Making Europe: The Story of the West - Essay Example

As a result of the crusades, nobles and rulers of Europe met with monarchs from the east. They tried to copy this style of ruling, which led to the rise of absolute states so that they can assert their powers (Kidner, Bucur,  Mathisen,  McKee, and Theodore, 145).

Characteristics of Absolutist states

One of the characteristics is that the leader is the head of state and responsible for making most decisions in the state, for instance in the French absolute monarchy. King Louis XIV became a king at 23 years and was responsible for all decisions made in his land. The second characteristic is that the success and power of the absolutist depended on how well they resolved their financial crisis. The third characteristic is that they were not totalitarian. This means that they neither seize nor seek to direct deceits of a culture of the state. They also had their standing armies that were referred to as the secret police (Kidner, Bucur,  Mathisen,  McKee, and Theodore, 200).

Western States

The agricultural states in the western maritime were not influenced by the absolutist states. England and Holland were the first two states that were not willing to apply this system. This was because they had already outgrown this system of leadership. They only implied some of the practice in their internal political environment. The Dutch were also not interested in the absolutist system. The reasons for the decline of this system of the states were both intellectual and political. One of the reasons was that England was set for a radical change in its administration. It was struggling to have a modern state. England set out to have a parliament. These desires were driven by the religious concerns of list people. These states also saw many disadvantages in having this type of leadership. One of the reasons was that they would contact more trade and have fewer invasions as compared to the absolutist. They were slowly preparing for war and not trade. This meant that the states that rejected this move would not require a large army and most people would be productive in other areas. The absolutist leader on the other hand required to have a large army to protect him and his people.  Free trade would also be expected in the western states, unlike the absolutist where all trade would be controlled by the government. After looking at all the disadvantages that came with absolutist leadership, England, Holland, and the Dutch Republic decided not to be part of it (Kidner, Bucur,  Mathisen,  McKee, and Theodore 385). They majored in other activities that were more beneficial to them other than constant invasion. They would focus on modernizing their states and improving agriculture in the area. As for the absolutist, especially in France, they were busy trying to attract people to their system of administration in the east, while the western side was busy developing their states. Read More