absolutism
n.n. a system where one person or group has total power and no limits on their authority. It is often used to describe a king or a leader who rules without any laws or rules.
n. a political system in which a ruler or group holds total power and is not subject to any legal or constitutional constraints. Often associated with the historical period of monarchical rule in Europe.
The king's absolutism led to many protests.
Historians often debate whether the rise of absolutism was a natural evolution or a reaction to the chaos of the previous century.
The philosopher argued that true absolutism requires a complete absence of dissent, as even a single voice questioning the sovereign's authority could destabilize the entire social order.
First attested in 1753 (in the theological sense); attested in 1830 in the political sense. From absolute + -ism, based after French absolutisme.