Despotism

Despotism is a state of government where a ruler has absolute power. In modern usage despot and despotism is almost always pejorative. The word comes, originally, from the Greek despotes literally meaning ‘master of the house’ and usually translated as ‘lord’ or ‘owner’ (Douglas n.d.). In the Byzantine Empire Despot was an official court title bestowed on the heir apparent. Several other minor kingdoms throughout the middle ages imitated the Byzantines by having despots of their own (Billarsky 2011, 277)

When despot entered the Enlightened European’s vernacular during the 18^th century, it did so as a more general term for a king, monarch, emperor or other dictator, with no pre-existing ideological baggage (Bonney 2003).

In the mid 18^th century, ‘despotism’, as derived from the older ‘despot’ came in to use for the first time as a term to describe ideologies where the ruler of a nation should possess unlimited and unchecked power. Many enlightenment Philosophes discussed despotism. Voltaire believed that a single well-educated ruler, unburdened by debate or scrutiny, was the ideal form of government, and praised Catherine the Great as an example of this ‘Enlightened despotism’ (Mishra 2017, 98. Lentin 1971). Voltaire believed that democracy did not offer protection against the idiocy of the masses, and that an absolute sovereign who acted in the best interests of his subjects was the most effective way to govern (Shank 2015). Joseph De Maistre also believed that a single enlightened despot was the most effective kind of leadership, although he disagreed with Voltaire on almost everything else (Mishra 2017). Others such as Montesquieu (Bok 2014) and Rousseau were much more critical of despotism and despots, just as most modern thought is (Burney 1993).

During it’s Enlightenment heyday, despotism was a mostly neutral term, as wider democratic attitudes spread across the world, despot increasingly became a negative descriptor. This was especially true of the fiercely democratic United States. North American newspapers used the term as a clear pejorative as early as the 1850s (n.a. 1856).

Statistically, the use of the word despotism peaked around the end of the 18^th century, in line with the French revolution, and the broader political climate it inspired. In the wake of the incredible violence of the French Revolution, the great political thinkers of the day often had to align themselves against either the tyranny of the few that had led to the revolution, or the tyranny of the masses that had led from it. Today the western world has made its choice and despot has become a charge to level at some distant autocrat, but that was not always the case.

Grace Michael

 

Further Reading:

• Bonney, Richard. 2003. “Reconsidering Absolutism in Early Modern Europe: The development of an Idea” Ajia-Taiheiyou Ronso 13, 91-135. Historical Abstracts.

• Burney, John. 1993 “History, Despotism, Public Opinion and the Continuity of the Radical Attack on Monarchy in The French Revolution, 1782-1789” History of European Ideas 17:2/3 245-263

• Dominguez, Juan Pablo. 2017. “A State Within the State: The Inquisition in Enlightenment Thought” History of European Ideas 43:4 376-288  http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/01916599.2016.120360

• Lentin, A. E. 1971 “Catherine the Great and Enlightened Despotism” History Today 170-1771 Historical Abstracts

Additional Works Cited:

• Billarsky, Ivan. 2011. Word and Power in Mediaeval Bulgaria. Leiden, The Netherlands: Koninkijke Brill NV.
• Bok, Hilary. 2014 “Baron de Montesquieu, Charles-Louis de Secondat” The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Summer 2014 Edition), Edward N. Zalta (ed.), https://plato.stanford.edu/archives/sum2014/entries/montesquieu/
• Google Books. 2013. Google Ngram Viewer: “despotism, despot” Last Modified 2017. https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=despotism%2C+despot&case_insensitive=on&year_start=1700&year_end=2000&corpus=15&smoothing=3&share=&direct_url=t4%3B%2Cdespotism%3B%2Cc0%3B%2Cs0%3B%3Bdespotism%3B%2Cc0%3B%3BDespotism%3B%2Cc0%3B.t4%3B%2Cdespot%3B%2Cc0%3B%2Cs0%3B%3Bdespot%3B%2Cc0%3B%3BDespot%3B%2Cc0

• Harper, Douglas. n.d. “Despot” Online Etymology Dictionary http://www.etymonline.com/word/despot

• Mishra, Pankaj. 2017 Age of Anger. New York: Farrar, Strauss and Giroux.

