42-437: Absolute Power may refer to: General uses [ edit ] Lord Acton's dictum , "Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely" The power held by the sovereign of an absolute monarchy The power held by a leader of an autocracy or dictatorship Omnipotence , unlimited power, as of a deity Books [ edit ] Absolute Power (novel) ,
84-404: A 1996 novel by David Baldacci Absolute Power: The Helen Clark Years , a 2008 book by Ian Wishart "Absolute Power", a story arc from Superman/Batman comic book series Absolute Power (comics) , a 2024 crossover event by DC Comics Film and television [ edit ] Absolute Power (film) , a 1997 film based on Baldacci's novel Absolute Power (radio and TV series) ,
126-433: A BBC television and radio series "Absolute Power" ( Stargate SG-1 ) , an episode of the television series Stargate SG-1 "Absolute Power" ( Superman: The Animated Series ) , a 1999 episode of Superman: The Animated Series Music [ edit ] Absolute Power (Tech N9ne album) , 2002 "Absolute Power", a 2002 song by heavy metal band Blitzkrieg Absolute Power (Pro-Pain album) , 2010 The Day
168-639: A centralised government that he believed would inevitably turn tyrannical. His notes to Gladstone on the subject helped sway many in the British government to sympathise with the South . After the South's surrender, he wrote to Robert E. Lee that "I mourn for the stake which was lost at Richmond more deeply than I rejoice over that which was saved at Waterloo," adding that he "deemed that you were fighting battles for our liberty, our progress, and our civilization." Acton's stance on
210-423: A clan . Here are the greatest names coupled with the greatest crimes; you would spare those criminals, for some mysterious reason. I would hang them higher than Haman , for reasons of quite obvious justice, still more, still higher for the sake of historical science. Thenceforth he steered clear of theological polemics . He devoted himself to reading, study and congenial society. With all his capacity for study, he
252-423: A favourable presumption that they did no wrong. If there is any presumption it is the other way, against the holders of power, increasing as the power increases. Historic responsibility has to make up for the want of legal responsibility. Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men, even when they exercise influence and not authority, still more when you superadd
294-582: A negative element in the world. And: "Subjection to a people of a higher capacity for government is of itself no misfortune; and it is to most countries the condition of their political advancement." In 1870, along with his mentor Döllinger , Acton opposed the moves to promulgate the doctrine of papal infallibility in the First Vatican Council , travelling to Rome to lobby against it, ultimately unsuccessfully. Acton did not become an Old Catholic , and continued attending Mass regularly; he received
336-445: A profound conception of its functions as a critical instrument in the study of sociopolitical liberty. He was a master of the principal foreign languages, and began at an early age to collect a magnificent historical library, which he intended to use to compose a "History of Liberty". In politics, he was always an ardent Liberal . During his extensive travels, Acton spent much time in the chief intellectual centres of Europe, reading
378-665: A scrutiny of the ballots, and thus retained his seat. After the Reform Act 1867 , Acton again contested Bridgnorth, this time reduced to a single seat, in 1868 but to no avail. Acton took a great interest in the United States, considering its federal structure an ideal guarantor of individual liberties. During the American Civil War , his sympathies lay entirely with the Confederacy , for their defence of States' Rights against
420-619: A valuable political adviser, and in 1892, when the Liberal government came in, Lord Acton was made a lord-in-waiting. Finally, in 1895, on the death of Sir John Seeley , Lord Rosebery appointed him to the Regius Professorship of Modern History at Cambridge . He delivered two courses of lectures on the French Revolution and on Modern History, along with private tutoring. The Cambridge Modern History , though he did not live to see it,
462-719: A way which must have been bitter enough to the ultramontane party, but ultimately disagreeing with Gladstone's conclusion and insisting that the Church itself was better than its premises implied. Acton's letters led to another storm in the English Roman Catholic world, but once more it was considered prudent by the Holy See to leave him alone. In spite of his reservations, he regarded "communion with Rome as dearer than life". On 1 August 1865, Acton married Countess Marie Anna Ludomilla Euphrosina von Arco auf Valley (1841–1923), daughter of
