In Russia, the system of government during the 17th century was absolute monarchy. What this means is that, under this system, a king (or <em>tzar</em>) has complete power to act in any way he sees fit. This means that he is above the law, and that the rest of the government needs to respond to his wishes only.
On the other hand, the system that operated in England was that of a constitutional monarchy. Under this system, no one is above the law. This means that the monarch does not have absolute power because he still has to respect what the law states. Moreover, the government similarly needs to adhere to these laws, and therefore, the king cannot enforce his will, but he has to negotiate and collaborate with the rest of the government.
<span>In Russia, the monarchy had to assert its dominant power to gain territory and improve the economy; in England, the monarchy depended on cooperation. </span> In absolute monarchies the power is centralised, and decision making process is shortened, it allows rapid improvements and effective expansion, but is very unstable and dependant on the personality.
Labor unions were used to help people convince the large corporations they worked for to give them better pay, more benefits, and a safer working environment.
