Abstract
The political doctrine of enlightened despotism, after enjoying great prestige in the 18th century, has fallen on hard times in the 19th and 20th centuries. On the level of political theory, it was eclipsed first, in the late 18th century and through much of the 19th century, by the doctrine of limited constitutionalism, whether republican or constitutional monarchy.

From the Paper
"The political doctrine of enlightened despotism, after enjoying great prestige in the 18th century, has fallen on hard times in the 19th and 20th centuries. On the level of political theory, it was eclipsed first, in the late 18th century and through much of the 19th century, by the doctrine of limited constitutionalism, whether republican or constitutional monarchy. In the 20th century, it has been eclipsed even more forcibly by the doctrine of democracy. Even political systems that are in practice purely despotic now tend to veil themselves in the forms of parliamentary democracy.

Thus, few today will say a good word for despotism, enlightened or otherwise. Yet a strong argument can be made that, in practice, only an enlightened despot can intelligently solve a country's problems, particularly when that country is ..."

Abstract
There is much debate over whether Catherine the Great was an enlightened despot. This paper discusses that, despite contentions that her policies were enacted to only benefit herself, Catherine the Great studied the works of leading enlightened thinkers so that she could make educated decisions for her country. It explains how Catherine the Great's exact goals as a ruler may be found in her 1766 work, entitled "Instructions to the Commissioners for Composing a New Code of Laws," which references enlightened thinkers of the day and promoted the creation of a free society. Although Catherine the Great did not achieve all of her enlightened goals, she took steps that allowed them to be realized in the future.

From the Paper
"Despite occasional shortcomings, Catherine the Great ruled Russia as a true enlightened despot from 1762 to 1796. During that time, she corresponded with many renowned thinkers of the enlightenment and converted their theories into law. Additionally, she made significant agricultural and scientific reforms, and she attempted to bring equality to Russian society. Although she failed to end serfdom, she promoted the ideals of equality for all under the law. Because of this, Catherine the Great must be considered a dedicated and successful enlightened despot."

Tags:beccaria, code, commissioners, diderot, encyclopedia, enlightenment, montesquieu, revolution, russia, serfdom, serfs, voltaire

Abstract
This paper looks at the media along with the control of media forms by historical and despotic governments such as Stalin's regime and Nazi Germany. The paper also discusses how the media can be used to abuse public matters and provides a recommendation of stronger laws to possibly bring some media agencies into line.

From the Paper
"Until the governments actually lay out rigid guidelines for media agencies there will always be invasion of privacy issues, libellous acts and breaks in national security, until such time there will be more and more indirect control of the media by governments. However, it must be stressed that these rigid laws must not be all controlling and non sympathetic to the journalists need to report the facts and truth, the law should not deny this for once truth is denied we lose our ability of the freedom of the press completely."

Tags:radio, television, print, Solomon, Mikhoels, corporate, ownership, Maxwell

From the Paper
"Political theorists have long pondered the formula for a successful governing system. In doing so, despotism and majoritarian rule have arisen as two possible forms of government. John Stuart Mill in On Liberty, and Alexi de Tocqueville, in Democracy in America, both refute the idea of despotic rule, not of a single ruler, but of the majority. The "tyranny of the majority,"[1] as Mill describes, is worse than straightforward dictatorship and should be avoided. Tocqueville concurs that unlimited power, in the hands of an absolute majority that is able to exercise both physical and moral control, is dangerous to the sovereignty of the individual. "

Tags:america, democracy, despotisms, freedom, government, liberty, majoritarian, power, rule

Abstract
This paper explores the horrifying appeal that Nazism had for Germans between the two world wars. Among other things, this paper addresses the punitive aspects of the Versailles Treaty as well as the crushing unemployment that wracked Germany during the period in question. Finally, the paper explores the fact that German society had always been an authoritarian one and thus susceptible to despots.

From the Paper
"The 1920s and 1930s were decades of great turbulence in Germany. The harsh and bitter terms of Versailles and the economic upheaval of the Thirties combined to make Germany a nation ripe for takeover by a dictator spouting hateful venom blaming certain groups for the difficulties Germany found itself in. Germany was also vulnerable to a demagogue because German society, for far too long, had been an authoritarian culture that lionized its leaders - primarily its Kaiser."

