It is the despotism of the papacy that lent its darkest character to the Middle Ages; it meant death to all freedom of mental life, decay to all science, corruption to all morality.
The most interesting of the three great events by which the papacy has endeavored to maintain and strengthen its despotism in the nineteenth century is the publication of the encyclica and the syllabus in December, 1864.
It is impossible for us here to describe the pitiful retrogression of culture and morality during the twelve centuries of the spiritual despotism of Rome.
One of the most interesting of the historical facts which clearly prove the evil of the ultramontane despotism is its vigorous and consistent struggle with science.
During the whole of the Middle Ages, under the bloody despotism of the popes, atheism was persecuted with fire and sword as a most pernicious system.
Doubtless, Cromwell wished to perpetuate the policy of his government, but he had no right to perpetuate a despotism in his own family: that was an insult to the nation and to the cause of constitutional liberty.
In like manner, twelve millions of people perished in Germany, that despotism might be rebuked.
It was a war between these two social powers,--between unlawfuldespotism and unsanctified license.
Strange to say, the land of Huss and Jerome became henceforth the strongest hold of Austrian despotism and papal superstition.
Her reign was despotic, so far as the Constitution would allow; but it was a despotism according to the laws.
When they clamored for the blood of an anointed tyrant, they did not bargain for a renewed despotism more irksome and burdensome than the one they had suppressed.
What a blow such a despotismwould have been to science, literature, and philosophy!
The fabric of despotism had already been built by Richelieu, and Louis XIV.
He simply had not the moral energy to carry out the plans of that despotism to which he was devoted.
What a terrible thing for Germany would have been the unbroken and iron despotism of Austria, extending its Briarean arms into every corner of Europe where the German language is spoken!
For years the engine of despotism at home, they became the sudden instrument of war abroad.
Military citizenship, according to Prussian rule, is military serfdom, and on this is elevated a military despotism of singular grasp and power, operating throughout the whole nation, like martial law or a state of siege.
Government, who themselves sometimes meddled with imaginary possible reforms, by far preferred the progressive and intellectual despotism of that Emperor to the "paternal" despotism of Metternich.
A spiritual despotism appeared, surrounding itself with earthly splendor, grasping the sword of earthly power, and the farthest removed from the humble and gentle spirit of its Master.
Nothing could seem more full of the spirit of Antichrist than this spiritual despotism embodied in the Papacy.
The despotism of this amiable man was truly extraordinary, he ruled his "followers" with a rod of iron.
Despotism of this sort always leads to discontent and parties--hence the "dissensions.
Thus were despotismand foreign predominance re-established throughout Italy save in Piedmont.
Even the Florentines in 1342 submitted for a few months to the despotism of the duke of Athens.
Despotism and fatality are perhaps the purely personal ideas that Mahomet gave to his political state, the latter encroaching, however, as most of his secular principles, upon the realm of philosophy.
Any form of government except despotism was impossible among so heterogeneous and unruly a people; despotism also bore out his own idea as to the nature of God's governance.
Power was already taking its insidious hold upon him, and his feet were set upon the path that led to the despotism of the Chalifate and the horrors of Muslim conquests.
Together with despotism and inextricably mingled with it is the second great Islamic enthusiasm--the belief in the supremacy of force.
If these mutable tribal entities were to be united at all, despotism was the only possible form of command.
Then was shown in all its fullness the implacable despotism conceived by Mahomet as the only possible method of government, which indeed for those times and with that nation it certainly was.
In recent times it had only been known as the State-prison, identified more than any other with the worst acts of despotism and barbarity.
Meanwhile, such despotism has unsettled the brains of the ruling family, as unbridled power doubtless made some of the twelve Cæsars insane; a madman, sporting with the lives and comfort of a hundred millions of men.
Dead silence, like that which reigns at the summit of Mont Blanc, freezes the whole empire, long ago described as "a despotism tempered by assassination.
Doubt not but that the day is at hand on which, with the annihilation of despotism and your now degraded condition, you will rise to the rank of a free nation, to which your geographical position and the course of events naturally call you.
As the honest prelate denounced, in no measured terms, the despotism which had been established in the place of the liberty guaranteed, it was determined to get rid of him.
Another portion, dreading the Spaniards, invited Bolivar to free them from the despotism to which, in the name of liberty, they had been subjected.
And if we carry on the observation to the consequences of that revolution, until we arrive at the decimation of that fine country under the military despotism which was necessarily its offspring, we shall not find my argument weakened.
The submission of the Spaniards to the despotism of etiquette and custom in trifles, does not (otherwise than apparently) constitute a contradiction to this independence of character.
However, the chief explanation of the great severity of certain criminal codes lies in their connection with despotism or religion or both.
The chief explanation of the great severity of certain {xi} criminal codes lies in their connection withdespotism or religion or both, pp.
What could not be done by despotism was accomplished by the triumph of the people over the court.
When a nation becomes corrupt, liberty degenerates into parties and factions until the stubborn necessity of the strong arm of despotism makes its appearance to control the passions of men.
Let us always avoid a spirit of despotism and persecution, because it is dishonorable.
People who only know modern Presbyterianism have no idea of the despotism which the Fathers of the Kirk tried, for more than a century, to enforce.
It is odd that your principles should coincide so closely with the despotism of democracy.
He believes that all rich men are vicious and intemperate, and sees nothing but despotism and disaster in the Federal Constitution.
It revealed the fact that here the Bourgeois Republic meant the unbridled despotism of one class over another.
A central despotism maintained Roman unity; and, whenever its iron arm should by any means become weakened, the empire must fall into fragments.
Hereditary despotism is, then, in essence and sentiment democratic because it chooses from mankind at random.
But irrational despotism is always democratic, because it is the ordinary man enthroned.
I mean a despotism in which there is absolutely no trace whatever of any nonsense about intellect or special fitness for the post.
Despotism has blasted the high hopes to which the splendid awakening of the first half of the century gave birth.
At a period when the intellectual activity of Europe is at its height, she still groans under the unrestricted despotism of an autocrat.
A period of reaction has set in: Despotism and Nihilism meet face to face.
In like manner the love of liberty is developed to its greatest extent when despotism seeks to stifle it.
Freedom had unfurled her banner, and the sanguine prophets foresaw in the near future a complete cessation of despotism and a constitutional government such as the people had demanded since the beginning of Nicholas' reign in 1825.
Without ever having looked upon a stricken field, he organized the most complete system of resistance to despotism that the history of revolutions has furnished.
Posterity may respect the patriot whose star sinks in unmerited failure, but it bows homage to him if he wages against despotism a victorious fight.
Thus there was erected, in the name of liberty and popular rights, over the ruins of the French monarchy, a system of despotism the most atrocious and merciless under which humanity has ever groaned.
And thousands wished that they might call up even the most despotic king who ever sat upon the throne of France, from his grave, to drive back that most terrible of all earthly despotisms, the despotism of a mob.
If the armies of despotism overrun the north of France, let us retire to the southern provinces, and there establish a republic of freemen.
What would the subjects of Algerine or Turkish despotism say?
The torch of liberty was now extinguished in the republic, and military despotism fully established.
Without faltering or hesitation--without a pause of human weakness, or a thrill of human feeling--he proceeded to frame the most extraordinary despotism that the world has ever seen.
The above list will hopefully give you a few useful examples demonstrating the appropriate usage of "despotism" in a variety of sentences. We hope that you will now be able to make sentences using this word.
