Which country's government instituted checks and balances but later abolished them under King Frederick?

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The correct answer is Prussia. The government of Prussia was known for incorporating Enlightenment ideas, which included the establishment of a system of checks and balances to limit the power of the monarchy and ensure a more representative form of governance. However, during the reign of King Frederick II, also known as Frederick the Great, these checks and balances were systematically dismantled. Frederick sought to centralize power and exert greater control over the state, moving away from the earlier reforms designed to distribute power more evenly among various branches of the government. This shift reflected a more absolutist approach to governance, characteristic of many monarchs during this period.

The other countries mentioned had different trajectories regarding governance. France, for example, saw transitions between monarchy and revolution, but its system of checks and balances was not directly abolished by a singular monarch like Frederick. Russia and Sweden also had their respective forms of governance which evolved differently, without a clear parallel to Frederick's actions in Prussia regarding the explicit abolition of checks and balances.

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