Angeliene Pax
Professor Daniel Johnson
History 165
21 September 2014
Analytical Exercise: European States
Absolutism and Constitutionalism were the two most popular and effective types of government during the Early Modern Period. Absolutism was supported by Jean Domat, a renowned French jurist; he made it his life’s task to explain absolutism, by defining his view on the law of nature and the law of God. John Locke on the other hand was a British philosopher and political theorist; his theories supported the overthrow of King James II, and later inspired the American Revolution. Jean Domat argues God chose who will rule in behalf of him and everyone else is assigned different roles in society, to fulfill the ruler and God. He also argues …show more content…
Since the monarch rules under God’s will, he or she is allowed to do whatever they find is fit to fulfill God. An example of this would be under the rule of King Louis XIV. He is the longest reigning monarch in European history. He weakened the power of the nobles by excluding them from his councils and made them serve him at Versailles. By nobles doing these “rituals” the king would give out favorable treatment and privileges to those whom served him, these benefits would include things such as, government offices, military, religious posts, state pensions, and honorary titles. The French people were divided into three estates, clergy, nobility and commoners. Louis relied on the collaboration of his nobles in order to extend his power. He insisted on religious unity in order to make the state more secure, he used Cardinal Richelieu, a French clergyman and political leader to keep Louis’ monarchy absolute, and breaking the political power of the Huguenots, French Protestants. The commoners wouldn’t contribute in council or the spread of the religion, but paid heavy taxes, in order to fund for the monarch’s army and labor, aided in Louis XIV reign. Louis wanted to be seen as a extremely powerful monarch, this lead to lots of wars in order to show the prominence of France. Again, in regards to the relationship between commoners and state …show more content…
John Locke argues, “By nature, men are all free, equal, and independent, no one can be put out of this estate, and subjected to the political power of another, without his own consent”. He establishes basic human rights in contrast to absolutism, where you must obey no matter how unjust the action was. In England, they practiced republicanism, a form of government in which there is no monarch and power rests in the hands of the people as exercised through elected representatives. Typically these people are nominated because they support the ideas and needs of its states citizens. Locke argues “Men found it necessary to examine more carefully the original and rights of government; and to find out ways of restrain, and prevent the abuses of power”. The Bill of Rights was written in response to the attempts to impose absolute rule on England. Once the law was passed by parliament it could not be overlooked by the Crown. England’s Parliament also had to be called at least once every three years, and no taxes could be imposed without its approval. A judiciary branch was established also. The combination allowed England to have a balance of powers and prevent absolutism to ever reoccur in