The Anarchic Monarchist Manifesto is a political manifesto which was originally hosted on the website theantichrist.net. The domain name itself actually goes back to the early 2000s: using the Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine, we’re able to see that the first snapshot is from 2002. Back then, the domain belonged to a guy named Steve Church who was the curator of “Church Upskirts”, a site I will refrain from linking directly here, because I’m trying my best to be a good Christian.
Steve’s website seemed to only last about a year and was quickly replaced by The Antichrist Atheist Network. From 2009 to 2017, the domain redirected to profoundprophecy.com, a typical website belonging to the diverse potpourri of Endtime Apostles, Doomsday Seers and Apocalypse Enthusiasts which plagued the early beginnings of the internet, and which can still be found in some corner or other of the World Wide Web. I’ll provide a more detailed analysis of the different websites in Part 2 of this series.
The first snapshot of the actual manifesto appeared in March 2022. There are two versions of the Anarchic Monarchist Manifesto, the one from 2022 and a revised version from 2024. The website design features a dark background and a tasteful rendition of an inverted cross that would’ve had every 2010s hipster and tumblrina swooning with admiration. Fun fact: the symbol of the inverted cross – which most people would think fitting for a website dedicated to the Antichrist – has its roots in the crucifixion of St. Peter, one of the Twelve Apostles, who didn’t feel worthy enough to die in the same fashion as Jesus Christ, thus being crucified upside down. Since the 19th century, the symbol has been appropriated by countless Satanic and occult groups and cults.
Back to the manifesto: while the author seems to belong to the rare caste of Americans who’re actually able to read and write, the ideas which are displayed here aren’t quite adding up. The manifesto itself is divided into six parts: a preface and five chapters. In the 2024 version of the text, only the preface was reworked; the remainder of the text was left unchanged. The preface does a good job of introducing us to the main ideas of the manifesto, which are rooted in the natural rights of individuals, voluntary cooperation of said individuals and equality before the law. The emphasis clearly lies on the reform or even complete dissolution of already-existing government institutions in favour of establishing a monarchy with minimal laws.
While the manifesto envisions a state based on anarchic monarchy, its ideas are actually overlapping with libertarianism, a political philosophy which shares a lot of the points presented here. (As I was researching the core tenets of this school of thought, I stumbled upon this "How Libertarian are You?" quiz, which told me that I was… 0% libertarian. Well, could be worse, I guess.) The preface further shows a deep scepticism of democracy and instead argues for a state without centralized power. Then why add a monarch?*
The first chapter, like the introduction, repeats that criticism of centralized power and instead envisions order based on hierarchies that can be found in nature, within a self-sustained society. While leaders in animal hierarchies are chosen because of certain traits like body size, strength or life experience, the idea of a monarchy in the stricter sense is still man-made. Monarchies evolved through the evolution of complex human civilizations to concentrate power in one spot to make political and economic decisions easier. Again, it is not quite clear why the text argues for the complete dissolution of centralized power while simultaneously calling for the appointment of a king.
The first chapter also contains two subsections called “The Non-Aggression Principle” and “The Golden Rule”, which are core moral axioms and form the ethical foundation of anarchist / libertarian thought. The Non-Aggression Principle simply states that nobody has the right to use violence against another person. The Golden Rule, as core principle of practical ethics, describes a similar approach to interpersonal behaviour and relationships. The Golden Rule was proclaimed by Jesus during his Sermon on the Mount:
“So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.” – Matthew 7:12
Quite ironic to add a maxim proclaimed by Christ to a political manifesto hosted on a site dedicated to the Antichrist, but nevertheless, it’s a rule worth following to achieve a society based on mutual respect and trust.
We return to the figure of the king (or Monarch, in this case) in Chapter 4. As previously stated, a king as head of state and institution of centralized power contradicts the libertarian emphasis on individual autonomy and decentralization and thus, is incompatible with the libertarian idea of radical individualism and the anarchic idea of the abolition of all institutions of authority, respectively. As in many other political manifestos, the author seems to see himself playing a key role in the utopian form of government he is striving for; in this case right at the top, of course.
*While conducting research for this post, I managed to contact the original author of the manifesto over on Twitter. I sent him a draft of the text, and he told me that the biggest reason why a Monarch will be accepted is because he knows how to enact his will upon the world we live in: “make me your king because I said so, and let me make things better with all the money I made from all of you”
When I told him that people wouldn’t accept someone who spoke in such a condescending tone, he replied that I couldn’t be further from the truth, and to just look at Trump. I didn’t know what to say to that.