The_ENLIGHTENMENT__Explained__AP_Euro_ReviewUnit_4_Topic_3_

The Enlightenment Overview

Definition: An intellectual movement in 18th-century Europe focusing on applying rational thinking to social and human institutions.

Key Emphases:

• Scientific methods could improve society (Rationalism).

• Scientific method applicable to societal laws.

• Enlightenment thought could lead to progress.

Major French Philosophes

• Baron de Montesquieu

  • Critic of absolutism under Louis XIV.

  • Authored The Spirit of the Laws.

  • Advocated separating government powers to prevent tyranny and encourage equality.

• Voltaire

  • Most famous and representative French philosophe.

  • Wrote around 70 books criticizing social and religious institutions.

  • Concerned with religious intolerance; praised the tolerance found in England.

  • Supported absolutism tempered by enlightened thought.

• Denis Diderot

  • Created the Encyclopedia, a catalog of Enlightenment knowledge.

  • Collaborated with other thinkers to compile over 72,000 articles.

  • Influential in spreading Enlightenment ideas through widespread readership.

Institutions for Spreading Ideas

• Salons: Private gatherings for the intelligentsia to discuss ideas.

• Coffee Houses: Spaces for the public to engage in discussions around Enlightenment thought.

Political Ideas: Locke and Rousseau

• John Locke

  • Proposed the concept of natural rights: life, liberty, and property, granted by the creator.

  • Argued that these rights could not be taken away by monarchs.

• Jean Jacques Rousseau

  • Developed the social contract theory.

  • Asserted that governance should be based on the consent of the governed; people can abolish tyrannical governments.

  • Held controversial views: believed in male governance; women's roles confined to domestic settings.

Contributions of Mary Wollstonecraft

• Published A Vindication of the Rights of Woman advocating for women's rights and education equality.

Economic Thought

• Adam Smith

  • Authored The Wealth of Nations criticizing mercantilism.

  • Advocated for a free market driven by self-interest and supply/demand.

• Physiocrats

  • Promoted laissez-faire economics, minimal government role in the economy.

  • Example: Anne Robert Jacques Turgot argued for letting economic decisions be made by individuals.

Religious and Metaphysical Challenges

• Voltaire on Deism

  • Deism: Belief in a non-intervening God.

  • Challenged traditional Christian views; god seen more as a distant creator.

• David Hume

  • Introduced skepticism regarding knowledge derived from sensory experiences.

  • Argued against the possibility of knowing God through sensory means.

• Diderot on Atheism

  • Popularized atheism, defining it as conscious rejection of God.

  • Led to individual reproductive experiences of faith, less emphasis on public religion.

Religious Movements

• German Pietism

  • Focused on personal religious experiences over institutional beliefs.

  • Example: Count Nicholas von Zinzendorf promoting a mystical relation with God.

• Methodism

  • Founded by John Wesley after personal religious experiences.

  • Preached that true Christianity is heartfelt, leading to grassroots movements within the Anglican Church.

Enlightened Absolutism: Joseph II, Frederick II, and Catherine the Great

• Joseph II of Austria

  • Known for his radical reforms, including religious tolerance and modernization of the empire.

  • Abolished serfdom and implemented various social policies aimed at improving the lives of his subjects.

  • Promoted education and the Enlightenment's rationalist principles.

• Frederick II of Prussia (Frederick the Great)

  • Highly regarded for his military successes and enlightened policies.

  • Supported religious tolerance and implemented reforms in the legal system.

  • Advocated for the arts and the promotion of agricultural advancements, contributing to Prussia's modernization.

• Catherine the Great of Russia

  • Expanded the Russian Empire and embraced Enlightenment ideas.

  • Corresponded with prominent Enlightenment thinkers and attempted to implement reforms in education and governance.

  • However, her reign also saw the suppression of serf rebellions and a lack of significant democratic reforms.