1. Absolutism

2. Absolutism in France

3. Conflicting Viewpoints
Absolutism
Constitutionalism
Ruler claims sole and uncontestable power.
There is no parliament
Or if there is, power is very weak
Divine Right of Kings
Often Catholic
Ruler shares power with an assembly of elected representatives.
England
Dutch Republic
British North American Colonies
(all above – Protestant)

4. Louis XIV Model of absolute monarchy
Tells the Paris high court of justice:
“I am the State”
Misleading? Needs:
Local officials
Peasants/Artisans
Soldiers
Tax Payers
Clergy
Nobles

5. Weakening the Nobles’ Authority
Weakens the power of nobles by excluding them from his councils
Increased the power of intendants, who collected taxes and administered justice
Intendants were like “civil servants”; they were appointed by the king to make sure his rule was being followed all over France
He made sure that local officials communicated with him regularly

6. The Sun King’s Grand Style
Louis spent a fortune surrounding himself with luxury
Built the palace at Versailles near Paris
Palace was 500 yards long
Ornate decoration and furnishings
Intended to clearly show Louis’s wealth and power

10. Patronage of the Arts Versailles was a center of arts
Louis made opera and ballet more popular
Louis supported the arts as a way to glorify the king and promote values that supported his absolute rule

11. Louis Controls the Nobility
Louis required hundreds of nobles to live at Versailles
Nobles kept busy with elaborate rituals surrounding Louis
Increased royal authority in two ways:
Made the nobility dependent on Louis
Took them away from their homes so the intendants had more power
Kept them under the king’s watchful eye

12. War: The Key to Absolutism
Why does war aid in absolutism?
Securing loyalty
Professionalization of military

13. Constitutional Monarchy in England

14. The English Monarchy The Stuarts (who followed the Tudors)
Believed in the Divine Right of Kings
Wanted to remove Parliamentary power

15. The Glorious Revolution (1688)
The English Civil War
Struggle between kings and Parliament
Parliament invites William and Mary to invade England (From the Netherlands)

16. English Bill of Rights Accepted by William and Mary Provisions:
Parliament must consent to taxation
Monarch could not be Roman Catholic
Due Process of Law
Parliament was allowed to meet regularly

17. Absolutism in Russia

18. Russia Today

19. Former Soviet Region Compared in Latitude & Area with the United States

20. Russia’s Time Zones

21. Topography of Russia

22. Rich Soil of the Steppes
Chernozem Soil

23. Themes in Russian History
Expansion by conquest.
Need for warm-water ports.
The necessity of a strong, central government.
Siberia (“Permafrost”)
Average temperatures of January vary from 0 to -50°C, and in July from 1 to 25°C
150,000,000 population.

24. Early Russia

25. Peter the Great (r )
Best known for his extensive reforms in an attempt to establish Russia as a great nation
Created a strong navy
Reorganized army according to Western standards
Secularized schools
Administered greater control over Orthodox Church
Introduced new administrative and territorial divisions of the country.
Improved agriculture (potato)

26. Peter the Great (part II)
Constructed St. Petersburg (1703)
Modeled after Versailles
Exploited the Serfs
Peasants did not benefit from reforms
Forced into military
Serfs were not tied to land, but to noble

27. Peter’s Legacy Good Bad Focused on science and technology
Developed commerce and industry
Created a viable Senate
Won territory through war
Turned Russia into a great power
Bad
Known to be cruel, tyrannical
Continuously raised taxes
Violent tendencies, heavy drinker