Absolutism Dbq Essay

Absolutism, which put unlimited powers in the hands of the monarchy, and democracy, which placed power in the hands of the people have been important forms of government throughout history. However, absolutism proved to be the most effective government during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries in Europe. This is supported by well known absolute monarchs King James I, King Louis XIV of France, and Machiavelli in The Prince. For the time period, absolutism became the most efficient government as decisions were made quickly where people had their needs met compared to democracy. First, absolute monarchies are efficient. There is a single head in an absolute monarchy, not groups of people where they must all agree on a decision in a democracy; …show more content…
This gave reason to a King’s power where people accepted it. However, this “divine right” theory created fear among people, a positive aspect in Machiavelli’s view: “Men have less hesitation in offending a man who is loved than who is feared… fear is accompanied by the dread of punishment, which never relaxes” (Doc 1). The people obeyed the King’s authority fearing punishment. Lastly, an absolute monarchy proved to be beneficial for its time period where it provided the people with what they needed. King Louis describes this as “The interest of the state must come first.” During this time period, many Kings developed infrastructure with new roads, public services, and manufacturing. These decisions reflected a beneficial result for the people as the population and wealth rose. In conclusion, absolutism became an effective way of government for the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Absolutism brought on faster solutions to problems in the best interest of the whole country and kept the needs of the state first. It provided a sense of stability, created order, and raised little questions from the people. Overall, absolutism proved to be the most suitable government for Europe during this

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