Absolutism, Capitalism, Scientific Revolution and the Enlightenment

1
Absolutism, Capitalism, Scientific Revolution and
the Enlightenment

• Beginning of Modern Europe
• 1500-1750

2
Consolidation of Sovereign States

• Attempted revival of the Holy Roman Empire
• Charles V
• Imperial fragmentation as a result of the
  Reformation
• Foreign challenges
• Henry VIII
• Louis XI
• Ferdinand and Isabella

3
Struggle for Sovereignty

• Thirty Years War (1618-1648) Internal struggle
  between Catholics and Protestants.
• Peace of Westphalia (1648) Introduced the idea
  that individual states were sovereign and equal.
  They also had the right to run their domestic
  affairs.
• Seven Years War (1756-1763) First global war.

4
Struggle for Sovereignty

• These wars produced the idea in Europe of a
  balance of power. This was to ensure that no
  nation became stronger than the others.
• However, these wars actually caused an increase
  in technology.
• They also caused the countries in Europe to
  follow two distinct political paths absolutism
  and constitutionalism.

5
Absolutism

• Absolutism is based upon the divine right of the
  monarch.
• Under absolutism, the monarch had absolute
  authority over all affairs in the country.
• The monarch determined and made the law and his
  authority was above question.
• The most successful absolute monarchy was in
  France.

6
France

• The architect of absolutism in France was
  Cardinal Richelieu.
• He worked to undermine the authority of the
  nobility and strengthen the power of the King.

7
Absolutism Letat cest moi

• After the civil-political wars in France, Louis
  XIV assumes the throne as the first absolute
  monarch in France.
• Louis faced no political, legal, social, or
  religious opposition to his rule.

8
Louis XIV-The Sun King

• Louis ruled from his palace at Versailles.
• His authority was based on divine right.
• There was no position of power for the common
  citizen or the nobles under his rule.
• Nobles were moved into apartments at Versailles
  and required to attend court functions.

9
Rule under the Sun King

• Maintained a large standing army.
• Promoted new economic growth by encouraging new
  industries.
• Built and improved roads, canals, and other
  public buildings.
• Abolished internal tariffs.
• Encouraged exports.
• Expanded French territories.

10
Absolutism outside of France

• Spain Philip II established an absolute monarch
  in the 16th century. Hapsburg heirs attempted to
  continue the rule however, their spending
  exceeded their revenues.
• Austria, Russia, and Prussia all modeled
  themselves after Frances government.
• Prussia and Russia will play major roles in
  Europe from the 18th century onward.

11
Constitutionalism

• As France and others followed absolutism, the
  nobility of England and the Netherlands attempted
  to limit the power of the monarchs.
• In England, constitutionalism could be traced
  back to 1215 and the signing of the Magna Carta
  by King John.
• One of the provisions was that the king consult
  with a group of nobles before enacting laws and
  taxes. This would evolve into Parliament.

12
England

• By the 1600s, Henry VIII and Elizabeth I had
  consolidated their power. Although there was a
  Parliament, it could not meet unless called by
  the king.
• In 1603, James I succeeded Elizabeth as King of
  England. James was a divine right monarch.
• This brought him into almost immediate conflict
  with Parliament.

13
James I

• In 1608, he ended a long standing conflict with
  the Spanish, much to the dismay of the English
  people.
• He also ended foreign involvement.
• The group that was most vehement in their protest
  of the kings policies were the Puritans.
• In 1625, James was succeeded by his son, Charles
  I.

14
Charles I (1625-1649)

• Charles immediately comes into conflict with the
  Puritan controlled Parliament.
• Charles needs Parliament support to raise taxes
  and when they refuse, he begins to sell off
  common lands.
• He also begins to imprison people who speak out
  against him.
• Parliament reacts by sending the king the
  Petition of Rights (1628).

15
Charles I

• Charles reacts to the Petition of Rights by
  disbanding Parliament.
• From 1629 to 1640, Charles rules without
  Parliament.
• In 1640, Charles is forced to reconvene
  Parliament because of a threat from Scotland
  (Short Parliament-3 weeks).
• Charles needs to call Parliament back into
  session (Long Parliament 20 years).
• Parliament attempts to take control of the
  government.

16
Conflict with Parliament

• Parliament enacts a law that prohibits the king
  from dissolving Parliament.
• In 1642, Charles attempts to take control f
  Parliament by force.
• He orders the arrest of several Puritans leaders
  in the House of Commons.
• The members of Parliament that react by charging
  Charles with treason.

17
Chucky versus Oly
18
English Civil War

• 1642-1649, England is involved in a civil war
  that is both political and religious in nature.
• The supporters of the monarchy are called
  cavaliers.
• The supporters of Parliament and the Puritans are
  called roundheads.
• The leader of the Parliamentary armies is Oliver
  Cromwell.

19
English Civil War

• In 1649, Charles is beheaded by Parliament and
  Oliver Cromwell becomes The Lord Protector and
  establishes a commonwealth in England.
• The Parliament had little power as Cromwell had
  effectively established a military dictatorship
  in England. (Rump Parliament).
• In 1653, Cromwell disband the Parliament.

20
English Commonwealth

• Cromwell writes The Instrument of Government
  which is Englands first constitution.
• Extensive powers were given to Cromwell
• Lord Protector for Life
• The office of Lord Protector was hereditary.
• Parliament had limited power to tax and make
  laws.
• By 1655, Cromwell had established an absolute
  hold on power.

