The 17th and 18th centuries were very chaotic. The reason for this is that times were changing, for example in Japan they were just entering a new era which was the Edo era. But this was not the only change because insensitivity was lacking in Europe. But with all this change a new type of government system came into play. This new system was called Absolutism, meaning all power in a place goes to a single queen or king. Some of the rulers who used absolutism during the period were Peter the Great, Tokugawa, Catherine the Great, etc. But with great power comes great responsibility and as an absolutist you were the only ruler and you had all the power and with this absolutism you had harmful effects in some places. Absolutism was harmful because if an area has only one ruler, then that ruler can change things to his own advantage. Another way absolutism is harmful is that rulers might change/establish rules that can hurt or affect people in their society. Finally, an advantageous aspect of absolutism is that the sole ruler can create rules that protect and help his nation and no one can change them. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay The first reason absolutism was harmful is because the absolute ruler can make decisions and rules that can benefit himself, but this also affected the societies he ruled over. The first example of this is with Louis XIV because as a child he was treated terribly by the French nobles. He maintained his hatred for them throughout his life even as he grew up and when he finally came to power he gave almost no power to the nobles, but it wasn't just that as he also gave them fancy titles and forced them to rely on him. and no one else. Another way this was demonstrated through rulers was also with Peter the Great, who was the absolute ruler of Russia and the way he used his power to his advantage was to create a beard tax for his same people and the reason behind this is because he wanted his people to look more like Western Europe and this made people pay money for something as small as having facial hair. Another reason why absolutism was harmful to society was that rulers hurt people in their own society and not just physically. The first example already mentioned is that Peter the Great taxed his people, which caused them to lose money and people who had no money could end up in financial situations. Another example of this is with Tokugawa who treated the peasants and farmers badly and this had to do with the social hierarchy he created. Regarding hierarchy in Japan there was a huge gap between the poor and the rich. This drove the Japanese people crazy and in anger riots broke out and even the farmers began to rebel. Finally, one way in which absolutism was beneficial was that the absolute ruler can create laws and rules that can help and protect the nation and no one can change It. The first example is that of Tokugawa who isolated Japan from the rest of the world. This helped because it allowed for 250 years of peace and allowed people to live in peace and not worry and along with this the wood block paintings were made and the plays were created. But it also led to a cultural boom and an increase in education. Tokugawa Ieyasu's wise choices were intelligent and if this isolation had never happened and they had opened up to their nations, who knows what could have happened, especially since other rulers wanted to open up Japan and make them.