Women in the Enlightenment  Ideas of “free and equal” did not apply to women  Did have natural rights but it was limited to area of home and family  Mary Wollestonecraft, english writer  Identified two major flaws with the enlightenment ideas  Enlightenment based on ideal of reason in all humans, because women have reason they should be equal.  Gov’t based on the arbitrary power of monarchs was wrongl the power of men over women is equally wrong  Womens first duty was to be a good mother but should be able to decide what was in their own best interest.

New Economic Thinking  Adam Smith – “Wealth of Nations”  Founder of modern economics  If individuals were free to persue their own economic self interests, all society would benefit  Supply and demand  Gov’t should not interfere  Laissez faire approach-hands off  3 roles of gov’t  Protect from invasion  Defend people from injustice  Maintain common goods

Enlightenment Spreads  Section 2  Objectives: students will be able to;  Describe how enlightenment affected arts and literature  Understand how philosophees influences enlightened despots  Why enlightenment ideas were slow to reach most Europeans  How is history spead?

 Enlightenment ideas were so popular that’ some absolute monarchs tried to implement ideas  Most taken back when they began to threaten established order

New ideas challenge society  During the middle, devine right rule was widley accepted  Strict class system  Heavenly reward for earthly suffering  In the age of reason this idea seemed irrationsl  a just society should ensure social justice and happiness in this world  Which philosphe would disagree?

 Censorship- restriction access to ideas  Most gov’t and churches felt that they had a duty to protect the old way of doing things. “God set up old order”  Officials used censorship  Prisoned writers  Burned books, pamphlets etc…  Many disguised ideas as themes in works of fiction  Met in salons  Informal social gatherings used to spread ideas  Usually secret meetings….Why?  Can we think of any modern day salons?

Arts and Literature play major role  Art and architecture was vased ib a style called baroque