3.8 Comparison in the Age of Absolutism and Constitutionalism

Power struggles both within and between growing nation-states after the Thirty Years’ War caused varying degrees of political centralization. In some states, absolutism emerged as monarchs consolidated their power and built centralized states.

In other nations, such as England and the Dutch Republic, resistance to absolutism led to the creation of limited monarchies and republics. Nations increasingly focused on maintaining a balance of power in Europe, preventing one nation from growing dominant. 

Economic changes in agriculture and increased trade networks resulted in an increasingly interconnected global economy, with much of Europe developing market economies that were combinations of mercantile and capitalist systems. New commodities and industries also created new cultures and social classes like the bourgeoisie. 🎥 Watch: AP European History - Absolutism vs Constitutionalism