1. 17.2-3 The Enlightenment & Absolutism
Big Idea: The Enlightenment changed the ideas of government
After applying the new way of scientific thinking to their world, Enlightenment thinkers, or philosophers, reexamined all aspects of life ( government, justice, and women’s rights). This section will focus on these changes.

2. Path & spread of Enlightenment ideas
Enlightenment: 18th cen. philosophical movement
Philosophe (philosopher)
Meet in Salons
Focused on reason: scientific method to understand& better life
Middle class literacy rises
Diderot –wrote the Encyclopedia
A movement of 18th century intellectuals (17 hundreds)
(Philosophe) philosophers followed five concepts that formed the core of their beliefs.
If you were a philosophe you believed
truth could be found through reason and logical thinking -Focus was on reason ( application of the scientific method to understanding all life. They hoped that by doing this they would achieve a better society than the one they currently had.Main words of focus in achieving this goal were reason, natural law, hope, and progress.These words would lead to reform and eventual revolution through the world.
Nature was good and reasonable
Happiness was not only found in the hereafter as people had been taught to strive towards. Instead it could be found now and that was what they should focus on.
Progress- stressed that society and man kind could improve
Liberty- called for the liberties the English people had won in the glorious revolution
They often met in salons or fancy drawing rooms where they could discuss their ideals openly. These were rooms were sometimes rooms in peoples homes and often hosted by women ( who were given the opportunity to speak their minds). Middle class writers, artists, aristocrats and government officials came together to speak and share ideas.
Something else that helped spread enlightenment ideals was the increase in reading in classes other that the elite. Because literature could be printed cheaply ideas found more groups of people to influence which gave them strength.

3. Political Thought Thomas Hobbes (English) page 476:
before society people were nasty, brutish & focused on survival
Solution -Social contact
Establish absolute ruler
preserve order
Jean Jacques Rousseau (French Philosopher)
Government
social contract- society agrees to be governed by general will (what society feels is best.)
those who don’t are forced to
During the time of political upheaval throughout Europe the concepts of power and order were pondered and written about. Two famous political writers of the time were Thomas Hobbes and John Locke who wrote about the subjects after the English revolution which had resulted in a constitutional or limited monarchy.
John Locke had been alarmed by the revolutionary upheavals in England from an absolute monarchy- republic- to limited monarchy. He felt this was a case of unordered society. In reaction to it he wrote Leviathan. In this work he stated how he believed humans before society organized them were solitary, nasty, brutish, and short. That they were not guided by reasons or morals but self preservation. To fix the disorder people agreed to have a state run by an absolute ruler to keep them from destroying each other. He felt a ruler with absolute control was needed.
One of the most famous enlightenment thinkers
Argued that people had created government to protect their rights (as argue by locke) but had now become enslaved to it.
How does one get the lost freedom back
His answer was the social contract- society agrees to be governed by its general will. those who choose not to follow the general will of society must be forced to because it is what is best for society (they will be forced to be free and therefore they won’t be free). Liberty is doing what is best for all, because the general will is best fro the entire community.
He also believed that education should not restrict children's natural instinct and not restrict them.
He believed that reason as well as emotion were important in human development. One needs a balance between the heart, mind, emotions and reason.

4. John Locke: (English) pages 477 & 546
Against absolute rule
Natural rights (life, liberty, property)
Gov’s. purpose -protect natural rights-if not people can rebel
Everyone born with tabula rasa(blank mind)
molded/influenced by environment
Locke on the other hand believed that before society was established humans lived in a state of peace and equality. In this state no one was the sovereign all humans enjoyed certain natural right ( rights you are born with) life, liberty, and the property. In the natural state though people found it hard to protect these rights so they established a government to protect them and judge those who threatened them. This social contract meant that people followed the law and the government protected their rights. If the government did not the people had the right to throw out the leader or government and get a new one. It is important to remember though that Locke sis not believe in democracy and when he speaks of the people he only means the land owning wealthy.
He believed that people were created with a blank mind that became filled through the experiences of life. This would fill their mind and create the person. If a person could be exposed to proper surroundings they would fill their mind with experiences that would make themselves better and society.
Remember lock had originally believed people to be good and was against absolute monarchy. His idea was that government was important to protect property but if the government did not work for the people then it could be over thrown and a new one established by the people.

