Absolutism

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Absolutism

• Peter the Great, Louis XIV, and Tokugawa Ieyasu

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Peter the Great

• One of Russias greatest reformers
• When he came to power, Russia was still caught in
  the Middle Ages
• Many people in Russia knew very little about
  western Europe
• Geographic barriers didnt help its only seaport
  was frozen most of the year and that prevented
  travel
• Religious differences also widened the gap

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• Russia had converted to the Orthodox form of
  Christianity most of western Europe was
  Catholic or Protestant

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Peter Takes a Trip

• In the 1680s, Peter decided to take a tour of
  western Europe
• He was fascinated by their modern tools and
  machines especially their ships
• He was so inspired that upon his return to
  Russia, he began what is known as the
  Westernization of Russia

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Westernization

• He brought the Russian church under state control
• Reduced the power of wealthy landowners
• Hired European officers to train his soldiers
• Introduced potatoes as a staple crop
• Started Russias first newspaper and edited it
  himself

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• Raised the status of women by including them in
  social events
• Ordered nobles to give up their traditional
  dress, and adopt a more European look
• Opened schools

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Building St. Petersburg

• Peter wanted a seaport so Russia could trade
• In 1703, he began building St. Petersburg which
  gave Russia access to the Baltic Sea

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Louis XIV

• Most powerful ruler in French history
• He weakened the power of nobles
• Increased the power of government officials
• He wanted to make France self-sufficient - he
  wanted everything to be made in France and not
  have to rely on imports
• He gave tax breaks to French companies

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• Put high taxes on imported goods
• Promoted the growth of French colonies as sources
  of wealth
• Started many wars to gain territory

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The Legacy of Louis

• His last years were sad not glorious
• He realized that he had ruined France with all
  his wars
• Upon his death, the people of France cheered
• On the positive, France gained power, respect,
  and created a strong military
• On the negative side, France was heavily in debt
  because of war

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Tokugawa

• One of the strongest leaders of Japan
• Unified Japan and created a capital in Edo which
  would later become Tokyo
• He put restrictions on the wealthy to prevent
  them from having too much control
• Society was very structured
• Confucian values were instilled

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Japan and Europe Collide

• Europeans began coming into Japan in the 16th
  Century
• They brought clocks, eyeglasses, tobacco, and
  firearms
• Japanese business owners were happy to receive
  these new goods
• They began purchasing swords from the Europeans
  which became the weapon of choice for Samurai

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• But when the samurai clashed with the European
  musket, they proved defenseless thus the end of
  the samurai

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Christianity in Japan

• In 1549, Christian missionaries began arriving in
  Japan
• By 1600, they had converted 300,000 Japanese
• This upset Tokugawa, and by 1612 he banned
  Christianity and attempted to rid his country of
  Christians
• Missionaries were killed and all Japanese were
  forced to demonstrate faithfulness to Buddhism

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• By 1639, Japan instituted a closed country
  policy
• Commercial contacts with Europe ended
• For more than 200 years, Japan remained closed to
  Europeans and the Japanese were forbidden to
  leave