Enlightenment, Deism and Religion Voltaire: “Crush the infamous thing”

Deism God established universe Seen as Clockmaker who let his creation run Proposed non-ritual religion based on REASON Believed in life after death Rational morality God’s existence Religious toleration Attacked Catholic church and Jewish beliefs as superstition

Enlightened Political thought Hobbes: Leviathan based on Scientific observation Universe is mechanical as is politics Natural Law Idea of Reason of State vs. Divine Right Locke: Man rational & born equal Natural state: harmony with one another People make contract with government to protect their rights

Adam Smith Wealth of Nations 1776 Positive trade balance should be promoted by government intervention and tariffs

Economic Theory Allow individuals to promote their interest freely within the law This will promote interests of society People will calculate their chances in market People motivated by pleasure Proposed existence of laws supply and demand “invisible hand” will ensure that all will work out for the best

Laissez Faire/Nature and Economics Laissez Faire government should not interfere with economy; Government’s role: army, navy police, judiciary, schools, roads, new trade routes Exploit nature for good of man— common in all systems Middle class used his theories to believe that greed benefited society, to escape guilt that Christianity had attributed to it

Smith as Equalizer His ideas leveled society: Hunter-Gatherers Pastoral peoples Agricultural societies Commercial societies Europeans felt superior to all others and justified imperial domination

Montesquieu Charles-Louis de Secondat, Baron de Montesquieu Aristocrat President of Parlement of Bordeux—inherited from his father

Spirit of Laws 14 years of study Published in 1748 Three types of government: Republics-virtue Monarchies-honour Despotism-fear

On Governments: No one system was suitable everywhere Governments should reflect traditions, economy and religion of a country (despotism suited to hot climates to force lazy people to work!) Separation of powers: executive, judicial, legislative—based on English government: King, House of Lords, House of Commons

For France Use ideas of separation of powers in France: Power to parlements, towns, aristocracy Counter for monarchy Influenced framers of US Constitution of 1787 (not so much on Declaration of Independence)

Jean-Jacques Rousseau Born in Geneva Lower class background Mother died after his birth Many psychological problems

Personal Life Wrote Confessions which showed his problems Paranoid Treated his five children badly Put them in an orphanage Met philosophes of Paris in 1741, when he moved there

On the Social Contract (1762) “All men are born free, but everywhere they are in chains.” Concerned with virtue of people

Political Vision Social contract: basic law of society Liberty is obedience to laws that people have accepted Equality is all equally dependent upon society and not on individuals Contract should be written by legislator who departs—forces men to be free Denies that liberty and equality are natural Wants civil liberty and equality granted by the state

Political vision, continued Rights are those in the community People give their natural liberty and equality to community when they join it Social contract not between government and people, but between people themselves Best society is participatory democracy: Athens, Geneva Society depends upon public spiritedness People are source of legitimate sovereignty: General Will

General Will Principle behind validity of Social Contract Political society involves total subjection of every individual to the General Will of the whole. For Rousseau: General Will not wishes of majority; but what is in their best interest.

Effects of Rousseau’s thought Not popular at first Influential on Jacobins and Robespierre Arguments for democracy and equality had liberal effect in US and Britain General Will provides framework for totalitarian governments—do people know what is good for them?

Rousseau and Romanticism Forerunner to romantic period Emile encouraged parents to love their children (he was bad example) Cult of women readers developed Spread respect for feelings and common people People inspired by him to look after their children Began modern humanitarianism

Rousseau’s other ideas Also promoted idea of Noble Savage in his work Discours sur l’Origine de l’inegalite parmi les hommes of Rousseau is contradictory: democracy and totalitarianism Noble savage and need for education

America and the Enlightenment American thinkers: Ben Franklin and Thomas Jefferson America as an Enlightened Project Constitution uses many of the ideas presented here Locke: Life, Liberty, Property Montesquieu: separation of powers

Enlightened Despotism Rulers that embraced enlightened reforms but strengthened their central absolutist administration at the cost of lesser centers of political power Marie Theresa and Joseph II of Austria Frederick the Great of Prussia Catherine the Great of Russia

Maria Theresa Strengthened crown outside of Hungary Efficient system of tax collection even from clergy and nobles Put education under service of crown Expanded primary education Limited serf labor

Joseph II Reduced Hungarian autonomy Reorganized local governments German became official language Religious toleration Internal tariffs abolished

Joseph’s contributions Built roads and improved river transport Uniform law codes Abolished serfdom Personal freedoms granted to peasants Goal: better workers Robot (state work) was abolished Land taxes imposed upon all members of society

Frederick II First servant of the State Allowed freedom from religious persecution State benefited economically from foreign workers

Frederick II’s contributions New law codes Rationalization of existing laws Drained swamps Introduced new crops Peasants forced to migrate and paid taxes Ran state as a military regime Seized Silesia for Reasons of the state: made it a manufacturing region and imported workers Prussia emerges as strongest German state

Catherine II Russia backward and in need of reform Assembles 500 delegates to advise her on revisions to law and government Info gathered: need autocracy

Reforms Limited reforms to local power of nobility 1777—local governments reorganized Charter of Nobility, 1785 rights and privileges granted to nobles Suppressed internal trade barriers Exports grew Small urban middle class grows Russian territory expanded Crimea annexed— warm water port

1 st Partition of Poland 1772 Russia gained territory along Danube Austria upset: Frederick II proposes secret plan to split Poland between the three countries

2 nd Partition of Poland 1793

3 rd Partition of Poland 1795