1. Enlightened Absolutism
Philosophes believed that the success of any state depended on the degree of freedom and happiness it was able to assure its people.
Educated people, who were primarily nobility and middle class came to regard political change as both possible and desirable.
Many enlightenment thinkers believed that political change should come from above- from the ruler- rather than from below
Voltaire and Diderot in particular believed in “enlightened absolutism” – were friends of monarchs and did not wish to limit their power but rather to redirect it toward the:
Rationalization of economic and political structures
Liberation of intellectual life
Rousseau warned that enlightened thinking and absolutism were incompatible

2. Frederick the Great
German states were fertile ground for enlightened absolutism. German philosophes remained closely tied to existing order
Less critical of the state than their French counterparts.
Immanuel Kant- Enlightenment mean liberation of the individual intellectually and morally, but not politically or socially. Individual should think critically, but also obey.

3. “The officer says: Do not argue-drill
“The officer says: Do not argue-drill! The tax collector: Do not argue-pay! The pastor: Do not argue- believe! Only one ruler in the world says: Argue as much as you please, but obey!”- Kant

4. Frederick the Great (r.1740-1786)
Turned his court into a center of learning for the nobility
“Sans Souci”- rococo chateau
“transformed a sad Sparta into a brilliant Athens”- Voltaire
Emphasized French as language of learning
Made Voltaire center of his court for 2 years
Voltaire fell out of favor when he was critical of the wars Frederick was entering in
“first servant of the state”
Anti-Machiavelli in that he argued against Machiavelli that the ruler should be chiefly concerned with the well being of his subjects

5. Sans Souci
In Potsdam, near Berlin

6. “Enlightened Reforms”
Freed the serfs of the royal domains and ordered the abolition of the lords’ right to punish their own serfs physically
Judicial reforms ended abuses by magistrates
Relaxed censorship and abolished capital punishment
Improved the state bureaucracy—examination system
Civil service reform- Made it possible for men of non- noble birth to fill senior government and military posts
Meritocracy
Also focused on economic development- drained swamps for more agricultural land
New crops introduced like potatoes and turnips- grown intensively

7. Or not?
Many of the reforms were intended to make the Prussian state more powerful
Freed serfs meant more people in the army
Refused to emancipate Prussian Jews
Prussian law reinforced distinction between noble and commoner
Refused to ban serfdom on private estates
Jews will be granted freedom eight years after his death with the Prussian Code “every inhabitant of the state…complete freedom of religion and conscience.”

8. Or Not? Social Structure in Prussia remained heavily stratified
Serfdom on noble lands maintained
“Junkers” were the backbone of Prussia’s military and state
Middle class will find it very hard to move up socially
The state did not recognize marriages between nobles and commoners
Nobles not allowed to sell their land to non nobles
Civilian bureaucrats not permitted to enter nobility
But in judiciary 2/3 of judges were non nobles

9. Catherine the Great (r. 1762-1796)
Her husband Peter III was assassinated- she likely took part in the assassination
Catherine admired and read Montesquieu and Voltaire- hosted Diderot and actually purchased his library for a large price
Born German princess from Pomerania , contemptuous of Russian culture – preferred French
“To instruct a nation is to civilize it”
Established a school for the daughters of nobles, and without eliminating censorship she authorized private printing press and encouraged more books
Restricted the use of torture
But did little to reform or modernize Russia – perhaps least enlightened

10. Relationship with Nobles
Pugachev Rebellion (1773)
Eugene Pugachev led a great serf revolt in the Volga region
Demanded end to serfdom
Eventually captured and beheaded
Catherine gave nobles absolute control of serfs
Nobles reached height of their position while serfs were worse than ever before
The Charter of Nobility (1785)- recognized rights and privileges of the nobility, including exception from taxes and military service
After death of Peter the Great, the nobility had escaped many of the restrictions imposed by Peter.
Catherine too dependent on the nobility to make serious reforms
Extended serfdom into new areas- including Ukraine

11. Religion
Termination of official persecution of Old Believers – dissident sect in the Russian Orthodox Church
When Jewish population increases with addition of first Partition of Poland, she placed Jewish merchants and other townspeople on equal basis with Christians
Didn’t last long due to protests
In double taxation for Jews
Shortcomings of Catherine’s reforms
Only the state and nobility benefited- the rest of the Russian population benefited little, if at all
Serfdom even more severe (only nobles could own land)

12. Austria- Maria Theresa and Joseph II

13. Maria Theresa (r )
Not typically considered Enlightened despot
Successfully defended her right to inherit Hapsburg throne during War of Austrian Succession
Centralized control of the Hapsburg Empire
Limited power of nobles
Helped condition of the serfs
Increased standing army from 30,000 to 100,000
Reduced torture
Brought the Catholic Church in Austria under state control
Promoted economic development
Pragmatic Sanction of 1713 issued by Leopold – rule could be passed to daughter
Reduced power of the lords over their serfs-some serfs partially freed- feudal dues by peasants were reduced or eliminated
Nobles taxed
Sought to reduce Pope’s influence in Austria
Supressed the Jesuits
She believed the Church and nobility were the foundations of the state
Did not go as far as others with religious toleration

14. Joseph II ( )
Ruled with his mother as co-ruler until her death in 1780
Perhaps greatest in terms of reforms, but ended up being least effective
Firm believer in absolutism
Goal was to modernize the instruments of government and increase crown’s authority

15. Joseph II’s Reforms Abolished serfdom and feudal dues in 1781
Religious toleration
Freedom of religion to Protestants and removed some restrictions on Jews
Reduced the influence of Catholic Church
Reduced monasteries and confiscated lands
Bishops and other high-ranking churchmen had to swear obedience to ruler
Allowed freedom of the press to a significant degree
Reformed judicial system
Abolished torture and death penalty
Expanded state schools
Made German the official language of empire
Many peasants didn’t like this because it stated that obligations to lord had to be paid in cash rather than labor
Nobles resisted their reduced power
Was overturned after his death b/c his brother Leopold II needed more support from nobles
Empire declines after his rule- Leopold II forced to reverse many of the reforms to maintain control

16. Enlightened Despots?
In spite of differences, the leading monarchs of the late 18th century all believed they were acting on principals of the enlightenment
Philosophes generally cheered them on
Frederick and Catherine encouraged spread of cultural values
Skeptical of religion
Found happiness in the enjoyment of life
Tried to make life better for their subjects through reforms
Still the gap between the privileged nobility and heavily burdened people remained as great as ever
Many historians believe they were not sincere in efforts
Strengthened their authority
Sincerity particularly applies to Catherine