Roman Republic, French Absolutism, French Revolution - Research Paper Example

The Roman Republic The Roman Republic was a period defined by the civilization of the ancient Roman society. This was characterized the by the republic form of government. The Roman Republic period was driven by the desire of new government policies, which would provide room for the balanced distribution of power (Gwynn. 15). Initially, the Roman society was governed by a centralized system of government, which practiced monarchial leadership. Power was centralized to a single linage. The Roman Republic began with the overthrowing of the monarchial government as a sign of civilization thus adaption of a republic system of governance. The transformation was done through a series of civil wars. The wars were between the patricians and the ordinary Romans who were not from famous families. The policy of balanced distribution of power led to the weakening of the patrician’s power to run big government offices as bound by the law. During this period, the Roman constitution was also amended to accommodate republican form of government. The Roman republic extended due to the many alliances from Italian peninsula and central Italy as well as conquests (Holkeskamp. 47). New laws and policies that prevented individuals from obtaining permanent political powers were established. The political system became free and democratic as the constitution prevented political supremacy among individuals but supported political ideologies. This is because Rome was undergoing a political transition thus the new government system needed ideas to establish peace, political stability and development. Roman Republic was forced to adapt to the new constitution, which was designed to promote republican form of government. After the transition, the Roman Republic introduced a set of guiding principles, which acted as a new set of policies that would ensure civilized leadership. In the new constitution, the government was divided into three sections. These sections came to existence because of three elements. The democratic element, led to the introduction of a legislative assembly, the aristocratic element resulted to the formation of a senate and the monarchical element led to the formation of consuls. The constitution became effective in the course of time as people were elected in the legislative assembly whose functions were to elect magistrates and make laws. The new system of government portrayed a practice of democracy as powers were centralized in the three branches of government, which was made by a set of elected representatives from all parts of the Roman Republic. However, the republic system of government was corrupted by dictatorship rule, which led to its collapsing. Absolutism is a monarchical form of government that gives the monarch great powers and is given much reverence. However, the powers of a monarch are limited to by the need of support from the aristocracy. The aristocracy provides the monarch with political and military support thus may challenge the authority from time to time. Absolutism system of governance was associated with King Louis XIII and Louis XIV of France. This form of rule centralized powers to the monarch who was given unlimited powers by the divined law. In this case power was confined to one person who had the rights to regulate as well as change the political system and make decisions. This form of rule is prone to was as a country using absolutism can descend into a civil war after its collapse. In the French absolutism, the king’s word was considered to be law. Most of the revenue is collected and managed by the army. The French monarchy depended on farming and Agriculture as the main economic activities. In this case, farmers were taxed heavily in order to maintain the economy of the monarchy. The absolutism form of government was mainly focused on dictatorship as the ruler was granted the powers to do as he or she pleased by the law. Absolution also used natural laws which were affiliated to cultural practices thus could not create room for modern systems in leadership. Advantages of French absolutism Absolutism created trading alliances between the French and other nations through marriage interaction as the system was directed by culture and traditions of the monarchy. The form of rule also instilled loyalty on soldiers thus promoted a peaceful existence in the monarchy. The absence of democracy created a political calm as there were no revolutions during the introduction of the system of government. The French war able to obtain many conquests because of the strong armies since the monarchy placed a lot of efforts on providing good physical as well as economical nourishment for their soldiers. Disadvantages of French absolutism The French monarchy determined the religion of the people in the monarchy through the rule of dictatorship. The rule was prone to dictatorship as all the powers were confined to one person. The French absolutism collapsed during the rule of King Louis XIV because of the adoption of dictatorship in his rule (Lublinskaya. 54). The French absolution was characterized by corruption, greed and favoritism. Absolution form of government favoured the rich society and disregarded the poor society. The rich society was regarded as friends of the monarchy as people from this social status were close to the king. French absolutism used an unfair system of taxation as the peasant farmers were charged a lot of tax by the monarchy revenue collection and management body thus giving nobles the least potion to pay (Anderson. 123). This is one of the reasons that led to the French revolution. The revolution was in search of equality between the high and low social classes in the French society. Absolutism is discredited by the democratic policy. The policy advocated for a government system that is chosen by the people and works for the benefit of its people. Most countries have adopted this policy as it is enforced by the United Nations Organization. The policy was introduced to promote self governance in colonized countries such as nations in the African continent. It introduced the war against brutality in political administrations. French revolution The French Revolution started in 1789. The revolution was characterized by a number of aspects with the main one being the difference in social status. French government had adopted the absolutism for of governance which created a drift between the peasant farmers and the large scale farmers. The peasant farmers were known to be the poor society while the large scale farmers were characterized as the rich society (Hanson. 29). The French government had a lot of problems with its government financial system as it portrayed inequality in its revenue collection. French Revolution was also as a result of a lost colony that generated a lot of revenue to the monarchy. The French has initially lost a battle with the Native Americans whom they had colonized (Howard. 33). Absolution form of government was characterized by the rule of a single person who made all the rules in the monarchy. King Louis XIV practiced dictatorship in his rule which led to the retaliation of his subjects (Arnold. 21). The policy of equality was introduced to counter the effects of racism and differences in social classes. It was designed to foster unity among nations all over the world regardless of the economic status. The policy is applicable to the French Revolution situation as it promotes political stability in nations through the act of democracy. French Revolution was as a result of inequality in the collection of revenue and favoritism of a selected set of people. The policy of equality gives all persons equal rights before the law thus promoting the freedom of expression and self governance through the retaliation of unconstitutional acts of a governing body. Work Cited Anderson Perry. Lineages of the Absolutist State: New York. Verso Books. 2013. Print Arnold James R. The Aftermath of the French Revolution: Paris. Twenty-First Century Books. 2008. Print Gwynn David M. The Roman Republic: A Very Short Introduction: London. Oxford University Press. 2012. Print Hanson Paul R. Contesting the French Revolution: New York. John Wiley & Sons. 2009. Print Holkeskamp Karl-J. Reconstructing the Roman Republic: An Ancient Political Culture and Modern Research: Amsterdam. Princeton University Press. 2010. Print Howard G. Brown. Ending the French Revolution: Violence, Justice, and Repression from the Terror to Napoleon: London. University of Virginia Press. 2007. Print Lublinskaya A. D. French Absolutism: The Crucial Phase, 1620-1629: London. Cambridge University Press. 2008. Print Read More