Despotism

Despotism

Despotism is a form of government in which a single entity rules with absolute power. That entity may be an individual, as in an autocracy, or it may be a group, as in an oligarchy. The word despotism means to "rule in the fashion of a despot" and does not necessarily require a singular "despot", an individual.

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Famous quotes containing the word despotism:

    “The revolutionary government is the despotism of liberty against tyranny.”
    —Georg Büchner (1813–1837)

    “The despotism of custom is everywhere the standing hindrance to human advancement.”
    —John Stuart Mill (1806–1873)