What does a president with near-monarchical powers mean?

It means that the president you're talking about was practically a king and that means they are at the very top

Explanation:

the end of the gilded age coincided with the panic of 1893, a deep depression, which lasted until 1897 and marked a major political realignment in the election of 1896. this productive but divisive era was followed by the progressive era.

i think it would be reparing roads