The Age of Enlightenment Chapter 17: Age of Enlightenment AP European History The Age of Enlightenment Western Heritage Chapter 17

Chapter 17: Age of Enlightenment AP European History The Enlightenment **The philosophes disagreed on many issues but shared the fundamental principle of reforming society for the sake of human liberty.** Key Feature: emphasis on concrete experience Impact of the Enlightenment: spirit of innovation and improvement came to characterize modern Europe and western society

Chapter 17: Age of Enlightenment AP European History Alexander Pope “Nature and Nature’s Laws lay hid in night God said, ‘Let Newton be!’ and all was light.” —Alexander Pope, Epitaphs

Forerunner of the Enlightenment Isaac Newton Chapter 17: Age of Enlightenment AP European History Forerunner of the Enlightenment Isaac Newton Law of universal gravitation exemplified power of human mind Distinctly Christian  urged Europeans to study nature directly Insisted upon empirical support for his general laws If nature is rational, society should also be organized rationally.

Example of British Toleration and Political Stability Chapter 17: Age of Enlightenment AP European History Example of British Toleration and Political Stability Religious toleration Freedom of speech and press Limited monarchy—Parliament sovereign Courts protected citizens rights Domestic stability Small standing army Less regulated economic life **All of the above produced prosperity, stability and a loyal citizenry, not disorder and instability as Hobbes feared.**

Chapter 17: Age of Enlightenment AP European History Print Culture Enlightenment  first major intellectual movement to flourish in the print culture Books, journals, magazines, newspapers increased Increasingly literate public created new social force  public opinion Increased number of secular books People of Print Joseph Addison and Richard Steele - published books on politeness and the value of books Alexander Pope and Voltaire – become wealthy and famous from their writings

Implications of the Emergence of the Print Culture Chapter 17: Age of Enlightenment AP European History Implications of the Emergence of the Print Culture Governments could no longer operate in secret or disregard public opinion Had to explain and discuss policies openly Governments sensed political power of the new print culture. Governments regulated the book trade, censored books & newspapers, sometimes imprisoned authors.

Chapter 17: Age of Enlightenment AP European History The Philosophers Reformers rather than revolutionaries Advocated toleration Favored expansion of trade improvement of agriculture & transportation new industries

The Enlightenment and Religion Chapter 17: Age of Enlightenment AP European History The Enlightenment and Religion Challenged church’s concept of “original sin” Challenged church practices paying no taxes Rulers also being religious leaders Literary censorship

Chapter 17: Age of Enlightenment AP European History Joseph Addison “The spacious firmament on high, With all the blue ethereal sky, And spangled heav’n, a shining frame, Their great Original proclaim: Th’ unwearied Sun, from day to day, Does his Creator’s power display, And publishes to every land The work of an Almighty hand.”

Deism – religion and reason combined Chapter 17: Age of Enlightenment AP European History Deism – religion and reason combined John Toland - Christianity Not Mysterious (1696) – promoted religion as natural and rational, rather than supernatural and mystical Deism – tolerant, reasonable, capable of encouraging virtuous living

Chapter 17: Age of Enlightenment AP European History The Ideas of John Locke Believed in man’s ability to rule himself and also improve the human condition Humans born a “blank page”—“tabula rasa” Experience and only experience shapes character In An Essay in Human Understanding, he rejected Christian notion that sin permanently flawed humans

Voltaire – the first philosopher Chapter 17: Age of Enlightenment AP European History Voltaire – the first philosopher Imprisoned at the Bastille for offending the French Went into exile in England “Crush the infamous thing.” (“Escraze l’infame.”) Not an atheist— considered himself a Deist

Chapter 17: Age of Enlightenment AP European History Voltaire Published works 1733 – Letters on the English – praised British freedoms—especially religion— criticized the French 1738 – Elements of the Philosophy of Newton – popularized Newton’s theories after his death 1759 – Candide – satire attacking war, religious persecution and unwarranted optimism about the human condition

Religious Toleration Literary Works Chapter 17: Age of Enlightenment AP European History Religious Toleration Literary Works John Locke – Letter Concerning Toleration (1689) – set forth toleration as prime requisite for virtuous life Voltaire – Treatise on Tolerance (1763) – wanted answers to why Roman Catholic Church executed Huguenot Jean Calas Gothold Lessing – Nathan the Wise (1779) – called for religious tolerance of all religions not just Christianity

Radical Enlightenment Texts Chapter 17: Age of Enlightenment AP European History Radical Enlightenment Texts David Hume – Inquiry Into Human Nature (1748) – no empirical evidence that miracles exist Voltaire – Philosophical Dictionary (1764) – using humor, pointed out inconsistencies in the Bible and the immoral acts of Biblical heroes Baron d’Holbach—embraced a position very near atheism and materialism—a distinct minority of Enlightenment thinkers.

