Absolutism is a political theory that holds that all power should be vested in a ruler or other authority. Hobbes wanted citizens to give up their natural and historical rights to allow a king or queen to rule over them. “You have surrendered your rights to the government, in exchange for your life” (Hobbes)Europe was in a fragile state in the 17th and 18th centuries. Governments were not centralized and there was a lot of violence, such as the English Civil War and the Wars of Religion in France. Hobbes' theory of absolute monarchs helped guide Louis XIV in his power to become one of the greatest monarchs in Europe and the world. Although the divine right theory later failed due to enlightened thinkers and the poor leadership of Louis XVI, it was exactly what France and other nations needed in the 1600s and early 1700s to keep their countries united. Jonathan Swift was a very different character from Hobbes; he was born in Dublin, Ireland, and experienced the poor treatment the Irish faced from the English. For much of his life Swift was devoted to Irish affairs. He believed he could cure society's problems with humor, which is why some of his writings are out of the ordinary. But ultimately Swift believed in providing people with their natural birth