Did these difficulties discourage the various princes from trying? By what instruments did Frederick William, the "Great Elector," make Brandenburg-Prussia a strongly centralized state? Which elements of society under absolutist regimes were best able to retain their privileges in succeeding eras?
Describe some of the outward displays of monarchical authority used by European rulers to illustrate their ideas of royal authority. Why did revolution come under James rather than under Charles?
How did the "Glorious Revolution" of and its aftermath ensure that the English monarchy would henceforth be limited? What aspects or consequences of the Revolution of could be considered as less than "glorious"? On what grounds did John Locke establish the right of revolution? Why were his theories particularly useful to the leaders of the English Revolution of ?
What is meant by the emergence of a "state system"? How did this differ from what preceded it? The growth of foreign ministries and embassies in European capitals reflected a desire to achieve international stability. Why was diplomacy also "a weapon in the armory of the absolutist state"? How was the character of warfare changing during this period? What were the stakes at issue in the War of the Spanish Succession?
Summarize the provisions of the Treaty of Utrecht of What particular advantages accrued to the British? Her allowance of private presses, her financing of the translation of the major works of the Enlightenment, and the lack of political censorship stimulated journalism and book publications.
However, near the end of her reign, frightened by the French Revolution, she abandoned her Enlightenment ideas and became more repressive. For current classes, programs, and exhibitions, please visit nypl.
Enlightened Absolutism in Russia. He ended censorship of the press and theater. In —82, he extended full legal freedom to serfs. The landlords, however, found their economic position threatened and eventually reversed the policy.
To equalize the incidence of taxation, Joseph ordered an appraisal of all the lands of the empire to impose a single egalitarian tax on land.
To produce a literate citizenry, elementary education was made compulsory for all boys and girls and higher education on practical lines was offered for a select few.
Joseph created scholarships for talented poor students and allowed the establishment of schools for Jews and other religious minorities. In , he ordered that the country change its language of instruction from Latin to German, a highly controversial step in a multilingual empire.
Joseph also attempted to centralize medical care in Vienna through the construction of a single, large hospital, the famous Allgemeines Krankenhaus, which opened in Joseph II was one of the first rulers in Central Europe. He attempted to abolish serfdom but his plans met with resistance from the landholders.
His Imperial Patent of abolished serfdom on some territories of the Empire, but under the pressure of the landlords did not give the peasants ownership of the land or freedom from dues owed to the landowning nobles. It did give them personal freedom. The final emancipation reforms in the Habsburg Empire were introduced in Probably the most unpopular of all his reforms was his attempted modernization of the highly traditional Catholic Church.
Calling himself the guardian of Catholicism, Joseph II struck vigorously at papal power. He tried to make the Catholic Church in his empire the tool of the state, independent of Rome. Joseph was very friendly to Freemasonry, as he found it highly compatible with his own Enlightenment philosophy, although he apparently never joined the Lodge himself. In , he issued a charter of religious toleration for the Jews of Galicia, a region with a large Yiddish-speaking traditional Jewish population.
The charter abolished communal autonomy whereby the Jews controlled their internal affairs. It promoted Germanization and the wearing of non-Jewish clothing. Privacy Policy. Skip to main content. Search for:. Enlightened Despotism Learning Objective Define enlightened despotism and provide examples. Key Points Enlightened despots held that royal power emanated not from divine right but from a social contract whereby a despot was entrusted with the power to govern in lieu of any other governments.
An essay defending the system of enlightened despotism was penned by Frederick the Great, who ruled Prussia from to Following the common interest among enlightened despots, he supported arts, philosophers that he favored, and complete freedom of the press and literature. Catherine II of Russia continued to modernize Russia along Western European lines, but her enlightened despotism manifested itself mostly with her commitment to arts, sciences, and the modernization of Russian education.
0コメント