Absolutism

Definition

From the Latin "lege absolutus", i.e. absolved from obeying laws. "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 Britannica) 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. It describes a political system prevalent in the 16th and 17th centuries associated with a strong central power (usually the monarch), an administration focused on the monarch, and a strong standing army.

Absolutism in England

Absolutism in its classical form cannot be found in England. The Tudors are sometimes accused of absolutism, but they relied too much on the cooperation with Parliament to be genuine absolutists. The early Stuarts, James I and Charles I, made some attempts to establish monarchical absolutism. But, this was not their primary 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 (e.g. the introduction of ship-money for the whole country or the sale of titles). These could be interpreted as trying to establish monarchical absolutism; but, it was in fact only the consequence of the monarchy trying to survive. Probably this was the reason why absolutism was not successful in the early period of Stuart reign. The political power shifted from the monarch to parliament. Moreover, the local government relied on the participation and support from the gentry. Therefore a centralised system like that in France could not be implemented.

As a philosophical concept absolutism was introduced in England by James I's famous speeches to his parlamentarians when he claimed his Divine Right as given by God. But the most important political and philosophical English 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 absolute power, namely suggesting that it could be also a group of people who rule the country, they both implied that this absolute power was not to be resisted. Charles II and James II sometimes flirted with absolutism (especially with its symbolic aspects), but did not try to erect an absolutist system. Between 1681 and 1685 Charles ruled without Parliament thanks to subsidies from France, but this did not change the basic political system of "King in Parliament". James' politics of a re-catholicisation of England (and his use of royal prerogatives) could be seen as attempts at absolutism. But the attempts were stopped due to the Glorious Revolution.

Successful absolutist systems in 17th- and 18th-century Europe

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

References

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

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

"Hobbes's Moral and Political Philosophy". August 23 2008. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. June 14 2009. [3]

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

Kimmel, Michael S. Absolutism and Its Discontents: State and Society in Seventeenth-Century France and England. New Brunswick, NJ: Transaction Books, 1988.