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#1732855128959504-632: Is an appointment in the gift of the Sovereign, the position of deputy lieutenant is an appointment of the Sovereign's appointee, and therefore not a direct appointment of the Sovereign per se . Deputy lieutenant commissions are published by the clerk of the lieutenancy, as a State Appointment, in either the London Gazette or the Edinburgh Gazette , as appropriate, with the names of the persons appointed deputy lieutenants for that county or area, and
546-537: The North British Review , which, previously a Scottish Free Church organ, had been acquired by friends in sympathy with him, and which for some years (until 1872, when it ceased publication) promoted the interests of a high-class Liberalism in both temporal and ecclesiastical matters. Acton also did a good deal of lecturing on historical subjects. In the March 1862 Rambler , Acton wrote: The Celts are not among
588-604: The Congress of Vienna in 1814. After Sir Richard Acton's death in 1837, she became the wife of the 2nd Earl Granville (1840). Marie Louise Pelline de Dalberg was heiress of Herrnsheim in Germany. She became the mother of John Dalberg-Acton who was born in Naples . He was raised as a Roman Catholic , and was educated at Oscott College , under the future-Cardinal Nicholas Wiseman , until 1848. He then studied privately at Edinburgh . He
630-485: The Doctor of Civil Law ; and in 1890 he received the high academic accolade of being made a fellow of All Souls College, Oxford . In 1874, when Gladstone published his pamphlet on The Vatican Decrees in their Bearing on Civil Allegiance , Lord Acton wrote during November and December a series of remarkable letters to The Times , illustrating Gladstone's main theme by numerous historical examples of papal inconsistency, in
672-637: The Review ; and when in 1864, after Döllinger 's appeal at the Munich Congress for a less hostile attitude towards historical criticism, the pope issued a declaration that the opinions of Catholic writers were subject to the authority of the Roman congregations, Acton felt that there was only one way of reconciling his literary conscience with his ecclesiastical loyalty, and he stopped the publication of his monthly periodical. He continued, however, to contribute articles to
714-514: The last rites on his deathbed. The Catholic Church did not try to force his hand. It was in this context that, in a letter he wrote to scholar and ecclesiastic Mandell Creighton , dated April 1887, Acton made his most famous pronouncement: But if we might discuss this point until we found that we nearly agreed, and if we do agree thoroughly about the impropriety of Carlylese denunciations and Pharisaism in history, I cannot accept your canon that we are to judge Pope and King unlike other men, with
756-588: The peerage as Baron Acton, of Aldenham in the County of Shropshire . His elevation came primarily through the intercession of Gladstone. The two were intimate friends and frequent correspondents. Gladstone was particularly concerned to elevate Acton's standing as he headed out to Rome to resist the Pope's plan to have Papal Infallibility confirmed at the Vatican Council. Both Acton and Gladstone opposed this scheme and it
798-616: The Bavarian Count Maximilian von Arco auf Valley, with whom he had six children: His nephew was Anton Graf von Arco auf Valley (1897–1945), a German count and political activist, and assassin of socialist Bavarian minister-president Kurt Eisner in 1919. When his cousin Maria, Duchess of Galliera died in 1888, Acton inherited the dormant title of Marquess of Groppoli . Acton's reputation for learning spread gradually abroad, largely through Gladstone's influence. Gladstone found him
840-532: The Confederacy was shared by most English Catholics at the time, both liberal and Ultramontane . The editors of the Ultramontane Tablet denounced Abraham Lincoln as a dangerous radical, and John Henry Newman , when asked for his opinion on the matter, stated that slavery was not "intrinsically evil" and that the issue had to be assessed on a case-by-case basis. In 1869, Queen Victoria raised Acton to
882-459: The Earth Shook – The Absolute Power , a 2005 DVD by American heavy metal band Manowar See also [ edit ] Absolute square Absolute (disambiguation) Power (disambiguation) Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title Absolute Power . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change
