Political impact of Enlightenment

what was the enlightenment?

intellectual movement of the 17th and 18th centuries which profoundly influenced political thought and governance across Europe

What three segments are explored in this essay?

political thought, reforms, priorities and the role of the church

What key thinkers in France directly challenged rigid political structure and what did they advocate for?

Voltaire, Rousseau, Montesquieu, advocated for popular sovereignty, individual rights and separation of powers, questioning the very basis of the monarchy’s legitimacy

When did Rousseau write “the social contract”?

1762

what did Rousseau’s “the social contract” stand for?

revolutionary ideology, building on the idea that authority derives from the general will of the people over divine right

When did montesqieu write “the spirit of the laws”

1748

what did Montesquieu’s “the spirit of the laws” stand for

built on more revolutionary ideas, providing the blueprint for the separation of powers in political settings and even going on to influence the US constitution

What did both David Hume and Adam smith emphasise?

empirical reasoning and economic liberalism over radical political change

When did Hume write “essays moral and political?”

1742

What did Hume’s “essays moral and political” stand for?

critiques absolute monarchy but warned against the dangers of excessive populism, advocating for a balance of power

When did Smith write “the wealth of nations”?

1776

What did Smith’s “the wealth of nations” stand for?

championed free market economics and limited government intervention

When did Voltaire write his “lettres philosphiques”?

1733

what did voltaire’s lettres philosophiques stand for?

built on ideas such as deism which fostered restement within the general populace for Louis’s absolutist reign, resulting in the acien regime being fundamentally undermined by 1780’s

How were French parlements impacted by the political enlightenment?

began to increasingly deploy remonstrances to obstruct royal edicts, emboldened by the growing climate of opposition, so powerful it led to Louis XV dissolving the parlements 1771

What does Historian Rogier Chartier argue?

thinkers exploring the enlightened political mindset created the cultural conditions for revolution rather than causing it directly, meaning the challenge was profound but its consequence indirect

when was the Act of Union?

1707

When did Adam Furgenson write “Essay on the history of evil society”?

1767

what did Adam Furgensons’s “Essay on the history of evil society” stand for?

championing the prevention of concentrated power and how it may lead to despotism

What does Historian Nicholas Philipson argue?

that the act of Union redirected Scottish civic ambitions into intellectual and commercial pursuits.

What did the act of union gaurantee for Scotland?

the role of the Presbyterian church government

What did presbyterians adhere too?

reformed theology and thus the government stressed the active, representational leadership of both ministers and church members

What did Hume argue in refrence to the role of the church in Scotland?

that the church should be subordinated to the state, as in England.

Why was Hume’s argument in reference to the church fundementally obsolete?

Scotland’s church balanced power between the two, parliment governing law and church governing ethics, thinkers recognised the entanglement of the two and how that constrained reform

What were philosophes committed to doing in France in refrance to the church?

criticising the acien regime, freeing people from theological dogmas and emancipating mankind through knowledge, religion had too strong of a grasp on politics

How did Voltaire’s “lettres philosophiques” attack religion?

emphasised deism which undermined the king’s reign and created potent religious friction

what type of public sphere developed in Scotland?

culture of intellectualism

when was Scotland’s education act?

1696

was the education act successful?

by 1700 Scotland had one of the highest literacy rates in the world

how many uni’s did Scotland have in comparison to England?

4 and england had 2

what policy did uni’s such as edinburgh and glasglow operate with?

open door policy

What was a central Scottish intellectuals society?

Belles Lettres Society 1759

What Scottish philosophers were active participants in intellectual societies?

Smith, Hume, Feurguson

Why were Scottish intellectual societies so signficant?

operated with state tolerance and were instiutionally embedded, Smith held the chair of moral philosophy and feurguson the same at Edinbruguh

What salon hosted Diderot and Heveltius?

Madam Geoffrin’s salon, Geoffrin herself sponsored the encylopedie

when did Diderot complie the encyclopedie

1772

why were French salons ineffective?

restricted to the nobility and bourgeoisie as they were the only to hold enough social and economic capital to maintain these networks

What did restricted access to salons cause?

embittered counter culture of Grub street pamphlets and liberlistes

when did Louis XV ban the Encyclopedie

1759

when was the french revolution?

1789