ABSTRACT
Discussions of absolutism as a theory are beset by the general problems affecting analysis of it as a historical concept. This is particularly true for central Europe where the example of Prussia distorts the wider picture and obscures the continued role of the Reich. Coverage of the German conception of absolutism frequently concentrates on the means to impose it, rather than the ideas themselves, and often goes no further than general references to rule by the grace of God (Gottesgnadentum).
