Oriental despotism refers to the Western view of Asian societies as politically or morally more susceptible to despotic rule, and therefore different from the democratic West. The term is often associated with Karl August Wittfogel's 1957 book Oriental Despotism, although this work primarily focusses on hydraulic empires.
Oriental despotism refers to the Western view of Asian societies as politically or morally more susceptible to despotic rule, and therefore different from the democratic West. The term is often associated with Karl August Wittfogel's 1957 book Oriental Despotism, although this work primarily focusses on hydraulic empires.
Source: Wikipedia "Oriental despotism" · CC BY-SA 4.0
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