Essay on Democracy vs Absolutism - 745 Words

A democracy is when the common people are considered as the primary source of political power. Although democracy and absolutism had advantages and disadvantages, democracy was a more effective type of government for it limited royal power and protected the rights of the people socially, politically, and economically. Throughout the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, tension arose between the two different types of governments, the democracy and absolute monarchs. The enlightenment was a great period of establishment of democracy. Throughout the enlightenment there were philosophes who believed greatly in a democratic government. Some of the most familiar philosophes were Voltaire, John Locke, Montesquieu, and Rousseau. Each one of†¦show more content†¦King James I, Machiavelli, and Thomas Hobbes strongly believed in the idea of Absolute government. They believed that Kings were Gods Lieutenants and they were in power simply because God sent them there. These men believed in divine power upon earth, and that God hath power to create or destroy, make or unmake at his pleasure, to give life or sent death, to judge all and to be judged nor accountable to none, to raise low things, and to make high things low at his pleasureÂ…and the like power have KingsÂ… as quoted from doc. 2 of King James I. Being how King James I was a King, it is a conventional belief that Kings had divine rights. In one of Machiavellis works The Prince Machia velli writes Men have less hesitation in offending a man who is loved than one who is feared.(Doc.1) Consequently Machiavelli believes in having a fear in your ruler, because if you fear your ruler, you will not hesitate to obey him, for you are afraid of the punishment. Where as, if you love your ruler, you are more lenient to challenge your rulers authority. One would believe that democracy is the better form of government because it allows people to contain certain rights, and for those rights to be protected. In document 8, Adam Smith describes the important message of the Laissez Faire. Laissez Faire means that the government should get involved as little as possible in economic affairs and leave the market to its own devices. It advocates the liberation ofShow MoreRelatedImpact Of Thomas Hobbes During The Age Of Absolutism1009 Words   |  5 PagesThomas Hobbes During the Age of Absolutism The Age of Absolutism was a time during the 16th to 19th centuries where many political, religious and colonial conflicts were rising. Some philosophers began to analyze the ideas of their civilizations in depth toward the end of this time period as it led into the Age of Enlightenment. One of these philosophers was Thomas Hobbes. He had quite a few accomplishments during his lifetime including writing many books and supporting the popular belief thatRead MoreThe New Negro, By Alain Locke1707 Words   |  7 PagesThroughout Alain Locke’s works â€Å"Values and Imperatives,† â€Å"Pluralism and Intellectual Democracy,† â€Å"Cultural Relativism and Ideological Peace,† â€Å"The New Negro,† and â€Å"Harlem,† I found there to be a number of reoccurring themes, such as absolutes, imperatives, values, and relativism and their place in pluralism. I am going to be focusing on all the aforementioned themes and showing how they are all intertwined i nto the principles of pluralism. What is an absolute? In â€Å"Values and Imperatives,† LockeRead MoreThe Supreme Law Of The Land1989 Words   |  8 Pagesscalia believes was politically motivated was Obergefell v. Hodges, the supreme court cases which granted same sex marriage in a 5-4 decision. 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