in the 18th century, and saw the public execution of King Louis XVI and with him the French monarchy itself. The economic slump that preceded the revolution played a pivotal role in the uprising, but there were other factors that arose towards the end of the century that also contributed to the rebellion. Corrupt politics, coupled with individuals who began opposing the principle of the absolute monarchy and authoritarian regime; meant that by the end of the 18th century, France was suffering…
expansion through military conquests. A major differentiating factor for the Safavids was that their making of Shiite Islam the state religion of Iran made it very different from its neighboring Sunni Muslim empires. The political government was an Absolute monarchy under their ruler. Ismail, at the time a seven year old boy, became the leader of the most powerful Safavid Sunni order and later the founder of the Safavid empire. In 1501 he conquered the city of Tabriz against the ever powerful…
“Napoleon Bonaparte, the most extraordinary character who has ever yet figured on the great theatre of the world,” is how he was viewed in the early 19th century, during his rise to power, after the French Revolution. However, today the character of Napoleon and his achievements sparks a great debate between historians. Was he a true revolutionary or a dictator? Was he a reformer or repressive authoritarian? It would be simple to conclude that Napoleon did not promote the values of the…
Adolf Hitler would be granted complete control of government aspects, and be dubbed Germany’s first Fuhrer. Sadly, the people of Germany decided to forgo their own democracy in order to elect a dictator who would rule with the powers of an absolute monarchy. When the people become desperate enough to forgo common thought and reason, they can become blind to the fact that they are forfeiting their own…
At the time in absolute monarchies, citizens had no right to petition, and anyone who spoke out against the king could be jailed or killed. This freedom of petition, and the free speech that went with it became an essential part of democratic government in the Americas. The first…
Over time, the logics of social control and punishment have transformed dramatically and are designed to be effective based on the overall structure of society. During the ancient regime, society was under a feudal system controlled by the monarchy who used fear, torture, and public executions to keep citizens submissive. Accompanying the transition of the logics of punishment under the ancient regime to those introduced by the reformers is the new form of control through the use of discipline…
therefore able to have enough time to turn the monarchy around. When he came into full power, he was able to build his splendor palace of Versailles which came with both power and debt. As he continued his reign and made sizable decisions about religion and war, he ended up only getting into more debt and had some of his people turn against him. Although Louis was able to change the government from a weak rule to an extremely powerful absolute monarchy, it did not hold. Only a few decades later,…
The French Revolution, which took place in 1789-1799, brought about great changes in France’s government and society. The monarchy was overthrown by a people fed up with their injustices. There were many different causes of the French Revolution, some of which were feudalism and the class system, the monarchy, and the economy. To began with, feudalism and the class system helped cause the French Revolution. The people of France were divided into three different classes, which were the clergy,…
unions fairly, are the positive result. Gradual developments in Europe eventually helped in the discovery of America by the vikings settlement. It is clear that as a result of events in Europe such as the Crusades, the Renaissance, and the rise of absolute monarchs, both America and Europe have established new customs unique to their nation. It is valuable to understand how the harshness of the events in Europe resulted in something that was beneficial, ultimately determining that it was…
According to Otanes, no good can come from a monarchy. During his speech Otanes states that monarchy cannot be fit into a system of ethics, since the ruler is allowed to do whatever he pleases without question or consequence. Otanes goes on to say that the vices of every monarch are envy and pride – “envy, because it is a natural human weakness, and pride, because excessive wealth and power lead to the delusion that he is something more than a man. These two vices vices…lead to acts of savage…