this post was submitted on 04 Feb 2026
37 points (100.0% liked)

askchapo

23219 readers
187 users here now

Ask Hexbear is the place to ask and answer ~~thought-provoking~~ questions.

Rules:

  1. Posts must ask a question.

  2. If the question asked is serious, answer seriously.

  3. Questions where you want to learn more about socialism are allowed, but questions in bad faith are not.

  4. Try !feedback@hexbear.net if you're having questions about regarding moderation, site policy, the site itself, development, volunteering or the mod team.

founded 5 years ago
MODERATORS
 

Was the development of absolutism a response to the rising capitalist class, or off republicanism? My knowledge of late medieval history is really not as strong as it could be so I’m interested to hear what people think

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[–] Carl@hexbear.net 15 points 8 hours ago (2 children)

I think we don't have a proper name for it, since we just think of it all as fuedalism. Maybe marcantilism can be thought of that way as the other poster said but I don't think that's a 1:1 comparison. When I think "late stage fuedalism", I think the late Ancien Regime in France, where the fuedal institutions had become so calcified that they were simply incapable of responding to the rise of liberalism and the eventual French Revolution.

In this analogy, the remaining fuedal regimes reestablishing the Bourbons maps to Capital restoration in the Soviet Union.

[–] SootySootySoot@hexbear.net 4 points 6 hours ago* (last edited 6 hours ago)

This is a very important point. Most people think of all society from tribes up to 1600CE as one big "it was basically all kings"/medieval/dark ages bloc. Very few people could actually tell you about the development through those various eras, such as the philosophies, societal movements and technologies developed, invented, and at play throughout those millennia (including myself, I know shit all).

To ask "what was feudalism in decay" is like asking "why is glass transparent"; It sounds simple, but you need to understand a whole bunch of other shit first for the answer to actually be meaningful.

[–] glimmer_twin@hexbear.net 10 points 8 hours ago (1 children)

I think we don't have a proper name for it, since we just think of it all as fuedalism

Isn’t this telling. That after a few centuries, the same will be true of capitalism/fascism - one is simply a tool trying to maintain the other.

[–] oscardejarjayes@hexbear.net 8 points 8 hours ago (1 children)

I mean, people already largely think of America as just capitalism, even though it's had a lot of the features of fascism for a long time.

[–] LaughingLion@hexbear.net 7 points 7 hours ago

and by a long time you mean basically for it's entire existence