Name: _________________________ Date: 11/2/17 Period: __

Global 2: Absolute Ruler Socratic Seminar

Absolute rulers are leaders (monarchs, Tsars, emperors or dictators) who have complete and utter control over every facet of government that they are in charge of. That means that they decide how money will be spent, where the army will go, who gets government jobs and which laws are passed. Each absolute monarch has an enormous amount of power so the decisions they make affect a large number of people. Therefore it is important that only the best kings get to be absolute rulers.

1. What are some examples of things that absolute rulers had the authority to do?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Between 1500 and 1800 every country in Europe experienced absolute rule and all of them reacted to their reigns differently. Some Europeans resigned themselves to absolute rule and allowed their kings to make all the decisions while other groups of people resisted and demanded that some royal authority be shared. The struggles over control of Europe’s governments heavily influenced the development of society and shaped the way that millions of people lived their everyday lives. Absolute rulers became so powerful during the 1700s that every decision they made ended up having long-lasting effects on every region in Europe.

2. How long did the Age of Absolutism last?__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Absolute rulers had more authority than anyone else in the entire country. Many of them used their power to make changes to their governments that no one else was able to stop from happening.

Judging from this image, were men the only ones who were allowed to be absolute rulers?

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Absolute rulers were effective rulers because their word was law so things got done quickly. However this efficiency came at a cost because no absolute ruler had to share their authority with others.

Judging from this image what was a negative effect of absolute rule?

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

3. Come up with three reasons why your absolute ruler should be in charge.A. ___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________B. ___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________C. ___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________4. Come up with three reasons why the other four monarchs do NOT deserve to be absolute rulers

A. _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

B. _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

C. _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

D. _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

E. _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

F. _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

G. _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

H. _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

I. _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

J. _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

K. _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Reasons why Louis XVI Should be the Top Absolute Ruler

I am in charge of France, the most powerful country in Western Europe. We have a huge army, a booming economy and the best toast in the world. (French toast)

My government is the most efficient monarchy in the world. My nobles listen to me and help me enforce my laws because they fear my almighty absolute power.

I HAVE DIVINE RIGHT TO RULE. God is the only power in the universe that is above my own. Now bow before me.

I am the only male heir (air) left in my family so no one else is qualified to be king. I am the only king in Western Europe that wants to allow religious freedom in my country.

Everyone else is murdering each other over the right way to worship the exact same god and I’m over here trying to get everyone to get along.

I’m the only one who wants to reform taxes so my economy stays strong. No one else cares about balancing their finances.

My government sent money, troops and ships to help the Americans win their Revolutionary War. If it wasn’t for me, freedom and democracy wouldn’t exist. Do you want to live in a world without democracy?! I didn’t think so.

I was the first European ruler to try and rescue the people of India from violent and oppressive British tyranny. No one else seems to care about the poor Indians who have to listen to blowhard kings like Henry VIII and George the Third.

Before 1795 France had the absolute best social class system in the world. The largest class (the Third Estate) paid all the taxes which left my government free to make decisions. It was very efficient.

I have the best relationship with the Catholic Church out of all the kings in this room. In my country, anyone who works for the church literally pays zero dollars in taxes, it’s the best system around.

I listen to my people. When they said that they were unhappy with the tax system I called a meeting of all the social classes to figure it out so everyone could be happy. I’m a standup guy.

Even though I was betrayed by my own people and sentenced to death by my own government, I accepted my fate and walked to the gallows like a man with my head held high. That’s right, I’m so absolute that I don’t fear death itself!

Reasons why King George III Should be the Top Absolute Ruler

I am in charge of the kingdom of England, and every inch of territory that the British Empire controls. That makes me the leader of the largest empire in the world. I should be the top absolute ruler.

My government is the most well-organized institution in the world. The Magna Carta gives me the ability to delegate and share responsibilities with my nobles and advisors. We can solve issues and make important decisions faster than anyone here.

I am the first British king to have been educated completely in England. That means I have the best grasp on British customs, laws, language religion and its economy. I am literally the best man for the job.

I HAVE DIVINE RIGHT TO RULE! The almighty god of the Church of England has given me the authority to rule over others and tell them what to do. If you disagree with me, you disagree with god so good luck with that.

I am the most religious king in British history. No one else spends as much time praying as I do. That means that I can connect better with the religious people of Europe better than anyone else here.

Unlike the rest of you, I have a congress that I actually listen to and work together with to pass laws. I make sure that I have an entire room of experts look over my laws before I pass them to make sure they are the best for everyone. Unlike some of you, I am not blinded by my power.

