Enlightened Despotism

1
Enlightened Despotism

• Acceleration of the old institution of the
  monarchy secular and pragmatic
• Differed from predecessors mainly in attitude and
  tempo
• Justified their right to rule on grounds of
  usefulness to society rather than divine right

2
Failure of Enlightened Despotism in France

• Tax collection
• Evaded by nobility after death of Louis XIV
• Thought of as a sign of inferior status
• Increases blocked by parlements
• The Maupeou parlements
• Attempt to make parlements judicial rather than
  blocking financial reform
• Louis XVI backs down
• Abolishes the Maupeou parlements and
• recalls old parlements (1774)
• L

3
Austria The Reforms of Maria Theresa (1740-1780)
and Joseph II (1780-1790)

• Internal consolidation of empire
• Bohemian and Austrian provinces wielded together
• Attacks on serfdom
• Joseph II the revolutionary emperor
• The limitations of his reforms secret police
• Weakness of a purely despotic enlightenment

4
Prussia and Frederick the Great

• My chief occupation is to fight ignorance and
  prejudices in this country
• Profound Social stratification
• Serfdom unaltered as concession to Junker class
• Frederick If Newton had to consult with
  Descartes he would never have discovered the law
  of universal gravitation.

5
Russia and Catherine the Great

• Russia after Peter the Great
• Enlightenment continued westernization so
  forcefully pushed forward by Peter the Great
• Catherine the Great (1762-1796)
• Domestic Program
• Reforms
• Pugachevs rebellion(1773)
• State came to rest on an understanding between
  ruler and gentry, gentry accepted ruler and
  received in return the assurance of full
  authority over the masses

6
Enlightened Despotism and March to Equality

• Foreshadowed an age of revolution
• Governments opposed the special powers of church
  and feudal interests tended to make all persons
  into uniform and equal subjects
• To this extent enlightened despotism favored
  equality before the law

7
But, it was limited by . . .

• King was hereditary aristocrat himself
• No government is revolutionary to the point of
  breaking up its own foundations

8
Conclusions

• Enlightened despotism was the culmination of the
  historic institution of the monarchy
• Monarchy in Europe, ever since the Middle Ages
  had generally been a progressive institution
• But everywhere the despots for reasons of
  politics if not of principle, had reached a point
  beyond which they could not go