Unit 4—Chapters 15, 16, & 17 Flashcards
The “Old Regime”
The social and economic relationships in France prior to the French revolution in 1789 Absolute monarchies throughout Europe Aristocratically led armies Scarcity of food Unsophisticated production
Aristocracy of the Old Regime
1-5% of the population
Had the widest degree of power
Most countries had a separate house for nobility in their parliaments, diets, estates, etc.
manual labor was seen as beneath a noble
French Nobility
Nobles “of the Sword” who gained their power through military service
Nobles “of the Robe” who gained their power through service to bureaucracy or from purchasing the title
Also divided between those who had influence in the Royal Court in Versailles and those who didn’t
Hobereaux were nobility who were hardly any better off than the peasantry.
Hereditary privileges made nobility exempt from paying most taxes: taille and corvées. Were supposed to pay vingtiéme, but rarely did
Stages of European contact with rest of the world since renaissance
- Discovery, exploration, conquest
- Merchantalism
- Imperialism
- Decolonization
Factors that allowed European nations to dominate the rest of the world
Technological advancement
Naval power
Guns
Fundamental institution present during first two periods of European imperialism in New world
Transatlantic slave trade
Main rivals during the era of colonization
France, Spain, England
Netherlands a little bit
Description of Merchantilism
Economic theory they prosperity of a nation is based on amount of capitol wealth
Increasing wealth by decreasing other country’s wealth
Purpose of colonies and home country in Merchantilism
Protection and administration from mother country
Peninsulares
Spanish who were born in Spain but live I the new world
Purpose of Spanish empire
To bring precious metals to home country of Spain
Creole
Spanish colonists who were born in the colonies
Two areas of conflict during mid eighteenth century
Oversees territories
Central and eastern Europe
War of Jenkins’ Ear
1739-1748 Spain and Britain Spain allowed Britain to trade 500 tons of goods Britain went way over that Robert Jenkins got ear cut off Used it for propaganda Opened up other colonial conflicts
The war of Austrian Succession
1740-1748
Maria Theresa gives nobility more power (decentralizing Austria) to win their support
Frederick the Great takes Silesia from Austria which hurts the Pragmatic Sanction
Austria and Britain vs. Prussia and France
Diplomatic Revolution of 1756
AKA Stately Quadrille
Britain + Prussia vs.
France + Austria
Seven Year’s War victors
1756-1763
Britain biggest victor overall
Prussia was largest winner on continent
Stamp Act
Made to collect revenue to pay for Seven Year’s War
Intolerable Acts
AKA Coercive Acts
Closed Boston port
Quartered British troops in private American homes
“Common Sense”
Thomas Paine
United American rebels together
USA might not have been able to secede from UK were this not written
American Revolution on slavery and rights
Didn’t end slavery
Not complete equal rights
No women rights
Introduced new form of social class system never seen before
Reason rot American resentment to pay taxes to Britain
“No taxation without representation”
Ideas and events that American ideals were based on
Glorious Revolution and Bill of Rights
John Locke’s natural rights
Montesquieu balance of power
Commonwealthmen’s Cato’s Letters: Repblicanism
Two most important influences on the Enlightenment
Isaac Newton
John Locke
Why Britain was different for the Enlightenment
Social mobility Religious toleration Limited monarchy Free trade More freedoms than other countries Splendid isolation
Britain’s influence on the Enlightenment
More free trade than other countries
Public opinion
Print Culture. Increasing literacy to have more public opinion
Print culture
Time of more written material
Voltaire on Britain
Letters on the English
Rebukes French government in favor of the English
Voltaire’s literary works
Candide: “Optimism”. Attacked unwarranted optimism of people, especially after huge necking earthquake in Portugal
Elements of the Philosophy of Isaac Newton
Philisophes criticism of Christian Chruch
Inhibited people’s progression. Original sin was inhibiting
Church focused on the afterlife rather than the here and now
Blamed church for all major conflicts
Religious inconsistencies
Major points of the Deist Creed
Deist: Idea that you could understand religion through nature
God exists
There is a life after this one
Ethics
Baruch Spinoza?
Says Jews should adopt European culture
Considered a martyr
Pascal’s view of Islam
Thought it was a worldly religion
Too much sexuality
The Encyclopedia
Diderot & d’Alembert
100s of philosopher’s works
Secularized learning
Speaded rational philosophy to the continent
On Crimes and Punishment
Marquis Cesare Beccaria
Wanted to reform justice system
Rational laws and punishments that would deter crime
Utilitarianism
Adam Smith
Opposed mercantilism
Prevented trading competition
The Wealth of Nations
Views on mercantilism
Free marketing
Role of government according to Adam Smith
1776
Protect land
Open oversees markets
They should not interfere with economy
Adam Smith’s four stage theory
From barbarism to civilization 1. Hunt and gather 2. Herding and nomad 3. Agriculture 4. Commercialism Wanted to force this onto all countries
Laissez-faire economics
Encouraged selfishness which would have to lead to competition which leads to innovation
Government should stay out of economy
Physiocrats
French Economic reformers
Free trade
Against mercantilism, monopolies, and trade guilds
Injustices as grounds for criticism of Imperialism and Enlightenment thinkers
Slavery
Treatment of Native American Indians
Conquest of America
Views of Herder
Cultural Relativism
European standards don’t fit every socity
Montesquieu
Spirit of the Law
Separation of power
Favored limited monarchy
Philisophes views on women
Had limited place in society
Not feminists by any means
Neoclassical art
French revolution
Bringing back ancient and Renaissance art
Playful
Emotional
Rococo art
Aristocracy of France Pastels Light-hearted Louis XV Imperial hall in Bavaria
Frederick the Great and the Enlightenment
First Servant to the State Embodiment of Enlightened absolutism Sought approval of Junker nobility, intellectuals, military, and church Promotion through merit Standardizing laws Religious toleration Reduced tariffs Agricultural reforms
Catherine the Great
Would gain loyalty of subjects
Russia was isolated and needed reform
Reduced internal tariffs
Absolute monarchs and the Enlightenment
Fredrick the Great
Catherine the Great
Maria Theresa
Joseph II
Joseph II reforms
Targeted serfs/peasants for approval
Catherine the Great of Russia and the nobility
Charter of Nobility
Gave them power for their layalty to her
Catherine the Great territorial asperations
Captured Crimea peninsula in Black Sea
Gotthold Lessing
German
Wrote Nathan the Wise
Interfaith religious toleration
American Revolution years
1765-1783
Revolutionary war: 1775-1783
Economic Basis of 18th c. life
Over 3/4 population lived in the country
Landowners controlled local government
Pugachev’s Rebellion 1773-1775
English game laws
Landowners had exclusive hunting rights
1671-1801 Nobility thought people would hunt instead of work if they could
18th c. children
Neolocalism
They would work until teens then move away to be a servant
Would start own household when older
Dutch Agriculture
Polders: reclaimed land from the sea
Manure fertilization
