Absolute monarchy is a system of government where the ultimate authority to run the state is in the hands of a king or monarch who rules by their own right, such as by divine right. Absolute monarchy is also called absolutism. A prime example of an absolute monarchy in French history includes King Louis XIV; he referred to himself as the title of Sun King. Peter the Great is an example of an absolute monarch in Russian history.
Absolute monarchy characteristics
Absolute monarchies are often historically characterized by the monarch claiming a divine right. This means the authority to rule is claimed to be given to the monarch by a higher power such as the appointment by a god. For example, the Pope in Vatican City is supposed to have the divine right to rule. Absolute monarchs are also sometimes dictators such as in the case of Hitler, Mao, and Stalin.
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What is an absolute monarchy?
Absolute monarchy is a system of government where the ultimate authority to run the state is in the hands of a king, dictator, or monarch who rules by their own right, such as by divine right. Absolute monarchy is also called absolutism.
Who are famous absolute monarchs?
Famous absolute monarchs include Peter the Great of Russia and King Louis XIV of France in medieval or feudal history. More recent history includes Adolf Hitler of Nazi Germany, Joseph Stalin of the Soviet Union, and Mao Zedong of Communist China.
What is an example of an absolute monarch?
A prime example of an absolute monarchy in French history includes King Louis XIV. He referred to himself by the title of Sun King. King Louis XIV centralized all the power of decision-making under his control.
Major Forms of Government
There are many different forms of government regarding where power lies within the system, the ideology behind the system, and how power is structured throughout the system. Additionally, there are subcategories within the general or major forms. The major forms of government include but are not limited to monarchy, republic, democracy, oligarchy, anarchy, etc. Systems of government also vary such as there being different kinds of democracies such as direct democracy or representational democracy. Some of the basic definitions of some aforementioned forms of government are as follows:
- “Anarchy” is the complete lack of central laws or central sources of governance and hierarchical systems.
- In a “direct democracy,” citizens vote directly on public policy and for new laws.
- “Representative democracy” involves citizens electing representatives who make the majority of the decisions on public policy and passing new laws.
- An “oligarchy” is a system of government involving power over the state coming from a small group of elite or privileged people within society that usually share some defining trait such as coming from nobility in the case of aristocracies.
- A “monarchy” is a form of government involving a head of a dynasty exercising the role of sovereignty over the government and state.
The major focus of this lesson is a type of monarchy called “absolute monarchy” or “absolutism.”
Absolute Monarchy
What is an “absolute monarchy?” As well, what is absolutism? A simple absolute monarchy definition is a system of government where a single ruler rules by some inherent right and has complete centralized authority or sovereignty over the state and government. In modern times, some absolute monarchs are slightly limited in power by a constitution. However, many absolute monarchs, especially those in medieval times, had no limits on their power over state and government. Some other modern synonyms for absolute monarchy include dictatorship, totalitarianism, and autocracy.
