The Enlightenment --- Age of Reason Movie Clip

What was it? Emerged out of the Scientific Revolution and ended in the French Revolution Spokesmen = Rising Middle Class Paris = Center of Enlightenment Search for new laws/ways to govern humans

Key Ideas Distrust of Tradition and Religion Scientific method could be applied to society as well Man is naturally good

The World of the Old Regime Built on tradition World of hierarchy, privilege and inequality Allied with the Church Challenged by supporters of the Enlightenment

Conflict with the Capitalistic Middle Class Size and increasing power of the Middle Class New notion of wealth w/mercantilism Tension and discord created by the Middle Class

The Philosophes (Philosophers) 18th century French intellectuals Truth through reason Natural laws – natural is good and reasonable Happiness – belief in natural laws leads to happiness Progress – for society (can be perfected) Liberties – people should be free

The Problem of Censorship The attempt of the Old Regime to control new thinking Publishers and writers hounded by censors Over 1000 booksellers and authors imprisoned in the Bastille in the early 1700’s

Famous Enlightenment Thinkers

Thomas Hobbes (1588 –1679) Wrote Leviathan (1651) Convinced that all humans are wicked and evil Humans exist in a primitive state and give consent to the government for self-protection Belief: Absolute monarchies

John Locke (1632-1704) People learn from experience Favored self-gov’t, people rule Natural rights: life, liberty, property gov’t protects these rights and if not, people overthrow gov’t Wrote Two Treaties on Government (1690) Inspired American Revolution

Francois Arouet Voltaire (1694-1778) Wrote Candide Govt. to protect people’s freedom & tolerance There should be separation of church and state “Ecrasez l’infame” – “Crush the evil thing”

Baron de Montesquieu (1689-1755) The Spirit of the Laws (1748) “Power should be a check to power” – this is beginnings of separation of powers Influence in the US – legislative, executive, judicial

Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778) Individual freedom “Man is born free, and everywhere he is in chains.” Belief: Direct democracy 1762- Wrote The Social Contract in which he stated that Gov’t is a contract b/w people and rulers

The Role of the Salon – Spreading Ideas Wealthy women of Paris hosted social gatherings known as salons Philosophers, writers, artists, scientists gathered to share ideas Madame Geoffrin – most influential salon hostess

Diderot’s Encyclopedia Encyclopedia (28 volumes) Collected articles regarding all topics: science, politics, economics, slavery, human rights, religion, etc. Critics were outraged & Pope threatened to excommunicate Catholics who read it! Translations helped spread enlightenment ideas across Europe

Art and Literature Enlightenment is reflected in the arts – music, literature, painting, and architecture Baroque – grand and ornate TO Neoclassical – simple and elegant, Classical music – Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven Development of novels

Enlightened Despotism The manner of political reform – monarchs who embraced new ideas& reforms Frederick the Great of Prussia Catherine the Great of Russia Joseph II of Austria

Impact of Enlightenment Ideas led to people challenging long held ideas about society Political philosophies of the Enlightenment inspired American and French revolutions in the 1700s & 1800s