Transcript Enlightened Absolutism - AP Euro

Enlightened
Absolutism
Enlightened Absolutism
Overview
 Philosophes believed in natural rights
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Equality before the law
Freedom of religious worship
Freedom of speech and press
Right to assemble
Right to hold property
 In order for these natural rights to be
established, philosophes believed people
needed to be ruled by an enlightened ruler
Enlightened Absolutism
Overview
 An enlightened ruler must:
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Foster the arts, sciences, and education
Obey the laws and enforce them fairly
Overcome personal interests
Enact reforms
Use their power for the good of the people
 In response to these ideas, a new type of
monarch emerged in the late 18th century…
Enlightened Absolutism
Overview
…Enlightened Absolutism (or Despotism)
 Term used to describe:
– Absolute monarchs (rulers) who were
influenced by the Age of Enlightenment
• “Enlightened despots”
– 18th century monarchs who, without
renouncing their own absolute authority,
adopted Enlightenment ideals of rationalism,
progress, and tolerance
Frederick II, the Great
Prussia
 King of Prussia
(r. 1740-1786)
 Well-versed in
Enlightenment thought
– Invited Voltaire to live at
his court for several years
 Believed the king was the
“first servant of the state”
Frederick II, the Great
Prussia
 Through the Pragmatic Sanction, Charles
VI secured the Habsburg domains for his
daughter, Maria Theresa, upon his death
 Frederick immediately invaded her rich
province of Silesia and acquired more
territory for Prussia
– War of Austrian Succession and the Seven
Years’ War
Frederick II, the Great
Prussia
 For a time, he seemed willing to make
enlightened reforms
– Granted religious toleration
– Improved the legal system
– Abolished the use of torture
– Granted religious toleration
– Promoted the reconstruction of agriculture and
industry
– Promoted education and improved schools
Frederick II, the Great
Prussia
 However, he kept Prussia’s rigid social and
political structure intact
– Extended the privileges of the nobility
– High taxes fell on peasants and townspeople
– Serfdom remained
– Promoted cameralism → view that the
monarchy was the best form of government
and that all elements of society should serve
the monarch
Catherine the Great
Russia
 Empress of Russia (r.17621796)
– Wife of Peter III → had him
murdered
 Considered herself a child of
the Enlightenment
 Mostly treated philosophes
kindly in order to gain a
positive reputation
– Voltaire and Diderot
Catherine the Great
Russia
 Attempts at reform:
– Imported western culture into Russia
– Tried to improve education
– Restricted the practice of torture
– Allowed limited religious toleration
– Acquired more territory for Russia
Catherine the Great
Russia
 After Pugachev’s rebellion, she stopped
making reforms → she knew her success
depended on the support of the nobility
– Guaranteed the rights and privileges of the
nobility
– Exempted the nobility from taxes and state
service
– Favored the landed nobility → full control
over serfs
Joseph II
Austria
 Emperor of Austria (r. 1780-1790)
– Son of Maria Theresa
 Believed in the need to sweep away
anything standing in the path of
reason
 Sincerely wished to improve the
lives of people
 Perhaps the greatest of the
enlightened monarchs in terms of
reforms, but among the least
effective
Joseph II
Austria
 Far-reaching reform program:
– Abolished serfdom, feudal dues, and forced labor (robot)
– Granted peasants personal freedoms
– Revoked the death penalty and torture
– Established the principle of equality of all before the law
– Abolished many tariffs
– Taxed everyone, regardless of social status
– Freedom of religion and press (to a degree)
– Reduced the influence of the church
– Expanded state schools
– Established hospitals, poorhouses, and orphanages
– Integrated Jews into society
Joseph II
Austria
 Altogether, issued 6,000 decrees and 11,000 laws
in his effort to transform the nation
 Proved to be too overwhelming for Austria
– Alienated the nobility by taxing them and freeing the
serfs
– Alienated the church by placing it under royal control
and enforcing religious toleration
– Made the serfs unhappy (could not handle all of the
drastic change)
 His brother, Leopold II, was forced to reverse
many of the reforms
Enlightened Absolutists
Conclusion
 Of these rulers, only Joseph II sought truly
radical changes based on Enlightenment ideas
 Both Frederick II and Catherine liked to talk
about Enlightenment reforms, and even
attempted some
– Neither seemed seriously affected by Enlightenment
thought
– Necessities of maintaining the existing system took
precedence over reform
 All used the ideas of the Enlightenment to
strengthen their grasp on power