Absolutism & European Culture 3.06 Compare the influence of religion, social structure, and colonial export economies on North and South American societies. 3.07 Evaluate the effects of colonialism on Africa, the Americas, Asia, and Europe. 4.01 Analyze the causes and assess the influence of seventeenth to nineteenth century political revolutions in England, North America, and France on individuals, governing bodies, church-state relations, and diplomacy.

France under Louis XIV Louis XIV is regarded as the best example of absolutism in the seventeenth century. Louis XIV strengthened control of the government and stabilized France politically, economically, and socially. Prior to Louis XIV becoming king, Cardinals Richelieu and Mazarin weakened Protestant power and strengthened royal power.

France under Louis XIV Louis ruled without the assistance of a royal council, and had complete control of foreign policy, the Church, and taxes. Jean-Baptiste Colbert helped to make France more powerful economically by improving trade, communications, transportation, and by creating a merchant marine.

France under Louis XIV To ensure that his Bourbon dynasty dominated Europe, Louis developed a standing army and waged four wars between 1667 and 1713. Louis left the legacy of an absolute ruler who strengthened France. Louis’s political policies and lavish lifestyle left France with great debts and surrounded by enemies.

Absolutism in Central & Eastern Europe Following the Thirty Years’ War, there were more than three hundred independent German states. Prussia and Austria rose to become European powers. Frederick William the Great Elector laid the foundation for Prussia by creating the fourth-largest military force in Europe.

Absolutism in Central & Eastern Europe Frederick William centralized power by setting up the General War Commissariat to levy taxes for the army and govern the state. The new Austrian Empire was established by the Hapsburg family, who had previously provided emperors for the Holy Roman Empire.

Absolutism in Central & Eastern Europe The Hapsburgs created a new empire, including present-day Austria, the Czech Republic, and Hungary. The Austrian monarchy never became a centralized, absolutist state, but remained a collection of territories held together by the Hapsburg emperor.

Peter the Great In sixteenth-century Russia, Ivan IV became the first ruler to take the title of czar. Ivan expanded Russian territory and crushed the power of the boyars. He became known as “Ivan the Terrible.” Following the end of Ivan’s dynasty in 1598, the national assembly selected Michael Romanov as the new czar in 1613.

Peter the Great In 1689 Peter the Great became czar. He modernized the military and made Russia a power in European affairs. Peter introduced Russians to the culture of Western Europe, and built the new capital city of St. Petersburg on the Baltic Sea to “open a window to the West.”

Art After the Renaissance Mannerism was an art form that emerged in Italy before spreading throughout Europe. Mannerism broke away from the Renaissance principles of balance, harmony, and moderation and represented people as elongated, to show suffering and heightened emotion. The characteristics of Mannerism are reflected in the work of El Greco, whose figures are elongated and contorted.

Art After the Renaissance A new movement known as baroque replaced Mannerism. It was embraced by Catholic architecture, especially in the Hapsburg courts of Madrid, Prague, Vienna, and Brussels. Baroque churches and palaces were magnificent and reflected a search for power.

Art After the Renaissance The baroque artist Gian Lorenzo Bernini captured these ideas with his work on Saint Peter’s Basilica in Rome.

The Golden Age of Literature William Shakespeare was a famous playwright and actor whose understanding of human psychology enabled him to write comedies and tragedies that are still studied today.

The Golden Age of Literature In Spain, Miguel de Cervantes wrote one of the greatest literary works of all time, Don Quixote. The story of Don Quixote elicits the idea that hard work and visionary dreams are requisite of the human condition.

The Golden Age of Literature As in England, Spanish plays became very popular, and touring companies of actors brought current productions to all parts of the empire. Lope de Vega is the most famous Spanish playwright, writing nearly 1,500 plays that are considered witty, charming, realistic, and action-packed.

Political Thought Seventeenth-century political thinkers Thomas Hobbes and John Locke wrote about political power and influenced future philosophies of government.

Political Thought Thomas Hobbes wrote Leviathan to deal with the problem of disorder. Hobbes asserted that people made a social contract to form a state in exchange for protection and peace. Absolute power was needed to preserve order in society, and rebellions must be suppressed.

Political Thought John Locke believed that man in his natural state enjoyed freedom and had certain natural rights. In Locke’s Two Treatises of Government, Locke argued against the absolute rule of one person. He stated that the government and the people have mutual obligations to protect each other, and if the government usurps its power, then man has the right to abolish the government. Locke’s ideas were used by American and French revolutionaries in the eighteenth century, and his influence can be found in the American Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution.

Vocabulary 1 Absolutism: a political system in which a ruler holds total power

Vocabulary 2 natural rights: rights with which all humans are born, including the rights to life, liberty, and property

Vocabulary 3 Baroque: an artistic style of the seventeenth century characterized by complex forms, bold ornamentation, and contrasting elements