I am willing to listen to the complaints of my subjects no matter how far away they are. When my colonists in America complained that my taxes were hurting their economies I listened to them and repealed all but one tax. I care about my peoples’ financial well-being.

Even though I care about my people, I am not afraid to put my foot down and be a hard-ass when I need to be. When the colonists destroyed my tea in the Boston Tea Party, I punished them. Everyone should know that if you mess with King George, you get swift economic sanctions.

Let it be known across the world that if you rebel or revolt against my rule I will defend my empire with military force. When the American colonists rebelled against my rule in 1776 I sent an entire army of redcoats to crush them.

The Spanish and French are obviously jealous of my awesome empire because they used a conflict between me and my own colonists as an excuse to attack me.

Reasons why Tsar Peter the Great should be the Top Absolute Ruler

First off, I have the largest country in the world. My country stretches from Western Europe all the way to the Pacific Ocean. My kingdom is bigger than all of your kingdoms put together.

I have absolute power in my country. I care so little about what other people have to say that I don’t even have a congress or a parliament to help me rule. I can do it all by myself.

I HAVE DIVINE RIGHT TO RULE! The all-powerful god of the Russian Orthodox Church has proclaimed me, Peter the Great to be your king. You can’t argue with me because I have the support of heaven behind me.

I am the most highly educated monarch in the world. Not only do I have education from Russia, I also went to school in England, France, Italy and Germany. I know more about the Scientific Revolution and Renaissance than any of you could possibly hope.

I single-handedly dragged my country out the Dark Ages and turned it into a modern age powerhouse that can take all of you on at the same time.

My army is powerful but it is loyal to me and me alone. Unlike some of you, I know how to use my army to stop rebels from hurting my government. Under my leadership, my army crushed the Streltsy Rebellion. I would like to see anyone else pull off a feat like that.

When I go to war, I WIN. My country has defeated the powerful Ottoman Empire and captured hundreds of miles of land from Sweden in the Great Northern War.

I’m a reformist. When I see that something is wrong with my country I fix it. Religious freedom, social class advancement, government transparency, you name it I’ve done it.

If it wasn’t for me, Russia wouldn’t have a warm water port. Thanks to my leadership, my whole country can now participate in maritime (sea) trade and the Age of Exploration. Boom.

My official title is “Emperor of all the Russians.” Even my title is above all of yours, “emperor” is a higher rank than “king” in my absolute opinion.

I’m the only king here who isn’t selfish. I could have kept all my knowledge about the Scientific Revolution to myself but I shared it with my people to help make their lives easier. I’m a stand-up guy.

Reasons why Ivan the Terrible should be the top Absolute Ruler in Europe

First of all, my name isn’t Ivan the Terrible it is Ivan Vasilyevich. I got the nickname Ivan the Terrible from landlords who hated me so it is not a fair title.

I started out my life as the strongest leader of Moscow, the most powerful city in Russia. When you’re born into power, you learn the best way to use it.

I am one of the most educated leaders in Europe. I learned how to read and write before I was 8 years old. How’s that for quick thinking?

Before I was king, Russia was a backwater group of medieval hovels that were still stuck in the Dark Ages. I took that mess and created a real country.

I was the first king of Russia. Everyone knows that first is the best. I HAVE DIVINE RIGHT. God himself gave me the authority to rule over all of Russia. I revised the law codes of Russia and made them all standard. Without me, any government

official could make up laws on the spot to take advantage of innocent people. I added 1,560,000 (One million, five-hundred and sixty-thousand) miles of territory to Russia and

made it the biggest land empire in the history of the world. Without me, Russia would be a tiny, weak country but now it’s unstoppable.

I’m not afraid to make unpopular decisions if it means bringing improvements to my country and my people. Even if that means executing or threatening people, I’ll do it to keep my kingdom safe.

I don’t care how rich my nobles are. If they get out of line, they are punished just like everyone else.

I’m the best art patron in the world. I paid Russian artists to bring culture and beauty to my kingdom. So, if you were admiring the nice art that hangs throughout the country, you’re welcome.

I know how to stay on my toes. When it seemed like my own son was planning to assassinate me to steal my power, I murdered him with a rock hammer before he could.

I had St. Basil’s Cathedral in Moscow. Thanks to me, Russia has an iconic building that everyone thinks of whenever they hear the words “Russia” or “Moscow”

Russia itself cannot survive without me. When I went on vacation in 1564 the nobility begged me to come back and run the country and keep it from falling apart.

