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Full Definition of DESPOTISM. 1. a: rule by a despot b: despotic exercise of power. 2. a: a system of government in which the ruler has unlimited power: absolutism b: a despotic state.
See Article History. Alternative Title: benevolent despotism. Enlightened despotism, also called benevolent despotism, a form of government in the 18th century in which absolute monarchs pursued legal, social, and educational reforms inspired by the Enlightenment.