21
Restoration of the Monarchy

• When Cromwell dies in 1658, Parliament calls for
  elections for a new Parliament.
• In 1660, Parliament asks Charles II to return
  from France and resume the throne.
• Charles agrees to Parliamentary controls over the
  monarchy and returns as king in 1661.

22
Cromwells Head
23
Constitutional Monarchy

• With the return of Charles II (Merry Monarch)
  from France, he agrees to follow Parliament and
  the restriction of certain rights.
• Clarendon Code restores the Church of England
  as the state religion. This results in a loss of
  power for the Puritans.
• When Charles dies, there is a controversy about
  his successor, James II.

24
Glorious Revolution

• James II, brother of Charles was a Catholic and
  believed in divine right.
• 1679 Exclusion Act attempts to bar Catholics
  from becoming monarch of England. (Whigs v Tories
  - Defeated)
• A royal birth sparked Parliament into action.
• William and Mary become the co-rulers of England.
• In 1689, James tries to regain power with the
  help of Irish Catholics. It fails.
• 1701 Act of Settlement barring Catholics from
  the throne passes Parliament.

25
Political Parties and the Formation of the Cabinet

• Whigs
• Tories
• Prime Minister (Sir Robert Walpole)
• George I German
• Act of Union (1707) joins England and Scotland
  together. Great Britain.

26
European States System

• Peace of Westphalia did not end conflict in
  Europe.
• There were numerous conflicts to extend or
  recapture territory.
• The Europeans attempted to end these conflicts by
  diplomacy. This diplomacy was to establish a
  balance of power between the rival countries.
• This lead to a military arms race in Europe

27
Early Capitalism

• Population Growth and Urbanization
• Introduction of crops from the Americas led to
  better nutrition and an increase in the
  population of Europe.
• People became more resistant to the old diseases
  that had plagued Europe in early centuries.
• Urbanization resulted as governments began to
  establish their capitals in cities.

28
Capitalism

• Economic system that developed as a result of
  private citizens providing goods and services to
  others.
• Supply and demand.
• Joint Stock companies (BEIC and VOC) spread the
  risk of doing business among many.
• Adam Smith The invisible hand and laissez
  faire way of doing business

29
Protoindustrialization

• Putting Out system piece work by rural
  workers.
• This avoided the guilds and the power they had
  over business and profit.
• Rural workers would produce goods that were sold
  by the business people. Cheap labor of the rural
  workers huge profits for the business people in
  the city.
• This was also referred to as the cottage system
  of production.

30
Changes in Society

• Nuclear family increased in importance.
• Business ethics.
• Individual wealth as opposed to the welfare of
  the community.
• Hostility towards women. Why?

31
Scientific Revolution

• Ptolemaic Universe Earth centered universe.
• Planetary movements
• Copernican Universe Earth was just another
  planet.
• Copernicus will influence others to question and
  use observations to collect data.
• Galileo Galilei and Isaac Newton
• Works of these scientists will spark a revolution
  in anatomy, microbiology, chemistry, botany, etc

32
Enlightenment

• From the scientists questioning the early
  scientifc works of the Greeks, others began to
  question the philsophies of the Greeks.
• As the scientific revolution was tied to natural
  laws, philosophers began to believe that there
  were natural laws that governed human society.
• The center of the movement was France.

33
Enlightenment Philosophers

• Most rejected religion. (Deism)
• Freedom and equality for all (exception women,
  peasants, laborers, slaves, or people of color).
• Demands for freedom of religion.
• Demands for freedom of speech.
• Had a global impact.

34
Thomas Hobbs and John Locke

• Thomas Hobbs
• In his book, Leviathan, Hobbs supported the
  absolute monarchy by writing that people should
  give up some rights if the monarch supports and
  protects them.

• John Locke
• In the Theory of Contractual Government, Locke
  argues the authority in government comes from the
  consent of the people and that all people are
  entitled to life, liberty, and property.

35
Montesquieu and Rousseau

• Montesquieu (Spirit of Laws) Principles of
  political liberty within a prosperous state.
• Believed in the rights of the individual.
• Concept of the three branches of government
  executive, legislative, and judicial.

• Rousseau (The Social Contract) Man is born
  free and everywhere he is in chains He wrote
  that the government rules by the consent of the
  people and condemned the legal and social
  privileges of the aristocracy.
• He believed that people were naturally good but
  corrupted by society.
• People would give up some individual rights to
  the general good.

36
Voltaire (1694-1778)

• Attacked any institution in France that was
  intolerant and oppressive.
• I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend
  to the death your right to say it!
• Voltaire was exiled to England and came to admire
  the English freedom of religion and freedom of
  the press.

37
Women and the Enlightenment

• Although the Enlightenment advocated equality and
  freedom, the movement did not apply to women or
  minorities in society.
• However, middle and upper class women in Paris
  would often sponsor salons where the Enlightened
  philosophers would come and speak.
• As a result of the Enlightenment, some women
  began to call for equal rights. A Vindication of
  the Rights of Women written by Mary
  Wollstonecraft called for the education of women.

38
Enlightened Despots

• Catherine the Great Russia
• Frederick the Great Prussia
• Maria Theresa Austria
• All of these monarchs attempted some enlightened
  principles in ruling their respective countries.

39
Effects of Absolutism, Capitalism, Scientific
Revolution, and the Enlightenment

• Industrial Revolution
• American Revolution
• French Revolution
• Slave Revolt in the New World
• And on and on and on