HIS 106 Chapter 23 European Enlightenment. Some revolutions took place without armies and without...
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Transcript of HIS 106 Chapter 23 European Enlightenment. Some revolutions took place without armies and without...
HIS 106Chapter 23
European Enlightenment
Some revolutions took place without armies and without guns
The Scientific Revolution and the Enlightenment are two of these
Scientific Revolution
New scientific discoveries took shape from the 1600s onward
These discoveries affected intellectual life and promoted changes in how people looked at their world
The origins of this scientific revolution lay, for the most part, in developments in astronomy
Old beliefs concerning our universe were being challenged by these new discoveries in astronomy in the 17th century
The Catholic Church had put forth the Geocentric view The earth is at the center of the universe Celestial bodies rotated around the earth
Nicholas Copernicus Polish clergyman Disproved the geocentric view of the
earth Put forth the Heliocentric view of the
universe; that is the earth revolves around the sun
Published his findings just before he dies to avoid punishment by the Church
Galileo Galilei Openly agreed with and made known the
findings of Copernicus For this he was condemned by the
Catholic Church and placed under house arrest when he would not recant
He remained under house arrest for the rest of his life
Made a telescope, investigated gravity and planetary motion
Vesalius From Belgium Made new medical discoveries dealing
with anatomy Advanced knowledge for the time period
John Harvey From England Showed how the heart was able to
pump blood throughout the body Investigated the circulatory system
Rene Descartes From France Felt human reasoning powers could
discover the laws of nature, how the universe worked
Felt one should be skeptical and move from there
Quick review p. 498
Isaac Newton From England 1637 in “Principia”, he set forth the laws
of motion – for every action there is always an equal reaction
Defined the forces of gravity in mathematical notation
Spoke of the scientific method Explained the movements of the planets
Scientists used their reasoning powers to make discoveries
They did not blindly accept traditional beliefs that often proved inaccurate
The Enlightenment
An intellectual movement of the 18th century
Began in France where ideas were discussed in Salons like Madame Geofrin
Initially, it popularized rationalism and the scientific ideas of the 17th century
It was an era that witnessed the emergence of an informed body of public opinion, critical of absolutism and political and social abuses
Urged reform Philosophes, thinkers, put forth new ideas
to better society (in science, social sciences, politics, and economics)
p. 499 – formal definition
These ideas spread to other nations where others tried out some of the new ideas and reforms
Voltaire (1694 – 1778) French His real name was Francois Marie Arouet Admired English intellectual and political
freedom Attacked war and religious persecution
Was for religious toleration Not very optimistic about the human
condition in his writings Believed society could and should be
improved
Other ideas of Enlightenment
New ideas on how to treat criminals New ideas on how to control the
privileged “Laissez-faire” economy of Adam
Smith who wrote about it in The Wealth of Nations
Many believed society should work to improve life for all
Condemned slavery Promoted better agricultural and
industrial methods Promoted new political rights Baron de Montesquieu
Charles de Secondat For separation of powers and checks and
balances P. 501
Jean-Jacques Rousseau believed in equality for all; p. 504, picture
John Locke Promoted life, liberty, and property Believed people have the right, the duty,
to overthrow an unjust government
All these ideas were gathered in the Encyclopedia put together by Denis Diderot and Jean le Rond d’Alembert
These ideas were picked up and practiced by some European rulers
Frederick the Great of Prussia offered freedom of religion Encouraged better agricultural methods Adopted the potato as a staple crop
Joseph II of Austria lessened the power of the Catholic
Church Tried other state-sponsored
improvements
Catherine the Great of Russia Education for elite boys and girls
These rulers became known as Enlightened Despots
They tried to wield their great authority for the good of the people but often fell short
Catherine the Great After the death of Peter the Great in 1724,
Russia experienced several decades of weak rule
The crown fell into the hands of people with little talent for ruling
Peter III came to the throne in 1762 Was weak and possibly insane Married in1745 to a young German princess,
Sophia, who would become Catherine the Great
She had neither love nor loyalty for her demented husband
After a few months of rule, Peter III was deposed and murdered; it is thought with Catherine’s approval, if not aid
Soon after Peter was removed, Catherine was proclaimed Empress
Catherine’s familiarity with the Enlightenment and the general culture of western Europe convinced her that Russia needed reform if it were to remain a great power
To have reform, Catherine realized that she would need wide political and social support
So she summoned a Legislative Commission in 1767 to advise her on revising the law and government of Russia
The Empress gave this Commission a set of Instructions drawn from the political ideas of the philosophes
A year later Catherine dismissed the Commission before several committees had reported
Revision of Russian law did not take place for at least 50 years
Calling the Commission was not a useless act
It gathered great amounts of information about local administration and economic life
Information gathered also indicated that most Russians saw no alternative to the absolute monarchy
From this Catherine could see she had support and she wished to then introduce some reforms She abolished capital punishment,
torture, serf auctions with the break-up of serf families
She appointed nobles to most offices responsible for local affairs
1785, she issued the Charter of Nobility that secured rights of aristocracy
She removed the internal barriers to trade, and exports greatly increased
Educational reforms for nobles’ children, both boys and girls, were introduced Elementary schools Teachers colleges were created Nobility was hostile to formal education Only really happened in major cities and
mostly with girls
Catherine worked to acquire warm water ports through an aggressive foreign policy Fought Turks to reach the Black Sea Moved on into Europe and extended
Russia’s western boundary into Central Europe
Destroyed Poland in the processAll this done by the time of her death in
1796
Her reforms did little for the majority of the Russian people -- 95% of whom were serfs
There was rural unrest Pugachev’s Revolt (1773-1775)
Emelyan Pugachev was a Cossack rebel who said he was Peter III come back to life to get Catherine
Pugachev captured the city of Kazan before being captured and executed
Radishev, a liberal reformer, also worked to make life better for the serfs; he was imprisoned for his views
Russian Society and Work 95% of Russians were serfs There weren’t too many other classes in
society, and they weren’t large At the top – Tsar and Tsarina Then nobles who lived mainly in
countryside A few bureaucrats and professionals Merchants were mainly foreigners No real artisan class
A merchant group grew under Peter the Great; however, nobles dismantled this group because they were afraid of their power
Most trade, outside of agriculture, fell to foreigners or to the state
Government ran industries in mining, iron, and munitions
International trade was organized and run by Western merchant companies
Life for the peasants was never good Hard work Traditional farming methods Harsh climate Lagged behind the West
Russia traded with Asia and the West They exported furs, grain, and timber
to the West Russia’s economy wasn’t advancing
quickly enough for world markets Feudalistic labor arrangements Little technology, little innovation No merchant class, few artisans
There were periodic rebellions by peasants and by intellectuals
They were all harshly put down Big gap between haves and have nots Elite adopted western art, read
western literature Ordinary Russian culture came from
their orthodox religion and oral stories and songs