Final answer:
Ivan IV's use of secret police against his political enemies most exemplifies how he was an absolute monarch, by exerting total power and suppressing dissent.
Step-by-step explanation:
The aspect of the rule of Ivan IV of Russia that most makes him an absolute monarch is his use of secret police against political enemies. This tactic illustrates his ability to exert total control over his subjects and to govern without limitations or checks to his power. An absolute monarch typically centralizes power and utilizes mechanisms such as secret police to maintain authority and suppress dissent, much like Ivan the Terrible's political strategy. His close cooperation with the Russian nobility, support of peasants, and violent temper, although contributing to the image of an autocratic ruler, are not as directly indicative of an absolute monarchy as his utilization of secret police.