Justification of Absolutism

The Justification of Absolutism

Rationality does not necessarily justify the theories behind absolutism; it was more the results of absolutism that made it justifiable at all. In the time of Louis XIV absolutism was justified by divine right and that, especially in the very Catholic French empire, made it acceptable to most people. There were many positive outcomes for absolutist France, such as the creation of a strong standing army and the unity and stability provided by a strong monarch . The previously unheard of sense of nationhood and pride felt throughout France during Louis XIV's reign was another positive result. Even the banishment of any religion other than Catholicism had positive effects in that the amount of religious resistances plummeted.

The most important result of Louis XIV absolutism was the nationwide sense of belonging. The people of France no longer saw themselves as belonging to a single person; they began to feel more as though belonging to a distinct country. They saw themselves as French for the first time. This realisation opened the doors for a new era in cultural development, which was symbolized by Louis, thus he became the