What is the difference between despotism and absolutism

Recent Examples on the Web Historical precedent, however, from early Soviet Russia to North Korea, would suggest that the West will help out in the event of a profound humanitarian crisis, even if the inescapable consequence will be to keep a despotism in power. Gross, The New Yorker , 25 Apr. First Known Use of despotism circa , in the meaning defined at sense 1a. History and Etymology for despotism see despot.

Learn More About despotism. Time Traveler for despotism The first known use of despotism was circa See more words from the same year. Style: MLA. English Language Learners Definition of despotism.

Get Word of the Day daily email! Test Your Vocabulary. Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words? Love words? In the 17th Century, abuse of power by the Stuart dynasty, and their attempts to import the doctrine of "Divine Right" from Scotland , caused the English to question the royal authority and revive earlier safeguards against executive power.

Oligarchy - Oligarchy is a form of government where most or all political power effectively rests with a small segment of society typically the most powerful, whether by wealth, family, military strength, or political influence. The word oligarchy is from the Greek words for "few" and "rule" Some political theorists have argued that all governments are inevitably oligarchies no matter the supposed political system.

Oligarchies are often controlled by a few powerful families whose children are raised and mentored to be heirs of the power of the oligarchy, often at some sort of expense to those governed. In contrast to aristocracy "government by the 'best'" , this power may not always be exercised openly, the oligarchs preferring to remain "the power behind the throne", exerting control through economic means.

Although Aristotle pioneered the use of the term as a synonym for rule by the rich, for which the exact term is plutocracy, oligarchy is not always a rule by wealth, as oligarchs can simply be a privileged group. The notion of an oligarchy of virtue, modeled on the ideal of the Roman Republic, was especially important among 18th-century aristocratic circles, such as that of Richard Boyle, Lord Burlington. Republicanism - Republicanism is the ideology of governing a nation as a republic.

The term "republic" has been defined in many different ways, but it most often refers to a state in which sovereignty is invested in the people, rather than in a hereditary elite. Republicanism is therefore opposed to monarchy, aristocracy, oligarchy and dictatorship - though these distinctions can be somewhat vague, as constitutional monarchies share many republican ideals and a great number of dictatorships have called themselves republics.

More broadly, "republic" can refer to any state that is governed in accordance with a written constitution and laws, regardless of their actual content.

In this view, republicanism means advocacy of the rule of law; it emphasizes civic duty and civic virtue and strongly opposes corruption the use of public office for private profit. Democracy - literally "rule by the people", from the Greek demos , "people," and kratos , "rule" Term originating in ancient Greece to designate a government where the people share in directing the activities of the state, as distinct from governments controlled by a single class, select group, or autocrat.

The definition of democracy has been expanded, however, to describe a philosophy that insists on the right and the capacity of a people, acting either directly or through representatives, to control their institutions for their own purposes. Such a philosophy places a high value on the equality of individuals and would free people as far as possible from restraints not self-imposed. It insists that necessary restraints be imposed only by the consent of the majority and that they conform to the principle of equality.

Anarchy - Anarchy is the anarchist society, the stateless society of free people. Anarchism is the name of a political philosophy, or a generic term for a group of more-or-less related political philosophies, derived from the Greek an-archos "without archons" or "without rulers".

Thus, "anarchism," in its most general semantic meaning, is the belief that all forms of rulership are undesirable and should be abolished. William Godwin represented one of the foremost radical proponents of this in the 18th century. Although anarchists are unified in the rejection of the state, they differ about economic arrangements and possible rules that would prevail in a stateless society.

On this issue anarchists differ widely, ranging from advocates of complete common ownership and distribution according to need, to supporters of private property and free market competition. The word "anarchy", as most anarchists use it, does not imply chaos, nihilism, anomie or the total absence of rules, but rather an anti-authoritarian society that is based on voluntary association of free individuals in autonomous communities, operating on principles of mutual aid and self-governance.

The following represent some of the more important theorists in the 17th and 18th century before the French Revolution. We will examine the debate surrounding the French Revolution later in the semester.

