Merick Brown
Western Civilization 1
Paper Assignment #2
December 16th 2015
Brown 1
Absolutism and Constitutionalism are two ways in which a government operates.
For starters, Absolutism is the practice of unlimited authority and in reality, complete
sovereignty that falls in the hands of a single individual. In the 17th century, this
“individual” would be a dictator or perhaps a monarch. In layman’s term, absolutism is
simply when there is one leader who is essentially untouchable. The dictator answers to
no one and is not able to be challenged by another agency. For example, in modern day, a
government ruled with an absolutism view would be untouchable in regards to the CIA,
FBI, and the likes. On the contrary, constitutionalism is quite the opposite. Under this
form of control, the Government issues limitations; think checks and balances. There is a
50/50 balance when looking into the authority of the government and those who inhabit
the ruling land. In the 1600s, absolutism created quite a few problems for the French
Brown 2