5. Montesquieu (French Noble)
Wrote Spirit of Laws
Identified 3 branches of Gov & sep. of powers (checks & balances) –(Ex: England)
Executive (king),
legislative (parliament),
the judicial (courts)
influence U.S. Constitution.
Was of French nobility and wrote the famous work The Spirit of the Laws
Study of governments
He tried to use a scientific method to find the natural laws that governed society and the political relationships of human beings
He identified three basic forms of government
Republic- for small states
Despotism- ideal for large states-the exercise of absolute power, especially in a cruel and oppressive way.
Monarchies-ideal for moderate size states
He focused on the English monarch as his main source of study
Stated England's government had three branches: executive-monarch , legislative-Parliament, judicial-court of laws
This allowed the government to function through a separation of powers- this eliminated one from having to much ( checks and balances)- this system provides the greatest security and freedom for the state. This political thought was his most lasting contribution to the world of politics.

6. Adam Smith (Scottish philosopher)
individuals pursue economic self interest
No gov involvement (Laissez Faire)
3 roles of gov
Protection
Defend from injustice
Maintain public works
The founders of modern social science of economics are the Physiocrats and Adam Smith
Physiocrats were interested in finding the natural economic laws that governed human society. They believed that if individuals were free to pursue their own economic self-interests all society would benefit.
Rejected mercantilism (gov regulated trade)
The state should not become involved in the natural economic forces and try to control it. This will become known as Laissez faire and is something that is still a source of argument today.
He believed the government should not get involved in economic affairs
Instead government should….
Protect society form invasion
Defend citizens from injustice
Provided certain public works that may help promote trade. (roads and canals)

7. Enlightenment Criminal Justice
Cesare Beccaria -Punishment shouldn’t match the crime – against capital punishment.
Bec-car-ia
18th century many European states developed a system of courts which relied on harsh punishments for crimes to detour people from committing the crime. the primary reason for this was that state police forces were to weak to keep a cap on crime and capture criminals.
Beccaria believed that punishments should not be exercises in brutality and opposed capital punishment.
He did not believed that it stopped others from committing the crime
It made society look barbaric
This concept will later influence the creation of the gulliotine

8. Women’s rights Mary Wollstonecraft
All humans have reason (including women) & entitled to equal rights
For centuries male intellectuals had argues that the nature of women made them inferior to men and male domination necessary. Rousseau had argued that women needed a soft life to fulfill her roles. He believed that they needed to be educated to support their roles as mothers and wives.
Many female thinkers disagreed with this thought process and expressed ideas of improving their lives.
Mary Wollstonecraft pointed out that those who argued over against the absolute power of monarchs also supported that male domination was ok. She pointed out that the male domination over women was equally wrong. She argued the enlightenment was based on the reason of all human beings, therefore because women have reason they are entitled to the same rights as men. She argued women should equal educational, political, and economic rights as men.

9. Enlightenment religious changes
Attacks Catholic Church
Voltaire (French philosopher)
Criticized Catholic Church
Newton’s world machine concept –
added deism
mechanic (God) created universe (clock) –runs without his interference
New religious movement-Methodism
John Wesley.
Gave purpose to lower & middle classes
Praised hard work & religious happiness
Many philosophes attacked the church but were they themselves Christian and many wanted a deeper personal connection to god.
Isaac Newton, was a scientist as we read earlier but his ideas also applied to the social world which the philosophers of the time were trying to understand.
The idea of believing the world was like a machine which was controlled by natural order that could be understood through systematic investigation.
Thinkers believed that if Isaac could apply this scientific method to natural laws then they could discover the laws that governed human society. If everyone followed these laws than an ideal society could be established.
(Basically, if people question what is happening in society then they can discover new ways to correct it which makes a better society.)
Volaire
From a prosperous middle class family and will gain wealth through his writings.
Known for his criticism of Christianity and religious intolerance in France ( remember Louis the 14th- did not accept non Catholics the Huguenots)
He supported Newton's idea that the world was like a clock and that go the maker had set it into motion to run without his interference. This idea was championed on the idea of deism – religious philosophy based on reason and natural law. This led to the idea that the world was to run on its own natural laws and that god did not interfere with it but just set it in motion.
Many protestants wanted greater depths of religious experience which led to new religious movements.
One example of this is Methodism led by John Wesley
He was banded from many protestant churches for his ideals so he preached his messages in fields for everyone to hear. he wanted to make religion appeal to the lowest of people which made him very popular among the poorer classes.
Many joined the Methodist societies to do good works. Most notably the abolishment of the slave trade
Methodism gave middle and lower classes a sense of purpose and community. They stressed the importance of hard work and spiritual contentment rather than political equality.

