Absolutism

Definition

"Absolutism is the political doctrine and practice of unlimited, centralized authority and absolute sovereignity, as vested especially in a monarch or dictator. The essence of an absolutist system is that the ruling power is not subject to regularised challenge or check by any other agency, be it judicial, legislative, religious, economic, or electoral." (Encyclopedia Britanica) The term "absolutism" was first used as such after the restoration of the Spanish monarchy in 1823. By the 1830s the term was widely spread over Europe.

Absolutism in England during Restoration

The early Stuarts, James I and Charles I,made some attempts to establish monarchial absolutism. But,this was not their primar political goal. They were actually trying to save the monarchy. The financial problems they were facing, forced them to undertake several political and social changes (ex. the introduction of ship-money for the whole country or the sale of honour tittles). These could be interpreted as trying to restore monarchial absolutism; but,it was in fact only the consequence of the neccessary stept for the survival of the monarchy. Probabbly this was the reason why absolutism was not successful in the early period of Stuart reign. The political power jumped from the monarch to the parliament and vice-versa. As a philosophical concept absolutism was introdused in England by James I famous speeches to his parlamentarians when he claimed his devine rights as given by God. But the most important political and philosophical Enlish theories are to be found in Hobbes's The Leviathan and Robert Filmer's Patriarcha or The Natural Power of Kings. Though the former was more general at defining the absolute power, namely suggesting that it could be a group of people who rule the country, they both implied that this absolute power was not to be resisted.

Successfull absolutist systems in the 17th and 18th cent. Europe

Very well established absolutist monarchs in Europe in the 17th and 18th cent. were Luis XIV of France, Frederick I of Prussia, Marie-Therese of Austria and Catherine the Great of Russia.

References

"Absolutism". Encyclopedia Britannica Online Encyclopedia. Jun. 14. 2009. [1]

Chastian, James. "Absolutism". 2004. Encyclopedia of 1848 Revolutions. Jun. 14. 2009.[2]

"Hobbes's Moral and Political Philosophy". Aug. 23.2008. Standford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Jun. 14. 2009. [3]

Hooker, Richard. "Absolutism". 1996. The European Enlightenment Glossary. Jun. 14. 2009. [4]

Kimmel, Michael S. "Absolutism and its Discontent: State and Society in Seventeenth Century France and England". 1988. pp.139-141. Google Books. Jun. 14. 2009. [5]