3.5 Flashcards
European States in the 18th century
- religious, divine right assumptions were superseded by utilitarian or practical arguments as europe became increasingly secularized
- monarchy was still pretty popular
Enlightened Absolutism / Enlightened Despotism
-Through the Enlightenment, people began to believe in natural rights that could not be taken away
-Then philosophers began to believe that an enlightened ruler must establish and preserve these natural rights
in order to crush the “vested interests” of those who oppose reform, philosophes believed the monarch can crush their opposition to bring about reform
-The philosophes also did not like a democracy! they wanted reforms to come from the king instead of the people
-the nobles benefited from the traditional rights of the old class system and didn’t want equal rights
What made an Enlightened ruler?
- allow religious toleration, freedom of speech and press, and right to hold private property
- must not be arbitrary/ be fair to all subjects and obey the laws
France during the 18th century
- got a economic revival as Enlightenment grew and monarchy didn’t like the philosophes and stopped reforms
- Louis XIV died —> duke of Orleans –> BAD Cardinal Fleury –> Louis XV –> Louis XVI
- Louis XV wanted to rule alone and was lazy and then influenced by others especially Madame de Pompadour
- France was doomed with taxes and loss of an empire in the 7 years war because of Louis XV
- Louis XVI didn’t help with France’s poor state and neither did spoiled Austrian princess Marie Antoinette
England during the 18th century
-After the Glorious Revolution which prevented absolute monarchy but still didn’t create a constitutional monarchy, parliament and the king shared power
-parliament dominated by landed aristocracy and and was able to make laws, levy taxes, etc
-king’s chose ministers that made government policy and guidNew Dynasty: Hanoverians in England in 18th century
ed Parliament
New Dynasty: Hanoverians in England in 18th century
- New Dynasty called the Hanoverians and George I and George II didn’t understand the British system well and ministers handled parliament which developed a cabinet system
- Walpole pursued a peaceful foreign policy, but because a growing trade and industry, people wanted more expansion of trade and the empire and appointed Pitt the Elder as prime minister
- George III replace Pitt, who got Canada and india in the 7 years war, with Lord Bute, but then people started getting mad at the king for having too much power
- George III appoint William Pitt the Younger who was supported by everyone, but geroge III had bouts of insanity
“Pocket Boroughs”
- Landed gentry of House of Commons were from the counties and only a few were eligible to vote
- some places, wealthy aristocrats gained support by patronage (giving support in exchange of positions)
- this made one person the controller and his pocket
Decline Dutch Republic / United Netherlands
- Regents, or oligarchies governed and controlled towns
- The regents wanted to reduce power of house of orange (executive power), but then divided because the burghers wanted more participation in local government and were successful and crushed by Prussian king (show growing power of Prussia)
Atlantic Seaboard states
England, Dutch, France
Central and Eastern Europe
Prussia, Austria, Russia, Poland
Frederick William I and the Bureaucracy of Prussia
- promoted the evolution of Prussia’s bureaucracy
- Peasants were on their lord’s estate or army and had new rights
- the rigid class structure remained under him
- the middle class went to another rank of class structure through civil service offices
how frederick william I promoted the evolution of Prussia’s brureacy
- by establishing the General Directory which was the chief administrative office that supervised army, police, economy, finance
- wanted to maintain a highly efficient bureaucracy of civil service workers
- kept a close watch over this officials and bureaucracy to make sure they performed their duties
Frederick William I and Prussian militarism of Prussia
- Junkers had great power through their monopoly over officer corps of the army
- the military grew and made the military the greatest value of societ
- pruissian militarism is the exahultation of military vitrues
- by making nobles officers, the loyalty of the nobility to the monarch was ensured
- “duty, obedience, sacrifice
Frederick II the Great of Prussia
- educated
- called himself “first servant of the state”
- made few improvements in state bureaucracy, but kept it diligent and honesty and managed it
- Was willing to follow the philosophe’s recommendations for reform by created a unified national code of law and eliminating use of torture and granted limited freedom of speech and press and religious toleration
- although the philosophe’s didn’t like serform, he depended on the Prussian nobility and hierarchical structure of society
- made the army bigger and used it to take Austrian province of Silesia which caused Austrians to army and go into 7 years war and war of austrian succession
- said that commoners can’t go up class structure, unlike during his father’s time and liked aristocracy
Austrian Empire of the Habsburgs in the 18th century
- Vienna, center of hapsburg monarchy was flourishing!
- but because there were many religions, cultures, nationalities, it was difficult to create a centralized administration and common laws
- VIP: Empress Maria Theresa and Joseph II
