Spreading the Enlightenment

Paris Paris was the center of the Enlightenment “an opinion launched in Paris was like a battering ram launched by 30 million men”

Enlightenment Ideas Spread Enlightenment ideas flowed across Europe and beyond. Widespread rejection of “divine right” and a strict class sytem.

Censorship Government and the Church waged a war of censorship to protect themselves against the attacks of the Enlightenment by banning and burning books and imprisoning writers.

Salons The ideas Enlightenment were discussed and shared in Salons. The idea of salons originated in the 1600s when noblewomen would meet in their homes in Paris for poetry readings. Philosophes like Montesquieu, Voltaire, Diderot frequented salons to spread their ideas.

Enlightened Despots Enlightenment thinkers tried to get the monarchs to embrace social change. Absolute rulers who used their powers to help bring about social and political reforms.

Frederick the Great Frederick II – King of Prussia 1740-1786

Frederick the Great Maintained tight control of his subjects - BUT Admired Voltaire’s work and invited him to develop an academy of science in Berlin. Gave farming tools and seed to peasants (but he benefited) Tolerated religious differences. Created a more efficient government and simplified laws (which made himself stronger).

Catherine the Great Catherine II - Empress of Russia 1762-1796 Read the works of Philosophes and exchanged letters with Voltaire and Diderot. Limited reforms in law and government, but did not give up any power.

Joseph II of Austria Joseph II Holy Roman Emperor 1741-1790 The most radical “enlightened despot.” Disguised himself as a peasant to learn of their problems. Tolerant of protestants and Jews within his Catholic empire, ended censorship and attempted to bring the Catholic church under royal control.

Arts and Literature Courtly Art – Roman or Greek style or baroque Baroque – grand, complex, huge, colorful, and full of excitement.

Rococo style – an evolution of baroque - Personal, elegant, and charming. Furniture and tapestries featured delicate shells and flowers.

Portrait painters showed noble subjects in charming rural settings. New middle class audiences – paintings of ordinary people by painters like Rembrandt.

Musical trends – Ballets and operas Johan Sebastian Bach George Frederick Handel – the Messiah Novels – Robinson Crusoe

For the Majority… Peasant life was little changed and mostly untouched by the ideas of the enlightenment. Peasants were better off in Western Europe than Eastern Europe. Peasant life didn’t really change until the 1800s when war, and radical political and economic change transformed Europe.