Note: Not all of these are reflected in our readings for the course. Thomas Hobbes, Leviathan The natural state of humanity is violent and dismal : "No arts; no letters; no society; and which is worst of all, continual fear and danger of violent death; and the life of man, solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short.

Human beings have the right to self-defense, but it is only rational among humans to grant this right to a sovereign who can mediate conflict. The order, peace, and stability of society can, thus, only be maintained by an absolute central sovereign , who mandates a uniformity of political, economic, and religious policy. Absolute power makes it possible for the sovereign to be disinterested since desire is generated by a perceived lack or want. The sovereign, lacking nothing, will wish for nothing personal.

Baron de Montesquieu, The Spirit of the Laws Montesquieu was a political realist and by temperament, a conservative. He intends his political theory to provide a way of assessing the strengths and weaknesses of various governments, feeling that no one system is a perfect ideal, but that each has its potential positives and negatives. He examines four possible systems:. Overarching Principle Where Power Resides.

Self-restraint of the people. Anarchy or Oppression. Self-interest of the monarch. Prerogatives of the nobles. Key Principles:. He was largely non-practicing and tolerated all faiths in his realm, although Protestantism became the favored religion and Catholics were not chosen for higher state positions.

While he protected and encouraged trade by Jewish citizens of the Empire, he repeatedly expressed strong anti-Semitic sentiments.

He also encouraged immigrants of various nationalities and faiths to come to Prussia. Some critics, however, point out his oppressive measures against conquered Polish subjects after some Polish land fell under the control of the Prussian Empire.

Following the common interest among enlightened despots, Frederick supported arts, philosophers that he favored, and complete freedom of the press and literature. Catherine II of Russia was the most renowned and the longest-ruling female leader of Russia, reigning from until her death in An admirer of Peter the Great, she continued to modernize Russia along Western European lines but her enlightened despotism manifested itself mostly with her commitment to arts, sciences, and the modernization of Russian education.

The leading European economists of her day became foreign members of the Free Economic Society, established on her suggestion in Saint Petersburg in She also recruited Western European scientists. She continued to investigate educational theory and practice of other countries and while she introduced some educational reforms, she failed to establish a national school system. Galaktionov, Catherine established the Smolny Institute for Noble Girls to educate females. At first, the Institute only admitted young girls of the noble elite, but eventually it began to admit girls of the petit-bourgeoisie, as well.

The girls who attended the Smolny Institute, Smolyanki, were often accused of being ignorant of anything that went on in the world outside the walls of the Smolny buildings. Within the walls of the Institute, they were taught impeccable French, musicianship, dancing, and complete awe of the Monarch.

Although Catherine refrained from putting most democratic principles into practice, she issued codes addressing some modernization trends, including dividing the country into provinces and districts, limiting the power of nobles, creating a middle estate, and a number of economic reforms.

However, military conscription and economy continued to depend on serfdom, and the increasing demands of the state and private landowners led to increased levels of reliance on serfs. Maria Theresa was the only female ruler of the Habsburg dominions and the last of the House of Habsburg.

She doubled the state revenue between and , though her attempt to tax clergy and nobility was only partially successful. Nevertheless, her financial reforms greatly improved the economy.

In , Maria Theresa created the council of state, which served as a committee of expert advisors. It lacked executive or legislative authority but nevertheless showed the difference between the autocratic form of government. Austria outlawed witch burning and torture in It was later reintroduced, but the progressive nature of these reforms remains noted.

In a new school system based on that of Prussia, all children of both genders from the ages were required to attend school from the ages of 6 to 12, although the law turned out to be very difficult to execute. However, Maria Theresa found it hard to fit into the intellectual sphere of the Enlightenment.

For example, she believed that religious unity was necessary for a peaceful public life and explicitly rejected the idea of religious tolerance. She regarded both the Jews and Protestants as dangerous to the state and actively tried to suppress them. As a young monarch who fought two dynastic wars, she believed that her cause should be the cause of her subjects, but in her later years she would believe that their cause must be hers.