Enlightened Absolutism

• Is enlightened absolutism a contradiction?

Lets find out

• The Enlightenment is all about disregarding those who understand for you and thinking for yourself. There was a great emphasis on rationality and reason, and progress. 

Throwing off that self-incurred tutelage and going to eat some enlightened grass

• How you you achieve independence of thought with an absolutist ruler?
• The philosophs of this time did not support democracy-- they were afraid of the uneducated rabble that could not think for themselves and would never reach Enlightenment. They would have preferred a government based off of the English Parliament-- a government that could check its own power with representatives (usually educated and rich-- not the poor and unenlightened) in Parliament.
• Absolutist rule actually worked out well-- Rousseau's theory on the general will (the common interests of the people) included the idea that sometimes the long-term needs of the people could only be seen by a “farseeing minority.” This allowed absolutist rulers to argue that they knew what was best for the general will and establish power over their people.
• Enlightened absolutism was also good for the economy-- a freedom to trade and freedom to spend money on whatever they wanted fueled more trade and more money spending

"Freedom will make you money" -Yarnall

• So how did that work out for them?
• Pretty well actually-- we have a couple examples:
• Frederick the Great of Prussia:
• Frederick started out as a rebellious teen, but soon got out of his emo phase and rejoined the family, taking the throne.

"GOD Dad, this isn't just a phase, it's who I AM!!" - Frederick, who would later find out this was actually just a phase

• When the ruler of Austria died, the wonderful Maria Theresa inherited the Hapsburg lands. Frederick, with all of his classy ‘I-have-an-awesome-army’ attitude, decided to immediately and unexpectedly break the promises made to respect the Pragmatic Sanction that protected Maria’s inheritance by invading the German province of Silesia.
• Maria was forced to hand over her land, and Prussia nearly doubled in size.

• Frederick struggled through the Seven Year’s War, and afterword began thinking about how Enlightenment ideology could strengthen Prussia.
• This revelation led Frederick to promote the advancement of knowledge, improving schools, and scientific publications. He also allowed his subjects to believe whatever they wanted about philosophy and religion.
• The legal system was reworked, and soon Prussia was known for its efficiency and impartiality of their now simplified laws.
• Prussia did extremely well under this enlightened absolutism, but the serfs and Jews were never given any freedom of civil rights, which was a real bummer.
• Catherine the Great of Russia
• Catherine the Great was married to Peter III, who was ugly and not very intelligent. Catherine and her military took him out during a palace revolution and Catherine took the throne.
• She went out to rule through enlightened practices. She worked to bring the “sophisticated culture of western Europe to backward Russia”
• She established a better system of laws-- again, slavery was never abolished, bit she did restrict the practice of torture
• in 1775 Catherine gave the nobles absolute control over their serfs
• Local government was improved and there was a focus on improving education
• Catherine also focused on expansion-- she defeated the Crimean Tartars (the last descendants of the Mongols) and took over parts of Poland.
• Overall, Catherine had a remarkably successful rule.
• Joseph II
• known as the “revolutionary emperor”
• His mother, Maria Theresa limited the papacy’s political influence in Austria and passed a huge series of political reforms that helped to unify the infamously divided territory of the Habsburgs-- including reducing the power of the lords over their serfs

Finally, someone thinks of the serfs-- way to go Maria

• Joseph took control over the power of the Catholic Church even more-- he granted religious tolerance and gave civic rights to Protestants and Jews
• Joseph II abolished serfdom completely in his rule and decreed that all peasant labor obligations must be converted into cash payments
• this movement was not popular, and when Joseph II died, his brother had to take back some of Joseph’s more radical edicts to keep the peace.
• It seems as if Joseph’s enlightened absolutism went a bit too far, but in general, enlightened absolutism worked out well for those who did not try to change the already existing social structure of their people.

Hope this was helpful and I hope everyone does well on the test!! -Cory :)