Absolutism and the Enlightenment

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Absolutism and the Enlightenment
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The Rise of the Royal State

• Religious wars dominated early 17th century
  demanded efficient and better centralized states
  to control violence and chaos
• Defense becomes essentialincrease in armies and
  resources
• Monarch absorbs more and more power, while
  aristocracy loses power
• King and court become center of the Western
  European states
• Divine Right-
• institution of monarchy created by God and
  functioned as Gods representative on Earth
• above law and cannot be expected to observe same
  laws and his/her subjects

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What is absolutism?

• 1. Definition- a monarch who rules with unlimited
  power justified with DIVINE
  RIGHT, and has control of the legislative process
  (law making bodies)
• 2. Constitutional Monarchy vs. Absolutism
• 1. England, Holland, and Sweden developed CM
• individuals civil liberties are protected
• representative law making body (and monarchy
  coexist)
• kings power is limited by laws
• 2. Most other states developed into an
  Absolute Monarchy (France)
• unlimited power justified by divine right
• political sovereignty over all state aspects
  (taxes, military)
• lack of checks and balances on political power
  possible oppression of peoples rights

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Why is Louis XIV (14th) the best example of
absolutism?

• Bourbon Dynasty (1589-1789)
• King Louis XIV (1643-1715)
• Sun King - Letate, cest moi (I am the state)
  
• Absolute ruler by divine right
• Goal- glorify France by making political,
  economic, and cultural leader of Europe
• Extravagant lifestyleheavy burden for tax
  payers
• building of Palace of Versailles
• Waged constant war during his reign with little
  successdraining of countrys treasury
• Poor economic decision repealing Edict of Nantes
• End result of extravagant lifestyleleft country
  bankrupt and bitter

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Louis XIV-The Sun King
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Palace of Versailles
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Hall of Mirrors in at Versailles
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Ponder this

• Is man innately good or evil?
• Are laws necessary to the survival of society?
• What is the importance of security to a
  civilized state?

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What was the Enlightenment?

• Philosophical movement in 18th century that
  relied on reason and experience rather than
  religion, superstition, and tradition
• Philosophe-French term for philosopher
  enlightenment thinkers
• Goals
• focused on political and social progress of
  society
• challenge rule by divine right, special
  privileges of the nobility, and the power of the
  church
• believed in equality, individual rights, and
  representative govt
• Impacts
• Influenced the writing of the Declaration of
  Independence and the Constitution
• Inspired the American and the French Revolution

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Who were the major thinkers?

1. Thomas Hobbes (English)
2. John Locke (English)
3. Rousseau (French)
4. Montesquieu (French)
5. Voltaire (French)
6. Mary Wollstonecraft
7. Immanuel Kant (German)

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Descartes

• Major work- Method of Rightly Conducting Ones
  Reason and of Seeking Truth in Sciences
• Father of Modern Philosophy
• Major Ideas
• I think therefore I am.-doubt everything
• Cartesian Dualism- all reality could ultimately
  be reduced to mind and matter

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Thomas Hobbes

• Major Work- Leviathan
• Major Ideas
• humans naturally wicked life is short, nasty,
  and brutish
• individual rights
• govt created to protect people from their own
  selfishness
• supports absolute monarchy
• natural equality among men

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John Locke

• Major work- Two Treatises on Govt
• Major ideas
• natural rights-people born with ability to
  reason and be rational
• tabula rasa-knowledge through experience
• natural ability to govern own affairs and to look
  after welfare of society
• govt formed to protect basic rights justified
  in rebelling
• life, liberty, and property
• social contract? agreement between people and
  govt
• good education creates good people

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Montesquieu

• Major work- Spirit of Laws
• Major Ideas
• separation of of powers- 3 branches of govt
  creates a system of checks and balances

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Rousseau

• Major work- The Social Contract
• Major Ideas
• human nature basically good
• denied divine right of kings
• ranks of nobility should be abolished
• free will- man must be free to enter and exit
  contracts
• noble savage leaves his state of nature to
  enter into social contract with others
• education needed, children should show emotion
• experience and explore life
• Man is born free, but everywhere he is in
  chains.

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Voltaire

• Major work-Candide
• Major ideas
• civil liberties (fair trial and freedom of
  religion)
• enlightened despotism
• democracy contributed to the idiocy of the masses
• criticized Catholic Church, Old-Regime, slavery,
  and anti-Semitism
• Drank 30 cups of coffee per day
• I do not agree with a word you say, but I will
  defend to the death your right to say it

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Wollstonecraft

• A Vindication of the Rights of Woman
• Mother of Mary Shelley, author of Frankenstein
• Major Ideas
• Focused on fighting for the rights of women and
  inequalities in education and employment
• Equal treatment of all
• Judged based on merit and moral virtue
• Wives as equals, not property

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Enlightened Despots

• Describes the rule of 18th century monarchs who,
  without renouncing their own absolute power,
  adopted the Enlightenment ideals of rationalism,
  progress, and tolerance
• Tools for rationalizing and reforming their
  governments
• Believed these reforms would strengthen their
  states and increase efficiency of bureaucracies
  and armies
• Improve the lives of the ordinary person, but
  not primary concern
• Examples
• Fredrick the Great of Prussia
• Catherine the Great of Russia
• The Austrian Habsburgs

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Review of Enlightenment

• Enlightenment Thinkers-Applying Information