10. Enlightened Leaders & their reforms
Prussia -Frederick II / Frederick the Great,
abolished torture except in treason & murder.
limited freedom of speech & press.
Russia – Catherine the Great
Considered equality of all before law.
Austria- Joseph II
reforms-many failed
Abolished serfdom-angered nobles
Eliminated death penalty.
Equality before law
Religious toleration
Two able kings made Prussia a powerful European power in the 18th cen (1700’s)
Fredrick William I ( aka the The Great elector who we spoke of in section 3)
Kept a highly effective bureaucracy of civil service workers that were loyal to him( observed supreme power of the king)
Bureaucracy is a system of government in which most of the important decisions are made by state officials rather than by elected representatives.
Major concern was the army
Fredrick II/the Great
Best educated and most cultured monarchs of the time
Well versed in the enlightenment ideals and even asked the Philosopher Voltaire to come live with him for awhile. Would have had similar views on religious tolerance.
Dedicated ruler
Even though he did believe in Enlightenment reforms he did not change some things because of fear of loosing control
Enlarged the Prussian army even further
Recruited the nobility for civil service and kept strict watch over them
Kept serfdom and a ridged social structure
Enlightened reforms
Abolished torture except for treason and murder cases
Granted limited freedom of speech and press
Greater religious toleration
After the absolute ruler Peter the Great from 14.3 who had modernized Russia through his absolute policies(-ex: every man could not have a beard0 there were six more rulers.
After the 6th murdered ruler(usually murdered by palace guards or nobles) Peter III was killed his wife Catherine the Great step into power.
She was from Germany originally
Was intelligent and Familiar with the Enlightenment Ideals
She had Invited Denis Diderot to Russia (invented the Encyclopedia) and asked him to speak with her man to man to show she was on the same level as him. This would have displayed her support of women's fight for equal rights, which was being fought for by women like Mary Wollstonecraft.
She did listen to Diderot and his Enlightenment views but in the end (being a female ruler) she knew she needed the support of the nobility to maintain her power. She not abolish serfdom in Russia but she did use the Enlightenment idea of equality of all before the law.
The Austrian Empire had developed after the 30yrs war when Germany was divided in 300 states. The Austrian empire had tried to develop as an absolute state but couldn’t because their were so many nationalities that the rulers could not united the empire under uniformed rules and regulations. This is why Maria Theresa had focused on strengthening the central government and keeping the state strong. She feared the uniformity.
Her son Joseph II did not fear the ideas of the enlightenment and is one of the most enlightened monarchies. He tried many reforms, but many of the reforms failed. For example one thing her tried to do was to free all the serfs who had promised service to the nobles to work their land. This angered the nobles who he needed the support of. He also angered the church by allowing the practice of other Faiths besides the Catholic faith which hurt their cause of stomping out the protestant religions. The serfs were unhappy because they were just plain confused about everything that was going on.
In the end Only Joseph II sought truly radical changes based on enlightenment. Mostly rulers were still guided primarily by their interest in the power and welfare of their state. They maintained and Used power to collect more taxes and create armies because in the end the goal was to make sure all empires in Europe had balanced power and not one more powerful than the other. Think of the arms race in Between Russia and the United states (cold war). The goal was to make sure neither country had more powerful weapons than the other.
This idea is what will set the stage for the Seven Years War and the alliances that will form between european nations. It will all begin with fighting over Austrian succession for the throne.

11. Section 2 Review Philosphers, writers, economists, social reformers
Philosophes
To let (people) do (what they want)
Laissez-faire
Rousseau argued that society should be governed by what?
Social contract

12. Section 2 Review
In The Wealth of Nations, ________ gave roles to the government. These roles included protection(army),public works (roads and canals), and defense(the police).
Adam Smith
Who believed in: balance of heart and mind, rule of the general will, and education fostering natural instincts?
Rousseau

13. Section 2 Review Diderot’s Encyclopedia was used to attack what?
Religious superstition
A system of political limits and controls
Separation of powers
Idea that God lets the universe run by its own laws
deism

14. Section 2 Review
Allows for society to be governed by its general will.
Social contract
Montesquieu’s ideas were used in what?
U.S. Constitution