As a “small-r” republican I am no supporter of monarchy, yet I find that I sign up for Netflix whenever a a new season of “The Crown” is released.
As the episodes go by, with my frustration mounting at how absurd I find the whole institution, I inevitably ask myself why I’m watching it.
What I’ve come to realize is that I’m fascinated by the power dynamic between “crown” and “court.”
It gelled for me through an exchange with one of the producers of “Upheaval,” the new documentary about the life of Menachem Begin. Rob Schwartz and I were discussing Israel’s decision in 1982 to opt for a full-scale invasion of Lebanon, even though the original goal was to establish a 40-kilometer zone. The results were disastrous. So why did the invasion happen?
Simple: a power struggle between political and military leadership. While Begin never shifted from his original goal, General Ariel Sharon held enormous sway over Israel’s military establishment, and over Begin personally. Begin and Sharon were both from Brest, Belarus, and Sharon’s mother had actually delivered Begin.
As Begin was in the twilight of his career and, perhaps to some degree tired of it all, Sharon saw an opportunity, and seized it.
When looking back on history, this “crown” and “court” dynamic has had enormous impact. If Tsar Nicholas II hadn’t been controlled by his court, there’s a good chance Bolshevism wouldn’t have taken root in Russia. If Kaiser Wilhelm II hadn’t essentially abdicated all responsibility to his military establishment, WW I could have ended sooner with far fewer casualties. In both cases, maybe the rulers would have even kept their jobs!
That question — how much power does a ruler actually hold? — intrigues me. More of an issue when dynastic rule was prevalent, it still holds true in modern politics, though it usually has less to do with the dimwittedness of primogeniture. Many reasons, from physical health to personality to mental fatigue, can make a modern leader beholden to his or her “courtiers.”
This power dynamic stretches back to time immemorial, to such figures as Ahasuerus and Haman. The power a vizier had over the emperor nearly destroyed our nation. It behooves Jews to look at any leader, such as Biden today, and ask ourselves, who is really running the show? Why is Biden seriously considering reinvigorating a weakened Iran? At least most Jews today live in democracies where we have the power to vote on a leader’s fitness for office. What a blessing!
Shana Goldberg may be reached at shana@ijn.com
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