Download - Enlightened Despotism
ENLIGHTENED DESPOTISM
Consolidating Power Through War and Reform
IN THE WAKE OF ENLIGHTENMENT• Some ideas of French philosophes implemented • Global Markets and dire need for tax reform• Selected extension of education• Religious toleration• Widespread poverty
THE NEW WARFARE• Wars no longer fought over religion• Wars now fought for empires and
markets.• Technology makes war:
• more expensive• more technical• limited in scope
• Militarism develops in Prussia
THE BALANCE OF POWER• During the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries, the
balance of power principle had been worked for.• this would prevent creation of a single nation
in Europe• many believed France or Spain might attempt
to create such a nation• Alliances formed /switched in order to prevent
any one European power from becoming too powerful.
• This led to multiple European powers (Aust, Pruss, GB, Fr) forming and changing alliances multiple times to prevent the hegemony of one nation or alliance.
• A number of wars resulted in this search for balance including the American Revolution and Napoleonic Wars.
WAR OF THE AUSTRIAN SUCCESSION• Between 1740 and 1748, most of Europe fought over
the right of Maria Theresa to rule the Habsburg territories.
• A woman was ineligible to assume the Habsburg throne. • Allowed under the Pragmatic Sanction of 1713 • Prussia and France were challenging Habsburg
dominance in Europe.• The war included all of the following conflicts:
• King George's War in North America • War of Jenkins' Ear in the Caribbean, Atlantic and
Pacific• First Carnatic War in India• First and Second Silesian Wars
ALLIANCES
TREATY OF AIX-LA CHAPELLE
Great Britain and France proposed terms of the treaty
Austria: ceded Silesia to Prussiagave up some of its Italian lands to Spain
France: left the Netherlands in exchange for lost
colonies.surrendered Madras to Britain
Commercial disputes between Britain and France over territories in the Americas, Africa and Asia were not settled.
1754-1763 - SEVEN YEARS WAR
Impacted: Europe, North America, Central America, West African coast, India, and the Philippines
AKA: • French and Indian War (US) • War of the Conquest (French-speaking Canada• Seven Years War (English-speaking Canada)• Pomeranian War (Sweden and Prussia)• Third Carnatic War (India)• Third Silesian War (Prussia and Austria)
War caused by the antagonisms between:• Great Britain, France, and Spain over colonies
and trade. • Prussia was competing with Austria for control
of the HRE and its lands.
Map of the Alliances of the Seven Years War
RESULTSEUROPE: • No changes• Status quo ante
FRANCE: • cedes New France (excl. Louisiana) to Great
Britain• cedes Louisiana to Spain• recognizes British supremacy in Bengal
SPAIN:• cedes Florida to Great Britain
GREAT BRITAIN:• returns Cuba and Philippine Islands to Spain
18th Century: Polish-LithuanianCommonwealth
weak• Divided up
among:• Russia• Prussia• Habsburg
Austria
WARS CAUSE REFORMIncreased military power only achieved by:
• modernizing armies• increasing naval power• Increasing economic strength
The need for increased funds led rulers to look for ways to improve the money making capabilities of their nations.
Rational analysis led many rulers to adopt reforms such as:• religious toleration• freedom of speech and the press• right to hold private property
AUSTRIAN
REFORMS
“A properly constituted state must be exactly analogous to a machine…the ruler must be the foreman, the mainspring…
which sets everything in motion.”“A single mass of people all subject to impartial guidance”
MARIA THERESA• Enacted financial reforms
• Promoted commerce, and agriculture
• Reorganized Austria‘s military
• Medical reforms included mandatory inoculations
• Education was mandatory from age 6 to 12 for all children
• Refused to allow religious toleration
EXPANDED ON MARIA THERESA’S REFORMS.
Law• abolished brutal punishments• complete equality of treatment for all
offenders was enforced• ended censorship of the press and
theatre.• full legal freedom to serfs
Religion• Limited role and power of RCC in his
empire• Promoted religious tolerance
Education• compulsory elementary education(all
M/F) • scholarships for talented poor student• Allowed schools for Jews and other
religions • language of instruction was in
German
JOSEPH II
PRUSSIANREFOR
MS
“I am the first servant of the state”
FREDERICK II (Frederick The Great)An absolute rulerled with the philosophy that he was the "first servant of the state." Ruled by following his beliefs of what was most beneficial for PrussiaBuilt Prussia into a strong state through expansion and reform. Domestic reforms modernized Prussia: • granted freedom of the press• enforced general education rules across Prussia• established universal religious toleration
• Protestants for govt positions• Jesuits as educators• Hugenots craftsmen• Jewish merchants and bankers
• enforced a more rapid legal process• abolishing torture• limiting the death penalty • judges were formally educated • established the first German law code• built thousands of miles of roads
RUSSIANREFORM
S
“Philosophes write on paper, but I have to write on human skin, which
is far more ticklish”.
CATHERINE THE GREAT• Admired Enlightenment ideals• Based legal reform on
Montesquieu’s Spirit of the Laws
• Granted limited religious toleration
• Permitted limited social critiques
• Expanded educational opportunities but with limited funding
• Encouraged scholarship and science
• Ruled as an autocrat• Retained serfdom• Restricted Jews living areas• Increasingly conservative
over time• Crushed rebellions that she
saw as threatening her rule
FRENCHREFORM
S
"Listen to the people, seek advice from your Council, but decide
alone."
Louis XV: Louis the Well BelovedAbolished hereditary control of
public officeAttempted to tax the NobilityCentralization of power & uniformity of lawEmphasized military strengthPromoted religious tolerationAttempted to strengthen state in order to make just and equitableFought many wars – weakened treasuryIncreased distrust absolute monarch by population
Changing Relationship Between Ruler and State
Old Idea• Louis XIV “I am the
state.”
The state and its citizens exist to
serve the monarch.
New Idea• Fredrick the Great:
“the first servant of the state.”
The monarch exists to serve the state and
citizens.