What is despotism and its main features?

Despotism is a form of government that is a kind of autocracy. Key features: absolute power is concentrated in the hands of one ruler or a small group of people; the ruler disposes of the lives of his subjects, the citizens of the state are the slaves of their lord-ruler (under despotism, the ruler is called a despot). Ancient states such as Babylon, Assyria, Ancient Egypt, and the Chinese empires were despots. In modern times, the empires of the Great Mughals and the Ottoman Empire were despotic.