Effects of the Enlightenment World Studies

First Effect: Enlightened Absolutists Absolute monarchs who wanted to give some rights to their citizens but still maintain their power

Prussia and Frederick II (the Great), (r )  He didn’t want to be a king, and he and his best friend ran away in 1730  Consequences: he had to watch his friend get beheaded and he was put in solitary for a time  Had to go along with his father and learn how to become king

Prussia and Frederick II (the Great), (r )  He took over Silesia, a part of Austria  Reforms:  improved schools  simplified the laws  abolished torture  improved the courts  MNkd6-CMY MNkd6-CMY

Russia and Catherine the Great (r )  She wanted to:  Continue Peter the Great’s efforts to westernize Russia  Enact reforms:  new law code  decrease torture  extend some religious toleration  improve education  improve city governments  She was fearful of losing power and cracked down on freedom of speech and violently suppressed serf rebellions

Russia and Catherine the Great (r )  Expand Russian territory—for example, she and other European leaders divided up Poland in 1772, 1793, and 1795

Austria and the Hapsburgs: Maria Teresa (r )  Maria’s goals:  Decrease the power of the Pope in Austria  Tax the nobles so that the government would have more money  Give more rights to serfs and tenant farmers

Austria and the Hapsburgs: Joseph II (r )  Joseph continued her work and:  Tolerated Protestants and Jews  Abolished serfdom in 1781

Second Effect: Economic Changes The changing role of the government...

Economic changes  From Mercantilism  Laissez-Faire  Laissez-faire was the belief that the government should stay out of the economy  Supply and demand controlled the economy  Free trade and enterprise  Belief that people‘s pursuit of their own economic self-interest would benefit society as well

Economic Changes  Adam Smith, Wealth of Nations in 1776: He outlined capitalism in this book (he didn’t invent it)  These notions of capitalism led to the Industrial Revolution

Third Effect: Women’s Rights Movement The times they are a changing...

Women’s Movement  Right to education—push begins in the 1800s  Right to vote comes later in the 20 th century in both the U.S. and Europe  Certain careers still restricted to men

Women’s Movement  None of these movements were meant to include women of color  Sojourner Truth gave a very famous speech at the Seneca Falls Convention (1848) in which she said, “Ain’t I a Woman?”  Q0Qsrc Q0Qsrc

Mary Wollstonecraft  “If she be not prepared by education to become the companion of man, she will stop the progress of knowledge and virtue; for trust must be common to all, or it will be inefficacious with respect to its influence on general practice” Vindication of the Rights of Women (1792)

Mary Astell  “If all men are born free, how is it that all women are born slaves?” A Serious Proposal to the Ladies (1694)

Fourth Effect: Big Government Changes-- American Revolution & French Revolution

American Revolution, ( )  The Founders had read John Locke’s work, and used his idea of social contract in writing the  Declaration of Independence (1776),  The Constitution (1789), and  The Bill of Rights (1791).  Enlightenment ideas made their way to the average citizen through pamphlets like Thomas Paine’s Common Sense (1776)

French Revolution ( )  American Revolution influenced the French  Declaration of the Rights of Man (1789)  Declaration of the Rights of Woman (1791), Olympe de Gouges  Wanted equal rights for women  She was executed