Unit 5
What is Enlightenment?
An intellectual movement that applied new ways of understanding, such as rationalism, and empiricist approaches to both the natural world and human relationships.
Rationalism→ Reason, rather than emotion or any external authority, is the most reliable source of true knowledge
Empiricism→ The idea that true knowledge is gained through the senses, mainly through rigorous experimentation.
Scientific Revolutions (16th - 17th centuries)
During this evolution, scientists tossed biblical and religious authority out the window and used the rigorous process of reason to discover how the world really worked.
The enlightenment is an extension of the scientific and rationalistic thinking, however, the enlightenment thinkers applied this knowledge to the study of human societies.
Religion ( Christianity )
Christianity was a revealed religion and the bible along with all of its commands was revealed by God and could not be questioned
New Belief Systems
Deism→ Exceedingly popular among Enlightenment thinkers. They believed that there was a God but no longer intervened in the created order.
Atheism→ Complete rejection of religious beliefs and any notion of divine beings.
Political Ideas
Individualism→ The most basic element of society was the individual human and not collective groups
Natural Rights→ Individual humans are born with certain rights that cannot be infringed upon by government or any other entity.
John Locke→ Argued with the belief of life, liberty, and property and that these rights were endowed by God. And a government that could not give these rights without due process should be replaced.
Baron de Montesquieu→ Argued that there should be 3 branches of government (executive, legislative, judicial)
Social Contract→ Human Societies, endowed with natural rights, must construct government of their own will to protect their natural rights.
Enlightenment Effects
Major revolutions→ Including the American, French, Haitian, and Latin American revolutions
Expansion of Suffrage→ Suffrage means the right to vote
Abolition of Slavery
End of Serfdom
Calls for Women’s Suffrage
Nationalism→ A sense of commonality among a people based on shared language, religion, and social customs, and often linked with a desire for territory.
Causes of Revolutions
Nationalism→ Some states attempted to use this growing nationalistic fervor to their advantage in order to foster a sense of unity among their people.
Political Dissent→ Widespread discontent with monarchist and imperial rule.
New Ways of Thinking→ The development of new ideologies and systems of government
New Ideologies
Popular Sovereignty→ The power to govern was in the hands of the people
Democracy→ People have the right to vote and influence the policies of the government
Liberalism→ an economic and political ideology that emphasized the protection of civil rights, representative government, the protection of private property, and economic freedom.
Major Atlantic Revolutions ( all inspired by democratic ideals )
American Revolution
Began in 1776. The British established 13 colonies in America because Britain was separated from their colonies, the colonies independently developed a culture, system of government, and economic framework. But after the 7 years war, Britain wars debts were high which made Britain tax ( Stamp and Tea Act) their colony back in America to help pay the war debt. because of the taxes, adoption of enlightenment principles, and the many freedoms the colonies were given, they revolted and started the American revolution ( The enlightenment ideas are in the Declaration of Independence ).
After America won their independence, it became a template for other nations throughout the world for a successful overthrow of oppressive power and the establishment of a republican style government.
French Revolution
Began in 1789. When French soldier came back from war with democratic ideas, they started to target King Louis the 16th. In an attempt to tighten the control over his people in order to pay off the war debt and taxes, the people of France rebelled and over threw the government and established a republic ( the document of “The Declaration Of The Rights Of Man And Citizen” had enlightenment ideals ).
As a result of the French revolution, women could temporarily own and inherit property, seek child support, and divorce ( if their husbands were unfaithful ), Napoleon soon took away these rights after he came to power.
Haitian Revolution
Began in 1791. Haiti was most prosperous colony of France. When Haiti’s majority enslaved black population heard about the French Revolution calling for Liberty and equality they wanted to take action. Under the leadership of Toussaint Louverture the enslaved Haitians revolted and soon after defeated the French and established the second republic in the Western Hemisphere ( After the United States ).
Latin American Revolution
Spanish and Portuguese colonies throughout central and south America were similarly influenced by Enlightenment Ideas and began to resent the increasing control their Imperial power was exerting upon them. This resentment was present in the Creole class which was made up of those who were of European Heritage but were born in the Americas ( on the racial hierarchy in the Americas that put them in the second position below Peninsulares ). The Creoles were not happy that Peninsulares were above them and had more political power. So in 1808, Napoleon’s invasion of Spain and deposition of the Portuguese Monarch created an unstable political situation in the American colonies and that created the occasion for the revolution in Latin America. And so Creole military leaders like Simone Bolivar appealed to Colonial Subjects across racial lines with Enlightenment ideals.
Industrial Revolution
When goods for sale went from being made by hand from being made by machines. The Industrial Revolution fundamentally changed the world’s balance of political power, reordered societies, and made industrial nations rich.
The first Industrial Revolution was Great Britain industrializing and the Second Industrial revolution was Europe, U.S. , Russia, and Japan.
First Industrial Revolution used coal/steam engines and oil as their main power. They didn’t really care about how much it was polluting the air.
Second Industrial revolution created steel, chemical engineering, and electricity.
Great Britain - 1750→ Why did Great Britain industrialize first?
Proximity to Waterways→ Great Britain had an abundance of rivers and canals which enabled rapid transportation of manufactured goods to various markets.
Geographical Distribution of Coal and Iron→ The first phase of the Industrial Revolution had used the power of burning coal. And Great Britain’s land had so much coal which they used to help power and have increased efficiency of iron (they used it to construct machines, bridges, and railroads).
Improved Agricultural Productivity→ The developments of crop rotation (keep some land unplanted so fertility would be maintained), seed drill (planted seeds more accurately) and different types of foods coming in from the Colombian Exchange.
The first factory concentrated mass production in a single location in nearby bodies of water. This was because the created of the water frame ,which when working in textile industries, the water frame was connected to the spinning jenny.
Later on, with the invention of the steam engine factories didn’t have to stick to bodies of water and burn fossil fuels for energy. This allowed factories to be everywhere which helped countries quickly industrialize. The steam engine was put into ships ( steamships ) which meant goods could be transported further and faster ( which helped the world become a global economy ).
France Industrializing →1850
France started to industrialize significantly but was slower than Great Britain because it lacked coal and iron for the manufactured goods. But is also meant that France was spared some of the intense social upheavals Britain experienced because of its raid transition.
United States→ middle of 19th century ( after the civil war )
The U.S. industrialized quickly because of the same reasons for Britain. They had a massive territory which meant more access to industrial raw materials, political stability, and rapid population growth.
Russia
The czar saw that if Russia didn’t industrialize then they would be left behind. They started to adopt the railroad and the steam engine which helped lead to the building of the Trans-Siberian Railroad ( a railroad that goes from Moscow to Pacific Ocean ). Although Russia’s industrialization project brought them somewhat on par with other industrial powers, it led to brutal conditions for the workers. This lead to many upraising of the workers and would eventually lead to the Russian Revolution of 1905.
Japan