Radical Enlightenment Texts Chapter 17: Age of Enlightenment AP European History Radical Enlightenment Texts Edward Gibbon – Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire (1776) – explains the rise of Christianity through natural causes Immanuel Kant – Religion within the Limits of Reason Alone (1793) – religion as a humane force through which there can be virtuous living.

The Enlightenment and Judaism Chapter 17: Age of Enlightenment AP European History The Enlightenment and Judaism Jewish Thinkers Baruch Spinoza – Ethics – closely identified God with nature Forerunner of the Enlightenment Criticized as an atheist Excommunicated from synagogue for his beliefs

The Enlightenment and Judaism Chapter 17: Age of Enlightenment AP European History The Enlightenment and Judaism Moses Mendelsohn – “Jewish Socrates” Jerusalem (1783) – argued for religious toleration and religious distinction of Jewish communities T

Islam in Enlightenment Thought Chapter 17: Age of Enlightenment AP European History Islam in Enlightenment Thought Philosophes Negative on Islam Voltaire’s Fanaticism (1742) – Islam one more example of religious fanaticism Charles de Montesquieu – Spirit of the Law (1748) –Islam’s passivity made it subject to political despotism Philosophes Positive on Islam Deists Toland and Gibbon viewed Islam positively Lady Mary Wortley Montagu – Turkish Embassy Letters (1716-1718) – praised Ottoman society / felt women were freer

Chapter 17: Age of Enlightenment AP European History The Encyclopedia Edited by Denis Diderot and Jean Le Rond d’Alembert Collective work—over 100 authors—none women Important information about 18th century social and economic life Between 14,000 and 16,000 copies sold before 1789 Denis Diderot

The Encyclopedia, cont’d Chapter 17: Age of Enlightenment AP European History The Encyclopedia, cont’d Secularize learning Antiquity should provide intellectual and ethical models for civilization. Welfare of mankind depended on living at peace with neighbors, rather than pleasing God. “Good life” lay in the application of reason to human relationships Direct Result: Enlightenment ideas diffused over the continent even penetrating Russian and German intellectual and political thought.

Chapter 17: Age of Enlightenment AP European History “Barbarism lasts for centuries; it seems that it is our natural element; reason, and good taste are only passing.” ~Jean Le Rond ’Alembert

Becarria and Reform of Criminal Law Chapter 17: Age of Enlightenment AP European History Becarria and Reform of Criminal Law Italian philosophe Becarria wrote On Crimes and Punishment (1764) Against torture and capital punishment Wanted speedy trials & certain punishment Punishment should deter further crimes Purpose of laws is to guarantee happiness for as many human beings as possible

The Physiocrats and Economic Freedom Chapter 17: Age of Enlightenment AP European History The Physiocrats and Economic Freedom Physiocrats were economic reformers Believed primary role of government—to protect property Prized agriculture above all—all economic production depended on it .

Chapter 17: Age of Enlightenment AP European History Adam Smith Wrote Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations (1776) Most famous work of the Enlightenment Economic growth when people pursue own selfish self- interests Laissez-faire economics –limited government role in economy (“Let it be”) Four-stage theory of human societies hunting and gathering pastoral or herding agricultural commercial – society at its highest level

Consequences of Enlightened Political Thought Chapter 17: Age of Enlightenment AP European History Consequences of Enlightened Political Thought Most thought came from France Reformist agenda—very discontent with their own gov’t Divided on Proposed solutions— ranged from aristocratic reform, to democracy, and absolute monarchy

Chapter 17: Age of Enlightenment AP European History Baron d’Montesquieu Wrote Spirit of the Laws (1748) Admired Great Britain Espoused separation of powers—no one part of government completely in control (checks and balances) Favored a monarchy tempered by reformed aristocracy

Jean Jacques Rousseau: Radical Critique of Modern Society Chapter 17: Age of Enlightenment AP European History Jean Jacques Rousseau: Radical Critique of Modern Society Discourse on the Moral Effects of the Arts and Sciences (1750) –process of civilization and Enlightenment had corrupted human nature Discourse on the Origin of Inequality (1755) – blamed evil in the world on uneven distribution of property

