The Age of Crisis

Cumulative effects of: Religious wars Climate change involving poor weather Resulting shorter growing seasons, crop failures and famines High taxes Internal rebellion Witchcraft accusations

In times of crisis, people willingly sacrifice rights in the interests of security and order Such was the case for advocates of absolutism in the early 17th century Divine Right of Kings: kings derive their power from God directly and rule on earth on his behalf

Absolutism A political system and theory of government in which the king (or queen) is all-powerful and possesses a monopoly on the use of force and the administration of justice

General Characteristics of Absolutism The King (or Queen) has an orderly and efficient bureaucracy where all power and directives flow downward from the monarch The King (or Queen) has a large standing army with which to enforce his (or her) will

General Characteristics of Absolutism The power of any other groups or traditional institutions is suppressed, especially the power of the nobility as a class Absolute government is costly and usually required heavy taxation for support

General Characteristics of Absolutism Absolute government was justified by the theory of “divine right” monarchy in which the King (or Queen) was said to be God’s anointed on the earth Absolute government depends heavily for its success on strong personality traits in the King (or Queen) as a personal symbol of the state/country