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Absolutism. “Absolute Power, Corrupts Absolutely” – What does that mean?. Absolutism. Is a political belief that one ruler should hold all the power within the boundaries of a country. (unlimited power) This became a very popular belief in the 16 th – 18 th centuries.
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Absolutism “Absolute Power, Corrupts Absolutely” – What does that mean?
Absolutism • Is a political belief that one ruler should hold all the power within the boundaries of a country. (unlimited power) • This became a very popular belief in the 16th – 18th centuries. Louis XIV of France- example of Absolute monarch
Causes of Absolutism • Religious and territorial conflicts created fear and uncertainty. • Growth of armies to deal with conflicts caused ruler to raise taxes. • Heavy taxes led to unrest and revolts • Answer was Absolute Power Source: King Louis XIV of France, 1638-1715 I am the state.
Absolute Monarchs • King or queens that held all the power in their states’ boundaries. • Believed in “Divine Right” – the idea tat God created the monarchy and that the monarch acted as God’s representative on earth. • The absolute monarch answered only to God, not to his or her subjects. Absolute monarch – Catharine the Great - Russia
Who were the most famous absolute monarchs? • Phillip II (1556-1598, Spain) • Elizabeth (1558-1603, Britain) • Louis XIV (1643-1715, France) • Peter the Great (1682-1725, Russia) • Ieyasu (1600-1616, Japan) • Frederick the Great (1740-1786, Prussia) • Catherine the Great (1762-1796, Russia)
Effects of Absolutism • Rulers regulated religious worship and social gathering to control the spread of ideas. • Increased the size of their courts to appear more powerful • Created bureaucracies to control the economies. Absolute Monarch – Peter the Great – Russia
What did absolute monarchs do to achieve unlimited power ? • They controlled the nobles. • They controlled the peasants. • They controlled the military. • They controlled religion. • They controlled taxes and government spending. • They controlled the legal and court systems.
How did absolute monarchs try to achieve unlimited power? • Some had talented advisors Richelieu and Colbert. • Some adopted unique means to solidify their rule P the G’s Westernization, Louis’ Versailles, Wars (especially of Religion).
What kind of philosophy supported YOUR total control of absolute monarchs? Divine Right of Kings • Power to rule comes from God • Idea developed by James VI/I of Britain
Can you pick out the characteristics of an absolute ruler? • This is a story of a ruler of the animal kingdom • Lions are often thought of a the most powerful • In the story there are competing forces • The current king has a child, an heir, who will be king. • The King’s brother, now shut out of a royal position by the childe, tries a way to become king.
Your Task: Figure out how this story shows a clear-cut case of absolutism. • Listen one time with lyrics • Move into groups of three to find in the song clear statements that show absolutism in the form of rule Scar wishes to have. List them. • Watch the video segment with the song. • In your group add to your list of characteristics. What did you see that shows absolute power?
Absolutism “Absolute Power, Corrupts Absolutely” – What does that mean?
Mirror, Mirror on the Wall who is the most absolute monarch of them all?