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#1732855128959924-577: The Roman Catholic monthly paper, The Rambler , in 1859, upon John Henry (later Cardinal) Newman 's retirement from the editorship. In 1862, he merged this periodical into the Home and Foreign Review . Though a sincere Roman Catholic, his spirit as a historian was hostile to ultramontane pretensions, and his independence of thought and liberalism soon brought him into conflict with the church hierarchy. As early as August 1862, Cardinal Wiseman publicly censured
966-563: The correspondence of historical personalities. Among his friends were Montalembert , Tocqueville , Fustel de Coulanges , Bluntschli , von Sybel and Ranke . In 1855, he was appointed deputy lieutenant of Shropshire. A year later, he was attached to Lord Granville's mission to Moscow as British representative at the coronation of Alexander II of Russia . In 1859, Acton settled in England, at his country house, Aldenham , in Shropshire . He
1008-583: The first number of the English Historical Review , which he helped to found (1886). After 1879 he divided his time between London, Cannes , and Tegernsee in Bavaria, enjoying and reciprocating the society of his friends. In 1872 he had been given the honorary degree of Doctor of Philosophy by the University of Munich ; in 1888 Cambridge gave him the honorary degree of Doctor of Laws , and in 1889 Oxford
1050-467: The great historians; his very learning seems to have stood in his way; he knew too much and his literary conscience was too acute for him to write easily, and his copiousness of information overloads his literary style. But he was one of the most deeply learned men of his time, and he will certainly be remembered for his influence on others. The Acton School of Business , established in 2002 in Austin, Texas,
1092-578: The importance of limiting governmental and institutional power in favor of individual rights and personal liberty. The only son of Sir Ferdinand Dalberg-Acton, 7th Baronet , and grandson of the Neapolitan admiral and prime minister Sir John Acton, 6th Baronet (who succeeded to the baronetcy and estates held by another branch of the Acton family in Shropshire in 1791), Acton was known as Sir John Dalberg-Acton, 8th Baronet, from 1837 to 1869. His grandfather
1134-548: The link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Absolute_Power&oldid=1244590324 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Lord Acton%27s dictum John Emerich Edward Dalberg-Acton, 1st Baron Acton, 13th Marquess of Groppoli , KCVO , DL (10 January 1834 – 19 June 1902), better known as Lord Acton ,
1176-642: The minister responsible for most appointments is the Lord Chancellor , with exceptions such as the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster . In Scotland, since July 1999, it has been the Scottish Ministers . Decades ago, the number of deputy lieutenants for each county could be as few as three. Today, however, there may be well over a dozen that are appointed, as the number of deputy lieutenants today correlates with
1218-673: The population of each respective county. Deputy lieutenants tend to be people who either have served the local community, or have a history of public service in other fields. Deputy lieutenants represent the lord-lieutenant in his or her absence, including at local ceremonies and official events, from opening exhibitions to inductions of vicars (as requested by the Church of England ). They must live within their lieutenancy area, or within seven miles (11 km) of its boundary. Their appointments do not terminate with any change of lord-lieutenant, but they are legally required to retire at age 75. One of
1260-554: The postnominal letters DL may be added after a deputy lieutenant's surname and other postnominals – e.g. John Brown, CBE, DL. Deputy lieutenants are nominated by a lord-lieutenant, to assist with any duties as may be required (see the Lieutenancies Act 1997 ). Deputy lieutenants receive their commission of appointment via the appropriate government minister by command of the British monarch . In England and Wales, since November 2001,
1302-636: The progressive, initiative races, but among those which supply the materials rather than the impulse of history, and are either stationary or retrogressive. The Persians, the Greeks, the Romans, and the Teutons are the only makers of history, the only authors of advancement. Other races possessing a highly developed language, a speculative religion, enjoying luxury and art, attain to a certain pitch of cultivation which they are unable to either communicate or to increase. They are
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1344-416: The serving deputy lieutenants is appointed to be vice lord-lieutenant, who in most circumstances will stand in for a lord-lieutenant who cannot be present. The appointment as vice lord-lieutenant usually expires upon the retirement of the lord-lieutenant who made the choice. Generally, the vice lord-lieutenant would then revert to being a regular deputy lieutenant. Unlike the office of lord-lieutenant, which
