The Impact of the Enlightenment

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The Impact of the Enlightenment
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The Arts

• Architecture and Art Many rulers build grand
  castles to mimic Louis XIVs 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

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MusicPerfecting 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

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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

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Literature

• 18th century development of the European novel

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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

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Frederick the Great
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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 Prussias serfdom and rigid social structure
  intact and avoided any additional reforms

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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.
• Josephs reform program largely fails
• Why?

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Russia under Catherine the Great

• Rules Russia from 1762-1796
• 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

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Philosophes v. 18th Century Monarchs

• Philosophes
• 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

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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

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War
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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