1. The Impact of the Enlightenment

2. The Arts
Architecture and Art: Many rulers build grand castles to mimic Louis XIV’s Palace at Versailles
unique architectural style is created
Rococo: new artistic style is created as well
Emphasizes grace, charm and gentle action
Highly secular: focused on the pursuit of pleasure, happiness and love
Sense of enchantment and enthusiasm

3. Music: Perfecting Baroque
Johann Sebastian Bach
One of the greatest composers of all time
German
Mass in B Minor
George Frederick Handel
Messiah
German, but lived in England
With Bach, perfected the baroque musical style

4. Music: Creation of Classical
Haydn
Wanted to play public concerts rather than serve only princely patrons
The desire to play for everyone leads him to write his two great works
Mozart
Child prodigy
Along with Haydn, helps to found what we know as classical music
One of the greatest composers of all time

5. Literature
18th century= development of the European novel

6. Enlightenment and Enlightened Absolutism
What role does Enlightenment thought play in politics?
Who believes in natural rights for all people?
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their creator with certain inalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”
How were these natural rights to be preserved?
Governed under an enlightened ruler
Enlightened absolutism: rulers try to govern by Enlightenment principles while maintaining their royal powers

7. Frederick the Great

8. Frederick the Great of Prussia
Enlightened despot
Made enlightened reforms
Abolished the use of torture except in treason and murder cases
Granted limited freedom of speech and the press, as well as complete religious toleration
On the other hand…
Kept Prussia’s serfdom and rigid social structure intact and avoided any additional reforms

9. The Austrian Empire
Joseph II succeeds Maria Theresa and starts to call for enlightened change
Swept away anything standing in the path of reason
Abolishes serfdom, eliminates the death penalty, equality before the law, enacts religious reforms.
Joseph’s reform program largely fails
Why?

10. Russia under Catherine the Great
Rules Russia from
Assumes the throne after her husband is murdered by a group of nobles
German
Favored the ideas of the philosophes and wanted to implement reform, but does not
Why?
Need support of nobility

11. Philosophes v. 18th Century Monarchs
Condemn war as foolish
Want all to have equality under the law
Monarchs
Use war to expand empires
Concerned with the balance of power, that each state should have equal power
Really, each want to gain more power

12. War War of Austrian Succession
Maria Theresa succeeds her father on the Austrian throne
King Frederick of Prussia invades Austrian Silesia
France enters war vs. Austria, its traditional enemy
Treaty agreed to in 1748
Prussia refuses to return Silesia to Austria= another war

13. War

14. War The Seven Years’ War 1756-1763
Maria Theresa rebuilds army and takes France as an ally from Prussia
Russia joins France and Austria
Sees Prussia as a threat
Britain allies itself with Prussia
War fought in 3 locations: Europe, India, and North America
War in Europe: Prussia holds its ground against Austria, Russia, and France
Once Russia withdraws, there is a stalemate
Agree to end war and Prussia keeps Silesia; all other occupied territories are returned to their original owner
War in India
Britain vs. France
Seeking to expand their empire
India falls to Britain
War in North America
Great Britain is victorious overall and becomes one of the greatest colonial powers