Which system of government is the only system in which monarchy is the only source of power?

Which system of government is the only system in which monarchy is the only source of power?

• A. Dictatorship
• B. Absolutism
• C. Commonwealth
• D. Democracy

Answer: (B)

Absolutism concentrates all political power in the monarch, making the monarch the sole source of authority. In this system, the ruler’s will is law, with little or no legal limits from a constitution, parliament, or other bodies. The state machinery—taxes, army, courts, and official appointments—exists to enforce the monarch’s commands, and there is no independent check on the ruler’s power. This differs from a democracy or a Commonwealth (which are grounded in power derived from the people or their elected representatives) and from a constitutional monarchy, where the monarch’s powers are limited by law or a constitution. It also distinguishes from a dictatorship, where power is concentrated in a non-monarchical ruler or small group, which may or may not be tied to a monarchy. In short, absolutism is the system where the monarchy is the only source of political power.

Absolutism concentrates all political power in the monarch, making the monarch the sole source of authority. In this system, the ruler’s will is law, with little or no legal limits from a constitution, parliament, or other bodies. The state machinery—taxes, army, courts, and official appointments—exists to enforce the monarch’s commands, and there is no independent check on the ruler’s power.

This differs from a democracy or a Commonwealth (which are grounded in power derived from the people or their elected representatives) and from a constitutional monarchy, where the monarch’s powers are limited by law or a constitution. It also distinguishes from a dictatorship, where power is concentrated in a non-monarchical ruler or small group, which may or may not be tied to a monarchy. In short, absolutism is the system where the monarchy is the only source of political power.