 The Enlightenment Chapter 17

Section One: The Age of Reason

The Age of Reason  What is the Enlightenment?  What caused the Enlightenment?

English Thinkers

Thomas Hobbes  Hobbes’ theories:  Argued that people were naturally cruel, greedy, and selfish.  People must be strictly controlled  Social contract- an agreement by which they gave up their freedom for an organized society  Believed in a powerful government  orderly society  Believed in the need and use of an absolute monarch  Wrote Leviathan

John Locke  Locke’s theories  People are reasonable and moral  People should have natural rights- rights that belonged to all humans from birth. Life, liberty, and property  People form government to protect their natural rights  Best type of government: limited power and accepted by all citizens.  Lock believed in the right of revolution  Rejected absolute monarchs  Wrote Natural Rights and Two Treaties on Government

Baron de Montesquieu  Montesquieu’s theories:  Limited monarchy  Divided government into separate powers: Legislative, Executive, and Judicial  Montesquieu thought that each branch should check the other  Wrote The Spirit of Laws

French Thinkers  Paris is considered the home of the Enlightenment and the French Revolution  Philosophes- applied scientific methods to better understand and improve society- lovers of wisdom

Voltaire  Voltaire’s theories:  Targeted corrupt officials  Wrote about inequality, injustice, and religious prejudice  Through his ideas, he offended the Catholic Church  Voltaire was imprisoned  Books were burned  Advocated Enlightened Despotism  Against slave trade and deplored religious prejudice  Wrote Candide

Denis Diderot  Diderot’s theories:  Produced a 28 volume encyclopedia  Purpose of the encyclopedia: change the way people thought  Denounced slavery  Advocated for freedom of expression and education for all  Translated his encyclopedia's to other languages- helped spread ideas.

Jean Jacques Rousseau  Rousseau’s theories:  People were naturally good, society corrupted people  Some government control is necessary  “General will” best conscience of the people  Individuals should be subordinate to the community  “Man born free, everywhere he is in chains.”

Marquis de Beccaria  Wrote “On Crimes and Punishment”  Government should use reason and equality  Punishment should be based on harm done to society  Opposed to torture  Influenced Enlightenment Despots:  Frederick the Great abolished torture  Catherine the Great restricted the use of torture  Joseph II abolished the use of torture and capital punishment

Women During the Enlightenment  Women did not have the same rights as men did  Women’s rights were limited to the home  1700’s- women protested for their rights  Mary Wollstonecraft- argued that women were excluded from the social contract  Wrote “A Vindication of the Rights of Women”- called for same sex education

Economics  Physiocrat- person who advocates for economic reforms  Laissez faire- the thought that government should operate with no government interference. Means “hands off”

Adam Smith  Wrote “The Wealth of Nations”  Argued for free market- allowing the natural forces of supply and demand to dictate business  Invisible hand- the concept related to show how manufacturing, trade, wages, and profits were all linked to supply and demand  Believed in Laissez faire- economy better without government regulation

Enlightenment Ideas Spead  Achieving a “Just Society”  People began to challenge the old ways of society  People saw a need to reform  Known as the “Age of Reason”- ideas of Divine Right were debated and ended- considered unscientific and unnatural  Just Society- meant to ensure material, well-being, social justice, and happiness in this world

Enlightenment Ideas Spread  Censorship  Government and church authorities felt that they had a duty to defend the old government  Old government was set up by God  Government and Church officials banned books, burned books, and imprisoned some writers  Many were forced to publish under a fake name

Enlightenment Ideas Spread  Salons  New literature, arts, science, and philosophy were all discussed in salons  Salons were informal gatherings where writers, artists, philosophers, and others exchanged ideas  Originated in the 1600’s.  1700’s- women were beginning to go to salons

Enlightened Despotism  Enlightened Despots- ruler who used their power to bring about political and social change  The Enlightenment thinkers tried to convince European rulers to adopt their ideas  Some monarchs did accept the Enlightenment ideas  Enlightenment Despots- absolute rulers who used their power to bring about political and social change

Enlightened Despot  Frederick the Great  Expected tight control over his subjects  Saw himself as the first “servant of the state”  Wanted help from Voltaire  Frederick the Great tolerated religious differences, welcoming victims of religious persecution  His reforms directly impacted the Prussian government  Recognized the civil service and simplified laws  Rationalized bureaucracy  stronger monarchy

Enlightened Despot  Catherine the Great- Russia  Asked for help from Voltaire and Diderot  Made limited reforms in law and government  Granted nobles a charter of rights  Spoke out against serfdom  Restricted the use of torture  Wanted education for boys and girls  Limited religious toleration  Catherine did not want to give up power

Enlightened Despot  Joseph II  Son of Maria Theresa from Hapsburg Austria  Joseph II’s nickname “peasant emperor”  Continued his mothers reforms  Chose talented middle class officials rather than nobles to head government departments  Granted toleration to protestants and Jews in Catholic Empire  Ended censorship  Sold property of unproductive monasteries and convents  Abolished serfdom

Effects of the Enlightenment  Constitutional Government and Enlightened Despotism  New economies  Causes: American, French, and Latin American Revolutions  New Ideas:  Relationship between government and society  Women’s rights  Social justice  Violence and torture  Basic liberties

The American Revolution  What were the causes to the American Revolution?  How did the Enlightenment influence the Revolution?  Thomas Paine  What were the effects of the American Revolution?  What thinkers and their ideas are present in the Declaration of Independence and later, the US Constitution?