O despotism it is a regime of government in which only one person, the despot, runs a country or region.
Origin
The word despot comes from ancient Greek and simply means lord of the house.
Despotism is characterized by the absence of freedom and lack of discussion.
Despotism
Despotism would be the oldest form of power, as it is exercised by a family man in relation to his children, for example.
The title of “Despot” was used by the Byzantine Emperor and he could give it to his son and foreign princes. It was the title below "Emperor" and existed until the end of this empire.
Theodore Laskaris, despot and later Emperor of Nicaea (1208-1222)
Extending to the public sphere, despotism transforms political government into domestic government. Which means that public issues would be resolved like private issues: without the participation of society and without debate.
eastern despotism
Eastern Despotism was described as authoritarian regimes, when rulers used repression to build large works like dams and dams on rivers.
This system would be based not only on strength, but also on submission. More important than frightening the population, the despotic power needed it not to express its displeasure.
Despotism in the Enlightenment
The illustrated thought identified despotism as a barbaric form of government and, therefore, it would be characteristic of oriental peoples.
The 1772 entry on despotism in the Encyclopedia defined Despotism as “a tyrannical, arbitrary and absolute government of one man. Such is the government of Turkey, Mongolia, Persia and almost all of Asia”.
Thus, for these thinkers, despotism becomes a regime not compatible with European civilization.
Enlightened Despotism
O Enlightened Despotism was a concept created by the German historian Wilhelm Roscher, in 1847, which described some governments existing in Europe in the 18th century.
According to this theory, enlightened monarchs sought to improve the lives of their subjects from a material point of view. However, political freedoms remained restricted to a minority.
Despotism and Absolutism
Although the terms despotism and absolutism they cannot be considered equal government regimes.
In Despotism, power is unlimited and the people cannot oppose the ruler's ideas and actions. The only beneficiaries, often, are the despot's own family, characterizing nepotism.
For its part, power in Absolutism is limited by divine law. This implied that monarchs were religious people and should try to practice the divine teachings in their government.
There were also groups of nobles who tried to influence the ruler's decisions in order to favor them.
Read more:
- Forms of Government
- Enlightenment
- Enlightenment Philosophers
- Nepotism