In the 1500’s there was a religious reform movement that swept through Europe. It was called the Protestant Reformation. This taught that the Catholic Church was giving out incorrect doctrine, one of which was teaching people that the church could save them from the Black Death during the 1300’s. When people realized these teachings were false, they drifted away from the church. Kings used this opportunity to make up an excuse to use their authority to become a protecting power against the church, which was the beginning of absolutism. Some examples of absolute monarchs are Louis XIV, Henry VIII, and Ivan IV. Absolutism is not a sustainable or effective form of ruling a country. It concentrates too much power in the hands of a single ruler
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The problem occurs when there is a leader, such as Henry VIII, who beheaded two of his wives when they got on his bad side. Or when Louis XIV persecuted protestants because they chose something different from his personal beliefs and created an unfair tax system, by heavily taxing the French peasants, and not taxing the nobles or the church officials. If these monarchs had limits on their power, many lives would be saved, many people could avoid prosecution, and society could live a better life knowing the king wouldn’t turn them on in the blink of an eye. Monarchs can be blinded by the fact that they have absolute power with no limits, leading to irrational decisions. Proving this, Louis XIV chose an emblem of the sun, to show that his power is spread everywhere, just like how the sun shines its light everywhere. Louis XIV sees himself shining his light on his territory and his people, which shows that the king thought very highly of himself. He thought he was the most important, he thought the world revolved around him, and thought he was chosen by God to be …show more content…
For example, Ivan the Terrible murdered hundreds of people that seemed like a threat to him. Anyone who protested against Ivan would be executed. If one of Henry VIII’s wives didn’t please him, he would leave them or kill them. Hitler is a more current example of an absolute monarch, and if people in Germany had a say in the persecution of Jews, then thousands of lives could have been spared, thousands of German boys wouldn’t have been brainwashed, and Germany could have been in the hands of a better leader. But when looking at absolutism, society has no say, and when they attempt to have a say, the punishments are severe, ultimately hindering society’s progress and development. In conclusion, when observing absolute monarchy, one may notice that it focuses too much power and authority on one person, and individuals in the country lose accountability, hindering the development of the society. If anyone in the society had a say in executions or any decision passed by the king, then lives might have been spared, but with all power and no limits, countless lives were taken away, several suffered from persecution, and society has gone through financial
The problem occurs when there is a leader, such as Henry VIII, who beheaded two of his wives when they got on his bad side. Or when Louis XIV persecuted protestants because they chose something different from his personal beliefs and created an unfair tax system, by heavily taxing the French peasants, and not taxing the nobles or the church officials. If these monarchs had limits on their power, many lives would be saved, many people could avoid prosecution, and society could live a better life knowing the king wouldn’t turn them on in the blink of an eye. Monarchs can be blinded by the fact that they have absolute power with no limits, leading to irrational decisions. Proving this, Louis XIV chose an emblem of the sun, to show that his power is spread everywhere, just like how the sun shines its light everywhere. Louis XIV sees himself shining his light on his territory and his people, which shows that the king thought very highly of himself. He thought he was the most important, he thought the world revolved around him, and thought he was chosen by God to be …show more content…
For example, Ivan the Terrible murdered hundreds of people that seemed like a threat to him. Anyone who protested against Ivan would be executed. If one of Henry VIII’s wives didn’t please him, he would leave them or kill them. Hitler is a more current example of an absolute monarch, and if people in Germany had a say in the persecution of Jews, then thousands of lives could have been spared, thousands of German boys wouldn’t have been brainwashed, and Germany could have been in the hands of a better leader. But when looking at absolutism, society has no say, and when they attempt to have a say, the punishments are severe, ultimately hindering society’s progress and development. In conclusion, when observing absolute monarchy, one may notice that it focuses too much power and authority on one person, and individuals in the country lose accountability, hindering the development of the society. If anyone in the society had a say in executions or any decision passed by the king, then lives might have been spared, but with all power and no limits, countless lives were taken away, several suffered from persecution, and society has gone through financial