Reasons why Otto von Bismarck should be the Top Absolute Ruler in Europe

My nation of Germany has the strongest army in the world. I used it to unite my own people and then defeated France, Denmark, and Austria in battle at the same time.

I’m a logical ruler. Before I make a decision I look at every situation that could happen as a result in order to make sure only good things occur for my government and my people.

I’m such a strong leader that the German people follow me more than their official king the Kaiser. I’m smarter and better equipped to rule than the actual king of Germany.

I give incredible speeches. My “Blood and Iron” speech has gone down in history as one of the greatest speeches to have ever been given. I’m a stronger speaker than Abraham Lincoln and Adolf Hitler combined.

I’m very talented at getting people to work together. I not only convinced millions of German people to unite into one country, I got them to follow me into multiple wars and pay for them using their tax dollars.

Under my leadership, Germany has become the safest country in the world. My massive army is so powerful that no one would ever dream of invading Germany. My people are safe and sound within our borders.

I have the greatest diplomatic skills in the history of the universe! Under my leadership, I was able to make deals with every country in Europe to maintain a careful balance of power between all the absolute monarchs out there. Without me, Europe would have been trapped in an endless destructive war for decades.

Thanks to my skills at negotiating and making deals, Germany remained at peace for 30 whole years. My country enjoyed peace and prosperity while the rest of the continent attacks and slaughtered each other for decades.

I created the first welfare state in history. It didn’t matter how poor or uneducated the German people are, everyone under my command had healthcare, jobs, transportation and education provided for them for free by the government. Everyone else in the world had to constantly worry about losing their jobs or getting sick but not in Germany.

Reasons why Louis XVI should NOT BE ALLOWED TO BE KING

Louis claims that he has the strongest army in the world, but every nation in Europe has an army and an economy. That doesn’t make them special.

If Louis claims that he works well with his nobles you could say that that is because he has to. Any ruler who depends on other people is not absolute.

If Louis claims divine right to rule you could say that you didn’t hear God say anything about Louis. Why should we take his word for it that god wants him to be king?

Louis says that he should be king because he is the only male heir left you could remind him that that only means he’s king because there are literally no other options. If there was anyone else, we would want him instead.

Religious freedom is overrated. Everyone cares about their finances, you’re just the only one dumb enough to ask other

people what they think about them. A real absolute ruler uses his power to fix the money situation without help.

Yeah Louis tried to help the Americans gain their independence, but he BANKRUPTED the country in the process and the Americans ignored us after the war! All that money was wasted!

Louis claims that his social class system is the best because the largest class pays all the taxes. Did he forget that the largest class was also the POOREST CLASS!?! What kind of monster forces poor people to pay all the taxes while the rich sit on their fat butts and get richer?!

Just because you don’t make the church pay taxes doesn’t mean they like you. They could just be taking advantage of you.

Agreeing to meet with the other social classes to work on the tax system doesn’t mean you care about them, it means that you’re afraid of your own people and you let them push you around.

Louis was the worst king of all time. His people hated him so much that they arrested him, and CHOPPED HIS FREAKING HEAD OFF!

Reasons why George III should NOT be allowed to be King

George is in charge of an evil empire. Tell him that he and his supporters used imperialism to steal land and resources from innocent people all over the world. His empire isn’t a trophy of accomplishment; it’s a symbol of slavery and oppression.

George claims that the Magna Carta gives him the ability to share responsibilities with his government officials. Tell him that he should check his history books because the Magna Carta ACTUALLY forces the kings of England to share power with the nobility. George isn’t delegating, he’s giving up his authority which disqualifies him from being an absolute monarch.

If George III claims that he is the best because he was educated only in England, you can point out that all he did was severely limit the scope of his learning. There are hundreds of countries that he could have traveled to and gone to school in. All he did was prevent himself from getting a well-rounded education like the rest of us.

When George claims to have divine right you can say that the Church of England gave it to him. Of course his own country’s church is going to give him divine right. I mean, who else would they give it to?

If George claims to be a good king because he spends a lot of time praying, you could say that he should be spending more time making laws and protecting his kingdom. Let the priests pray, kings are for ruling.

If George says anything about asking his “congress” for advice before passing laws, you could remind him that he’s talking about Parliament and it has 50% of his royal power. George isn’t a real absolute ruler because he doesn’t have absolute power if he has top share it with a bunch of Whigs.

When George claims that he listens to his subjects because he agreed to lower taxes on the Americans, you can point out that all that means is that he is a pushover who would rather give up millions of dollars in taxes just to make a few people that are hundreds of miles away like him. He’s never even going to meet any of them. A real king collects the money that his people owe him.