1386-496: The tendency or the certainty of corruption by authority. There is no worse heresy than that the office sanctifies the holder of it. That is the point at which the negation of Catholicism and the negation of Liberalism meet and keep high festival, and the end learns to justify the means. You would hang a man of no position like Ravaillac ; but if what one hears is true, then Elizabeth asked the gaoler to murder Mary , and William III of England ordered his Scots minister to extirpate
1428-673: Was a man of the world and a man of affairs, not a bookworm. His only notable publications were a masterly essay in the Quarterly Review of January 1878 on "Democracy in Europe;" two lectures delivered at Bridgnorth in 1877 on "The History of Freedom in Antiquity" and "The History of Freedom in Christianity"—these last the only tangible portions put together by him of his long-projected "History of Liberty;" and an essay on modern German historians in
1470-450: Was an English Catholic historian, politician, and writer. A strong advocate for individual liberty , Acton is best known for his timeless observation on the dangers of concentrated authority . In an 1887 letter to an Anglican bishop, he famously wrote, "Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely," underscoring his belief that unchecked power poses the greatest threat to human freedom . His works consistently emphasized
1512-536: Was denied entry to the University of Cambridge because he was a Catholic, and subsequently went to Munich where he studied at the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich and resided in the house of Johann Joseph Ignaz von Döllinger , the theologian and forerunner of the Old Catholic Church , with whom he became lifelong friends. Döllinger inspired in him a deep love of historical research and
1554-592: Was named in his honor. Posthumous Articles Deputy Lieutenant In the United Kingdom , a deputy lieutenant is a Crown appointment and one of several deputies to the lord-lieutenant of a lieutenancy area – an English ceremonial county , Welsh preserved county , Scottish lieutenancy area , or Northern Irish county borough or county . Before the creation of the Irish Free State , all Irish counties had deputy lieutenants. In formal style ,
1596-464: Was part of a younger line of the family that had moved to France and Italy , but after the extinction of the elder branch he became the patriarch. Acton's father, known as Richard, married Marie Louise Pelline, the only daughter of Emmerich Joseph, 1st Duc de Dalberg , a naturalised French noble of ancient German lineage who had entered the French service under Napoleon and represented Louis XVIII at
1638-508: Was planned under his editorship. After his health began to fail in 1901, Acton died on 19 June 1902 at his wife's family home in the spa town of Tegernsee , Bavaria , Germany . He was buried in a small communal graveyard by Lake Tegernsee , a grave which today lies unmarked, having lost its headstone in the latter half of the 20th century. He was succeeded in the title by his son, Richard Lyon-Dalberg-Acton, 2nd Baron Acton . His 60,000-volume library, with books full of his own annotations,
1680-456: Was purchased prior to his death by Andrew Carnegie in secret, in order to secure the library for Acton's use during his lifetime. Upon Lord Acton's death, it was presented to John Morley , who donated it to the University of Cambridge. According to Hugh Chisholm , author of the article in the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica : Lord Acton has left too little completed original work to rank among
1722-578: Was returned to the House of Commons that same year as member for the Irish borough of Carlow and became a devoted admirer and adherent of Prime Minister William Ewart Gladstone . However, Acton was not an active MP, and his parliamentary career came to an end after the general election of 1865 , when he headed the Liberal ballot for Bridgnorth near his Shropshire home. Acton nearly defeated Conservative leader Henry Whitmore , but Whitmore successfully petitioned for
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1764-516: Was thought that, if Acton were a British Peer, it would strengthen his position in Rome. Matthew Arnold said: "Gladstone influences all round him but Acton; it is Acton who influences Gladstone." Acton was appointed to the Royal Victorian Order as a Knight Commander (KCVO) in the 1897 Birthday Honours. He was also a strong supporter of Irish Home Rule . Meanwhile, Acton became the editor of
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