• Shank, J.B. 2015 “Voltaire”, The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Fall 2015 Edition), Edward N. Zalta (ed.), https://plato.stanford.edu/archives/fall2015/entries/voltaire/

• n.a. 1856 “Another Great Republican Meeting in the Tabernacle.: FREEDOM AND FREMONT. How the Despotism of the Day has Grown. Speeches of Senator Wilson, Lieut, Gov. Raymond. and Hon. B. G. Noble.” New York Daily Times, Sept. 18^th, 1856.

Despotism

Identification

Despotism is defined as the exercise of absolute power, especially in a cruel or oppressive fashion. It can mean tyranny, or a dictatorship, frequently in cases of despotism the despot is an autocrat, an individual ruling with absolute power. Despotism has occurred across the world throughout history. Traditional monarchies and religious powers are examples of despotism, with a king, Pope or Patriarch ruling with absolute power. Today despotism exists in countries in the Middle East, Africa and the developing world. Notable examples of despotic and autocratic states include North Korea, Syria and Saudi Arabia. Despots and the concept of despotism have existed throughout time in some way or another, from that tribal leaders and warrior champions to child kings and vicious modern dictators. “It can be said that fear of violence, and awe at the power and presumed honour and virtue of despots are the cornerstone of the republic and monarchy” (Imbruglia, 493).

Historical Significance

Despotism has played a huge role in human history and continues to do so today. Ancient societies were often despotic, with a single King or monarch ruling absolutely. It is important because it was the relied upon form of government and power in much of the world for much of our recorded history. To this day despotic societies and states exist, with dictators and monarchs who wield absolute power, often to the chagrin of their subjects. The contemporary moment has been irrevocably altered due to the existence of despots and despotic regimes. Despotism was all that the world knew for many years, with kings, popes and other absolute rulers sitting in a place of unquestioned superiority. It was during the French Revolution, and the Enlightenment period where the validity of despotism and its place in mans natural world was first questioned (Richter, 9). Despotism was the primary model of rule in much of the world for much of history; it can show us why so many world powers and ancient civilisations were ruled absolutely and why despotic rule exists in some states today. By understanding despotism and its associated power we can better understand contemporary dictators and at what points in societal history and development despotism thrives in. We can look back and understand the position that power and despotism played in the development of our history, see why it flourished and why it has slowly died out.

Key Historical Proponents

The idea of despotism and the concept itself was a much discussed topic during the Enlightenment and after the French Revolution. Many philosophical thinkers had theories and ideas on despotisms role in societal development and on our species as a whole. Many famous enlightenment era thinkers had specific views on despotism and its place in contemporary culture. Diderot, Rousseau, Voltaire and Montesquieu all had opinions on despotisms place in our society. Voltaire and Rousseau had opposing views on the matter of course, Voltaire believing in enlightened despotism, or the right of a single leader, group or class to rule absolutely with its subjects best interests in mind. Rousseau believed in the inalienable right of the individual to rule him, and those despotic forces whether good or bad in their exercise of power should be avoided. Rousseau’s strong emphasis on nationalism and the individual member of society is at logger heads with despotism, as it does not allow for one single, all powerful entity. The traditional monarchies of European superpowers, such as the British Royal family, the Tsars of Russia and the French monarchy were all despotic, and either changed their role in their state or was snuffed out by the new emerging educated middle class. Overall Despotism was a hotly contested and used word during the Enlightenment era and the French Revolution, living on today through a small handful of dictators and proponents of absolute rule.

Eric Goessele

 

 

Bibliography

Imbruglia, Giorlamo. “Two Principles of Despotism: Diderot between Machiavelli and de la Boëtie.” History of European Ideas Vol. 34, Issue 4 (2008): 490-499.

Richter, Melvin. “The Concept of Despotism and L’abus de Mots.” Contributions to the History of Concepts Vol. 3, No. 1 (2007): 5-22.

Boesche, Roger. “Fearing Monarchs and Merchants: Montesquieu’s Two Theories of Despotism.” The Western Political Quarterly Vol. 43, No. 4 (1990): 741-761.

McAdam, James I. “Rousseau and the Friends of Despotism.” The University of Chicago Press Vol. 74, No. 1 (1963): 34-43.