The Impact of the Enlightenment

The Arts  Architecture and Art: Many rulers build grand castles to mimic Louis XIV’s Palace at Versailles  unique architectural style is created –Rococo: new artistic style is created as well  Emphasizes grace, charm and gentle action  Highly secular: focused on the pursuit of pleasure, happiness and love  Sense of enchantment and enthusiasm

Music: Perfecting Baroque  Johann Sebastian Bach –One of the greatest composers of all time –German –Mass in B Minor  George Frederick Handel –Messiah –German, but lived in England –With Bach, perfected the baroque musical style

Music: Creation of Classical  Haydn –Wanted to play public concerts rather than serve only princely patrons –The desire to play for everyone leads him to write his two great works  Mozart –Child prodigy –Along with Haydn, helps to found what we know as classical music –One of the greatest composers of all time

Literature  18 th century= development of the European novel

Enlightenment and Enlightened Absolutism  What role does Enlightenment thought play in politics? –Who believes in natural rights for all people? –“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their creator with certain inalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”  How were these natural rights to be preserved? –Governed under an enlightened ruler –Enlightened absolutism: rulers try to govern by Enlightenment principles while maintaining their royal powers

Frederick the Great

Frederick the Great of Prussia  Enlightened despot  Made enlightened reforms –Abolished the use of torture except in treason and murder cases –Granted limited freedom of speech and the press, as well as complete religious toleration  On the other hand… –Kept Prussia’s serfdom and rigid social structure intact and avoided any additional reforms

The Austrian Empire  Joseph II succeeds Maria Theresa and starts to call for enlightened change –Swept away anything standing in the path of reason  Abolishes serfdom, eliminates the death penalty, equality before the law, enacts religious reforms.  Joseph’s reform program largely fails –Why?

Russia under Catherine the Great  Rules Russia from –Assumes the throne after her husband is murdered by a group of nobles –German  Favored the ideas of the philosophes and wanted to implement reform, but does not –Why?  Need support of nobility

Philosophes v. 18 th Century Monarchs  Philosophes –Condemn war as foolish –Want all to have equality under the law  Monarchs –Use war to expand empires –Concerned with the balance of power, that each state should have equal power –Really, each want to gain more power

War  War of Austrian Succession –Maria Theresa succeeds her father on the Austrian throne –King Frederick of Prussia invades Austrian Silesia –France enters war vs. Austria, its traditional enemy –Treaty agreed to in 1748  Prussia refuses to return Silesia to Austria= another war

War

War  The Seven Years’ War –Maria Theresa rebuilds army and takes France as an ally from Prussia –Russia joins France and Austria  Sees Prussia as a threat – Britain allies itself with Prussia  War fought in 3 locations: Europe, India, and North America  War in Europe: Prussia holds its ground against Austria, Russia, and France –Once Russia withdraws, there is a stalemate –Agree to end war and Prussia keeps Silesia; all other occupied territories are returned to their original owner  War in India –Britain vs. France –Seeking to expand their empire –India falls to Britain  War in North America –Great Britain is victorious overall and becomes one of the greatest colonial powers