, this is a drama that encompasses an entire continent and forces a thorough reassessment of the events we thought we knew. No one can read it without gaining a better understanding of the nature of political power and the sheer narrowness of the gap between victory and defeat.