enlightened despotism
TRANSCRIPT
Enlightened Despotism
What is Enlightened Despotism?
• is a form of absolutism (or despotism) in which rulers were influenced by the Enlightenment.
Enlightened Despotism (cont.)
• Enlightened monarchs embraced the principles of the Enlightenment, especially its emphasis upon rationality, and applied them to their territories
Enlightened Despotism (cont.)
• They tended to allow: o religious tolerationo freedom of speech and the presso the right to hold private property
• Most fostered the arts, sciences, and education
What Did the Philosophes Think?
• Many did not wish to go the political route of Montesquieu’s limited monarchy or Rousseau’s democracy
• Most were pro-monarchy (Voltaire, Diderot, etc.) and did not wish to limit a monarch’s power
Philosophe’s (cont.)
• Instead, they sought to redirect that power toward the rationalization of economic and political structures & the liberation of thought
Enlightened Despots
Frederick the Great King of Prussia
not the mall…
Frederick II of Prussia
• r. 1740-1786 • AKA Frederick the
Great• Self-described “first
servant of the people”
Economic Policies
• Silesia as a manufacturing district• State-initiated agricultural
improvements:o Created more farmland (drained
swamps)o Successfully introduced new crops:
potatoes & turnipso Established the Land-Mortgage Credit
Association which helped landowners raise money for agricultural improvements
However…
• Peasants still burdened by disproportionate taxes
Non-Economic Policies
• Religious Tolerationo Catholics & Jews allowed to settle in
predominately Lutheran territoryo Protected Catholics living in Silesiao State benefited from the economic
contributions of more workers
Non-Econ. Policies (cont.)
• Rationalization of Legal Systemo Efficiencyo Unified regional law to match state
law (more central authority)o Decreased nobility’s influence
Joseph IIKing of Austria
Joseph II of Austria
• r. 1780-1790• Co-ruled with
his mother, Maria-Theresa from 1765 until her death in 1780
Joseph II
• Not known for his warm personality - was said to be impersonal & humorless
• However, he wanted to improve life for his people
Centralization of Authority
• Austria was very diverse• Maria-Theresa began some
Enlightened policies such as:o More efficient tax system in which
clergy & nobility were taxedo Brought educational institutions to
the service of the crown
Maria-Theresa (cont.)
• Expanded primary education• Limited the amount of labor that
landowners could demand from peasants
• Goal = to create a pool from which to draw military recruits
Joseph II’s Reforms
• Wanted to extend his borders
• Wanted to exert his authority over areas where his mother had wisely chosen to stay out (irrational to have more than 1 leader)
Joe’s Reforms (cont.)
• Tried to establish German as the sole language of the empire (irrational not to all speak the same language)
• Didn’t work out, and eventually had to rescind these orders
Joseph & the Church
• Favored tolerationo October 1781 - Issued a Toleration Decreeo Lutherans, Calvinists, & Greek Orthodox
permitted to:oHave own places of worshipoSponsor schoolsoEnter skilled tradesoHold academic appointmentsoHold positions in public service
Joseph & Church (cont.)
o Jews:oRelieved of certain taxes & signs of
personal degradationoGranted the right to private worshipoStill did not have equality with other
subjects
More Joseph & Church
• Sought to bring institutions of the Roman Catholic Church under his control (“Josephinism”)oForbade local bishops to
communicate with the PopeoDissolved over 600 territories and
took their land (unless they were schools or hospitals)
Even More Joseph & the Church
o Dissolved established Roman Catholic Seminaries (too much focus on Pope, not enough on parishners) & replaced with 8 seminaries where parish duties were the focus
o Funded w/ money from confiscated monasteries
o Roman Catholic priests = employees of the state
Joseph’s Economic Reforms
• Abolished internal tariffs• Encouraged building of new roads• Improved river transportation• Personally inspected farms &
manufacturing districts
Economic Reforms (cont.)
• Created laws to limit authority of landowners over peasantso Abolished serfdom as a legally sanctioned
state of servitudeo Granted peasants many personal
freedoms such as the right to marry and engage in skilled work w/o landowner’s permission
o Goal = reduce traditional burdens on peasants
The BIG Economic Reform…
• Land Taxation (GASP!!)o All landowners were to pay taxes
regardless of social statuso Peasants no longer had to bear
burden of taxes alone• Died shortly after this decree and it
was never implemented (his brother Leopold was forced to repeal it…)
Catherine the GreatEmpress of Russia
Catherine The Great
• r. 1762-1796• Germanic Princess & wife/widow of
Peter III• Approved (& possibly aided in) the
assassination of her husbando Gregory Orlov, her lover, organized
the coup that murdered Peter III
Catherine the Great
• Ideas of the Enlightenment convinced her that Russia was backward
• Brought everything Western to Russiao Ex.: Diderot - paid him & offered to
publish his Encyclopedia in Russia when it was banned by the French Gov’t.
1767 Legislative Commission
• 500 Delegates from all walks of life• Goal was to suggest reforms
(guided by Enlightenment ideals)• Result = nothing, but Catherine
got a good feel for her country’s problems
CTG’s Legislative Reforms
• Gave strong support/power to nobilityo They had the power to oust her, so
she made friends with them• “Charter of Nobility”
o Gave nobles complete control over serfs
o Local offices given to local nobles (not royal offices, though)
CTG’s Economic Reforms
• Continued PTG’s mercantile ideas• Supported expansion of the small
Russian urban middle class (vital for trade)
• Kept a close tie to philosophes so they would write about her favorably
CTG’s Territorial Reforms
• Continued the drive for warm water ports (fought Ottoman Empire)
• 1774 Treaty of Kuchuck-Kainardji - gave Russia a direct outlet on the Black Sea
• Active in the First Partition of Poland (along w/ Austria & Prussia)
CTG’s Social Reforms
• Limited, but did create hospitals & orphanages
• Limited religious toleration• Slight restriction of the use of
torture by the government
Pugachev Rebellion
• 1771-1775• Most violent peasant uprising in
Russian history• 1773-1774 - peasants and
Cossacks killed 1500 nobles and clergy
• This rebellion limited the amount of reforms geared toward them
Who Was Most Enlightened?
• In your journal section, write 1 paragraph that answers:
Who best exemplifies an “Enlightened Despot” - Frederick the Great, Joseph II, or Catherine the Great? Why?