If George says that he is a “hard ass” because he enforced economic sanctions you could say that if he had been a real absolute ruler, he would have crushed the rebellion in the Americas before it got out of control. Maintaining your empire is rule number 1.

Reasons why Peter the Great should NOT be allowed to be king

First of all, Peter is king of Russia and Russia isn’t really part of Europe. Russia is so big that it has parts in the Middle East and Asia. This competition should be for pure European monarchs only.

If Peter claims that he is an absolute ruler because he doesn’t have a congress or parliament to back him up you could point out that he just doesn’t have any help. No one should follow a king who thinks he can run an entire country by himself. That’s nuts.

Peter the Great might claim divine right but he is claiming it from the Russian Orthodox Church. Tell him to remember that that Church isn’t even Russian; it’s Greek (It was introduced to Russia by the Byzantine Empire in the 1200s).

If Peter claims that he should be in charge because he is the most educated, you could remind him that he had to abandon his own country to get a decent education in France and England. If Russia is so great, then why did their own king leave to go to school in other countries?

When Peter claims that he pulled Russia out of the Dark Ages by himself you could point out that it must have been a really easy job to westernize Russia if it only took one man to do it.

If Peter claims that he is the best because he crushed a rebellion, you could point out that his rule must have been weak in the first place because the Russian people believed that they could rebel against him. A real absolute monarch prevents rebellions without even trying.

Just because Peter wins wars, doesn’t mean that he should be the top absolute ruler. If anything it proves that he is a bloodthirsty ruler who only knows how to expand his borders by force and violence.

Peter isn’t a reformist, he’s a pushover. When his people complain he gives in to their complaints. An absolute ruler does what he wants, not what his people want.

Who cares if Russia got a warm water port? Peter gained control of it by killing thousands of innocent Swedish people. In fact, he wouldn’t have won the war at all if the Black Death hadn’t wiped out his enemies for him. What a chump.

Reasons why Ivan the Terrible should NOT be allowed to be king

Ok, first of all his name is Ivan the TERRIBLE. He must not be a good leader or even a good person if his name has “terrible” in it.

Just because Ivan was born as the leader of Moscow doesn’t mean he should be in charge of everything. Moscow is one city and the world is a very large place.

If Ivan says he should be king because he learned to read you could counter by saying that every king in the room knows how to read. It isn’t hard.

If Ivan says he should be king because he was the first leader of Russia you could say that there could be dozens of kings that come after him that could do a better job than him. First isn’t always the best.

Just because Ivan revised the law code doesn’t mean he’s fit to rule. It just means that Russia’s laws were terrible before he took over and he fixed them just to make his life easier. He’s not looking out for his people, he’s just lazy.

If Ivan brags about adding a whole bunch of territory to Russia you could remind him that 99% of that land had no people on it so it was really easy to take over.

Ivan was a monster! He tortured and murdered his own people when they refused to give him their land.

Ivan MURDERED HIS OWN SON!! Make sure to remind Ivan that when he left Moscow in 1564 he wasn’t “on

vacation” he was trying to abandon the government. He’s a coward who runs away from his responsibilities.

Reasons why Otto von Bismarck should NOT be allowed to be King

First of all, Otto von Bismarck isn’t even a king, he’s an elected official. If you want to be king, you have to be born a king.

If Otto claims to be a “logical ruler” by waiting to make important decisions you could say that he isn’t being logical, he’s indecisive. Good kings make quick, snap decisions to get results fast.

If Otto von Bismarck brags that he gives really good speeches you could respond by saying “Speeches are just talk. Talk is cheap, now is the time for action!”

Otto von Bismarck is a warmonger. Tell him “The only way you can get things done is through violence! A real king can accomplish things without having to resort to deadly and expensive wars.”

If Otto says that his country is safe because of his giant army you could remind him that using the military to maintain peace is called a “police state.” Real kings keep the peace without resorting to using their army.

If Otto von Bismarck tries to take credit for keeping Europe at peace you could remind him that everyone wants peace not just him. The world would be a much safer place if he would stop threatening us with his army every six months.

Otto von Bismarck is a COMMUNIST! He is using the hard-earned money of his own people to pay for government programs. A real king lets his people make their own decisions on how to spend their money. All taxation is theft!

Otto von Bismarck was responsible for the European conquest of Africa. If he hadn’t held the Berlin conference in 1880, Africa would never have suffered through war, exploitation and slavery.

Oh and let’s not forget where Bismarck is from, Germany. You know who else was from Germany? The Nazis!