Mahendra of Nepal

Mahendra became King of Nepal upon the death of his father, King Tribhuvan. He inherited a constitutional monarchy with a democratically elected government, a system he would later dismantle.

King Mahendra dismissed the elected government of Prime Minister B.P. Koirala, arrested political leaders, and assumed direct executive power. He accused the government of corruption and inefficiency, ending Nepal's first democratic experiment.

King Mahendra pursued a foreign policy of non-alignment, establishing diplomatic and aid relations with both China and India. He secured significant economic and military assistance from multiple countries, including the US, USSR, and China, to reduce dependence on India.

King Mahendra promulgated a new constitution establishing the Panchayat system, a party-less, guided democracy. This system concentrated power in the monarchy, banned political parties, and created a hierarchical council structure from village to national level.