Tags:hitler, nazism, germany

Abstract
"Brave New World", by Aldous Huxley, depicts a world where despots have used scientific breakthroughs as a way to completely control society. The paper shows that while at first the book seems like an indictment of science, it actually is a warning against the misuse of science to exert power instead of pursuing knowledge. The paper shows how elements of contemporary world events are evident throughout the novel, despite the fact that it was written a decade before WWII.

From the Paper
"In Brave New World, the government has co-opted science and uses it as a weapon to control the citizens of the world. They provide all the citizens with a powerful drug called "Soma" that blunts emotions and makes people compliant. They sterilize most women, but leave some fertile so they can remove their ovaries when new children need to be grown in test tubes. The purpose of sex is for personal pleasure only. The concept of love is abhorrent, and the worst insult one can hurl at another is "How's your mother?" implying that the person was not decanted from a glass bottle as normal people are born, but from the disgusting process of procreation, pregnancy and birth."

Tags:Epsilons, World, State

Abstract
This paper discusses how, out of all the Nazi leaders aligned with Adolph Hitler, Albert Speer stands out as one of the greatest mysteries. It attempts to discover how such a refined, well-educated man, from such a good background, ended up as second-in-command to one of the century's most abusive and tyrannical despots. Through a review of his autobiography, "Inside the Third Reich: Memoirs", it shows how, although he was born to a wealthy family, well-educated, son of a respected architect, and trained as an architect, Speer seems a tremendous misfit when compared to the army private who terrorized the entire Western world for more than decade.

From the Paper
"Speer acknowledged that he quickly came to accept events that most people would have been appalled by. Early in Speer's new career, Hitler ordered Speer to remodel a building immediately. One official by the name of Papen asked for a few months' time, and Speer reported this back to Hitler. Hitler was enraged, so Speer began one of Papen's assistants had been executed in his office. Speer, supervising the renovations, saw the blood on the floor, but was strangely unmoved by the sight. This suggests to the reader that it wasn't really much of a stretch for Speer to accept what many people would have found entirely unacceptable. Nevertheless, the irresistible draw the architectural opportunities had for him clearly were immense."

Tags:adolph, hitler, third, reich

From the Paper
"This study will examine the life of Turkish leader Abdul Hamid II (1842-1918).


Of the three sources consulted for this study, two are unabashedly critical of Hamid and his despotic rule, and one attempts to maintain objectivity. The latter work, Alma Wittlin's psychological study Abdul Hamid: The Shadow of God, "seeks to portray the last of the . great Oriental despots, a man who figured most prominently in ... one of the great and decisive developments in modern history --- the trend of the East towards Western civilization . . . . " (Wittlin 6)


While Wittlin tries to keep Hamid in the context of history and global political change, S.V. Bedickian (The Red Sultan's Soliloquy) and Sir Edwin Pears (Life of Abdul Hamid) have little but contempt for Hamid. Although Hamid is included in the Basil..."

From the Paper
"This research paper summarizes developments in the nature of Islamic states during the 12th, 13th and 14th (Western calendar) centuries. The most important changes were the following: (1) declining political unity and loss of significant territory; and (2) the emergence of new political institutions which varied by region, including the Islamicization of foreign ruling elites, a deepening of the roots of Islamic religious and cultural influence in many states and the evolution of mixed Islamic and traditional oriental despotisms in others.

The Rise and Partial Disintegration of the Arab Empire
In the 7th and 8th centuries, the Islamic theocratic regime established by the Prophet Muhammad and his successors in Arabia..."

From the Paper
"The purpose of this research is to examine the cycle of political despotism and freedom that is characteristic of the history of Russia, from the period of Tsar Nicholas I to the current period. The plan of the research will be to set forth the scope and limit of the study in the context of political development in Russia, and then to discuss what could be called the pendulum of social experience that has affected dramatic political and cultural change in the country.

The modern post-monarchical history of Russia is embedded in its monarchic past. To understand how and why sociocultural and sociopolitical change has so dramatically affected Russia from time to time, it is necessary to understand the forces militating both for and against such change throughout the country's history. And a decisive fact about that history is the massive ..."