Jean Jacques Rousseau: A Radical Critique of Modern Society Chapter 17: Age of Enlightenment AP European History Jean Jacques Rousseau: A Radical Critique of Modern Society The Social Contract (1762) – society more important than individual members— each person can maintain individual freedom while being loyal member “All men are born free, but everywhere they are in chains.” Influenced American and French Revolutions

Enlightened Critics or European Empires Chapter 17: Age of Enlightenment AP European History Enlightened Critics or European Empires Few Enlightenment philosophers criticized Europeans on moral grounds Conquest of the Americas Treatment of Native Americans Enslavement of Africans Three Ideas from the Critics “human beings deserve some modicum of moral and political respect simply because they are human beings” different cultures should be respected & understood, not destroyed human beings may develop distinct cultures possessing intrinsic values that cannot be compared because each culture possesses deep inner social and linguistic complexities that make any simple comparison impossible

Women in the Thought and Practice of the Enlightenment Chapter 17: Age of Enlightenment AP European History Women in the Thought and Practice of the Enlightenment Montesquieu believed in equality of the sexes but had a traditional view of family and marriage The Encyclopedia suggested ways to improve women’s lives, but did not suggest reform Rousseau – felt women should be subordinate to men Women and men occupied different spheres

Chapter 17: Age of Enlightenment AP European History Mary Wollstonecraft A Vindication of the Rights of Women (1792) – defended equality of women based on human reason Opposed aspects of Fr. Rev. unfavorable to women Argued with Voltaire—To confine women to separate spheres as Rousseau had was to make them sensual slaves of men, victims of male tyranny, never able to achieve their own moral or intellectual identity.

Rococo and Neoclassical Styles in Eighteenth-Century Art Chapter 17: Age of Enlightenment AP European History Rococo and Neoclassical Styles in Eighteenth-Century Art Rococo style of art embraced lavish decoration with pastel colors became style of French aristocracy famous artists included Jean-Antoine Watteau, Francois Boucher, and Jean-Honore Fragonard Neo-classical style art went back to the ancient world concerned with public life more than the intimate families of rococo famous artists included Jacques-Louis David and Jean Antoine Houdon

Chapter 17: Age of Enlightenment AP European History Chapter 17: Age of Enlightenment

Enlightened Absolutism Chapter 17: Age of Enlightenment AP European History Enlightened Absolutism monarchial government in which central absolutist administration was strengthened at cost of church, parliament, or diets Monarchs Frederick II of Prussia Joseph II of Austria Catherine II of Russia

Frederick the Great of Prussia— “first servant of the state” Chapter 17: Age of Enlightenment AP European History Frederick the Great of Prussia— “first servant of the state” Promotion through merit – work and education rather than birth would decide who ruled Prussia Religious Toleration – for Christian, Muslim & Jew Administrative and Economic Reforms – legal reform included abolishing torture and limiting number of capital crimes

Chapter 17: Age of Enlightenment AP European History Joseph II of Austria Centralization of Authority – aimed to extend the empire at the expense of Poland, Bavaria, and the Ottoman Empire Ecclesiastical Policies – religious toleration and bringing the Roman Catholic Church under royal control Economic and Agrarian Reform improved transportation and trade abolished serfdom Fostered freedom of the press and speech

Catherine the Great of Russia Chapter 17: Age of Enlightenment AP European History Catherine the Great of Russia limited administrative reform – local control of the nobility economic growth – opened up trade and favored the expansion of the urban middle class territorial expansion – to warm weather ports along the Baltic and Black Seas

Chapter 17: Age of Enlightenment AP European History Gambling with the Lives of Serfs, by Gustave Dore

The Partition of Poland Chapter 17: Age of Enlightenment AP European History The Partition of Poland land split by Russia, Austria, and Prussia proved that without a strong bureaucracy, monarchy and army, a nation could not survive

The End of the Eighteenth Century in Central and Eastern Europe Chapter 17: Age of Enlightenment AP European History The End of the Eighteenth Century in Central and Eastern Europe nations became more conservative and politically more repressive fading monarchs Frederick the Great of Prussia – grew remote with age and left the aristocracy to fill government posts Joseph II of Austria – in response to criticism turns to censorship and the secret police Catherine the Great of Russia – peasant uprisings lead to fears of social and political upheaval