W2 Discussion Question 1: Absolutism vs. Constitutionalism - W3

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Absolutism vs. Constitutionalism

Introduction.

Absolutism is a political system in which a single leader or ruler controls all branches of the government and has full authority over the citizens or the subjects of that country. Generally, absolutism is detailed in a monarch or dictatorship of the absolute government, the powers of the leader may not be tampered with by any none or government organization since the absolutism position is inherited and the powers are claimed to be bestowed on them by God. Examples of absolutism can be found from Julius Caesar to Adolf Hitler. In the seventeenth century, the Europeans used this form of government King Louis is exampled having ruled from 1643 to 1715 and credited with employing absolutism. Constitutionalism is a form of government whose authority and powers are defined by the constitution or a body of law. The leaders are expected to govern willfully, they are not expected to rule in their interest but to rule according to the constitution. It doesn’t allow them to do anything they want to do for free since they are bounded by authority. With the knowledge of absolutism and constitutionalism, we can now analyze how the two have been employed in the real world.

Absolutism.

Absolutism is a political system in which a single leader or ruler controls all branches of the government and has full authority over the citizens or the subjects of that country. Louis XIV’s reign was considered the height of absolutism, he employed absolutism and ruled from the year 1643 to 1715. Louis XIV was physically and mentally fit and intelligent for he understood how to make himself fit in the royal government. He did this by making the royal court the center of political life in France (Outram 2019). The way Louis had absolute control is by the belief that his power was free from all restraints and that he was only answerable to God for he was considered his representative on earth. Absolutism was not only implied in France but also in Russia and Austria. In the three countries, they adopted absolutism and implemented the idea of enlightenment and an intellectual movement which by that time monarchies were denied the political power. These monarchies attempted to improve their state through personal implementation of enlightenment ideas while maintaining state affairs. The main difference between Russia and France in adopting absolutism is that Russia tried to westernize their nation to resemble those of Europe while France tried to implement strategies to increase their nation’s exports (White 2016). Absolutism was more effective with Louis.

Constitutionalism.

Constitutionalism is a form of government whose authority and powers are defined by the constitution or a body of law. Religion played the role of puritanism; this was to purify the church of England that was claimed to have been retained in the early of Queen Elizabeth’s reign (Mathews 2017). The implication of the English revolution in political authority, after the revolution, resulted in many talks of democracy which was believed Thomas that natural rights, political beliefs, and others were to ensure government rights. The following are various outposts of colonialism are the Dutch Republic and the British North American colonies.

Conclusion.

Both constitutionalism and absolutism have been identified being forms of government where we have the leaders who have authority over the subjects. Absolutism outstand being the most used form of government due to its inheritance state Louis of France being an example.

References

Matthews, S. (2017). Theology and science in the thought of Francis Bacon. Routledge.

Outram, D. (2019). Four Fools in the Age of Reason: Laughter, Cruelty, and Power in Early Modern Germany. University of Virginia Press.

White, J. W. (2016). Ikki: Social conflict and political protest in early modern Japan. Cornell University Press.