Absolutism: A Future

“Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely” - Lord Alton. Absolutism has left its mark on numerous countries including France, Russia, and China, and it continues to be used in multiple middle eastern countries. While absolute power may lead to a more effective government, a corrupt leader can cause a state to crumble. The short story “Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow” by Kurt Vonnegut provides an excellent example of absolutism weaknesses on a small scale. The story takes place 150 years in the future, in which a drug has been invented that is keeping the majority of the population from dying. Being the oldest and wealthiest of his family, along with owning the apartment in which he and twenty two of his family members live, a 172 year old man named Gramps wields all of the power in his house. His absolutist way of ruling is first apparent when his grandson’s wife says,
“I get so sick of seeing his wrinkled old face, watching him take the only private room and the best chair and the best food, and getting to pick out what to watch on TV, and running everybody’s life by changing his will all the time.”
The fear of being excluded from Gramp’s will, and the constant abuse of his power, makes the rest of Gramp’s family essentially his slaves. As seen in multiple societies throughout history, such as Russia, absolutism is often followed by revolutions or uprisings which then cause even more power struggles between different parties in the society. Similarly, after having enough of Gramps’ enslavement, one of his youngest relatives tries to assassinate him. After an attempt by Gramp’s great-grandson to save him being misunderstood for an attempted murder, Gramps decides to make it seem like he had killed himself, his will reading
“All of my property, of whatsoever kind and nature, not be divided, but do devise and bequeath it to be held in common by my issue, without regard for generation, equally, share and share alike.”
With Gramps seemingly dead, and no one having authority over anyone else, a fight for power, which ends with Gramp’s entirefamily being arrested, ensues. As is seen through the accurate depiction of absolutism in “Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow,” absolutism forces everyone in a civilization to suffer the consequences of a bad leader.