enlightened, despot, despotic

For 70 years the three generations of the despotic Kim family has ruled North Korea through the Workers’ Party of Korea. Will they celebrate with candles or rockets?

Party time in North Korea

SPECULATION swirled a year ago when Kim Jong Un, North Korea’s leader, had not been seen in public for over a month. He even skipped nationwide celebrations for...

ECON.ST

The basis of the attempt to make one nation of them is the restoration to leadership of an enlightened aristocracy. For, `There is a change in them, as in all other things,' ... ..."


4. on Page 102:


"... CULTURE AND SOCIETY 1780-1950 Cambridge preface to the book, will meanwhile proceed under the leadership of a truly enlightened aristocracy. It will be a movement towards democracy, but not to that `tyranny of numbers' of which the dangers have ..."


5. on Page 103:


"... side in politics. But George Eliot was incapable of resting on the image of an Egremont, the figurehead of the enlightened gentleman. ..."


6. on Page 227:


"... CHAPTER III T. S. ELIOT WE can say of Eliot what Mill said of Coleridge, that an `enlightened Radical or Liberal' ought `to rejoice over such a Conservative'. ..."







Catherine the Great (1729-1796): empress of Russia who described herself as an "enlightened despot"

enlighten
verb [I or T]
to provide someone with information and understanding; to explain the true facts about something to someone:
Should the function of children's television be to entertain or to enlighten?
I don't understand this. Could you enlighten me?

enlightened 
adjective APPROVING
1 showing understanding, acting in a positive way, and not following old-fashioned or false beliefs:
The school has an enlightened policy of teaching boys to cook.
These days she's much more enlightened in her views on education.

2 knowing the truth about existence:
Buddha was an enlightened being.佛為覺者

enlightening adjective
giving you more information and understanding of something:
That was a very enlightening programme.
The instruction manual that came with my new computer wasn't very enlightening about how to operate it.

enlightenment
noun [U]
1 the state of understanding something:
Can you give me any enlightenment on what happened?

2 in Hinduism and Buddhism, the highest spiritual state that can be achieved

3 the Enlightenment the period in the 18th century in Europe, when many people began to emphasize the importance of science and reason, rather than religion and tradition
━━ vt. 教化する, 啓蒙(けいもう)する; （意味を）明らかにする.
en・light・ened　━━ a.
en・light・en・ing　━━ a. 啓蒙的な; （問題点などを）はっきりさせる.
en・light・en・ment　━━ n. 【仏教・ヒンドゥー教】悟り; （the E-） 啓蒙運動［思潮］; 啓蒙, 文明開化.

despot 
noun [C]
a person, especially a ruler, who has unlimited power over other people, and often uses it unfairly and cruelly:
an evil despot
The king was regarded as having been a enlightened despot.
See also tyrant at tyranny.

despotic
adjective
a despotic government/regime



despotism
noun [U]
After years of despotism, the country is now moving towards democracy.

(from Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary) ━━ n. 専制君主, 独裁者; 暴君.
des・pot・ic, des・pot・i・cal　━━ a. 独裁的な; 横暴な.
des・pot・i・cal・ly　ad.
des・pot・ism　━━ n. 独裁（政治）; 暴政, 横暴; 専制国.