A Glimpse of History - The Rise of the Modern World

The theory of the “divine right” of kings was not practiced by the rulers of the Middle Ages. The right of rebellion, occasional election, the grant of town charters, and the parliament limited the powers of the monarchs during this age.

The checks on the power of the medieval monarchs did not, however, work toward the development of democracy. Instead, autocracy developed in Europe during the fifteenth, sixteenth, and seventeenth centuries. The rise of autocracy was due to the presence of able and ambitious monarchs, the change in the methods of warfare, the political ideas of writers, the influence of national patriotism, the influence of the Reformation, and the economic, social, and political changes brought about by the growth of commerce and trade.

The people of England fought hard to obtain protection for their rights. The English revolution – the Puritan Revolution and the Glorious Revolution – were the causes of the rise of many institutions, which we have inherited, from the English. One of these is the representative from the government.

The civilization that arose in Western Europe spread to the various European countries through the reforms introduced by the “enlightened despots” who considered it their duty to promote the progress and welfare of their people.

The introduction of new ways of living with others, and new ways of thinking during the early modern period greatly enhanced the progress of mankind

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