Frederick II, known as Frederick the Great, was Prussia’s king from 1740 to1786. He established Prussia as a strong military power by winning wars and expanding territories. After reading the three sources Frederick is similar to a political leader such as a governor, senator, or president. Frederick II was a very noble man; he combined the qualities of a warrior king with those of an enlightened despot. Rulers are relatable to political leaders they go through a great extent to make decisions that help shape the world. The thinkers of the Enlightenment objected to the absolute power of the royal rulers and of the Roman Catholic Church. During the Enlightenment they used reason, or logical thinking, and science to attack this power. Frederick …show more content…
These principles affected Europe and the rest of the Western world for years. All actions taken must be well reasoned, and all financial, political, and military matters must flow toward strengthening the state and furthering its power. It improved women rights granting those increased educational opportunities, revolutionary economic theories, and plenty of literature and music. The reasoning and problem solving made the Enlightment era pivotal. However, it took some people time to get use to the principles of the Enlightenment but it made a beneficial effect on their daily lives. It made people form a single body and not abuse their authority of power. The advancement of the Enlightenment transformed the Western world into an intellectual and self-aware civilization. The Enlightened Absolutists were Frederick the Great of Prussia, Catherine the Great of Russia, and Joseph II of Austria. Catherine was Empress of Russia from 1762 until 1796, the country’s longest –ruling female leader. Joseph II was Holy Roman Emperor from 1765 to 1790 and ruler of the Habsburg lands from 1780 to …show more content…
They must be active, hard-working, upright and honest, and concentrate their strength upon filling their office worthily. Also, all well conducted government must have an underlying concept so well integrated that it could be likened to a system of philosophy. One must act with honesty, wisdom, and complete disinterestedness in such a way he can render an account of his stewardship to the citizen at any moment. Last, one should improve the morals of the people, be the guardian of the law, and improve their education. Some statements in the reading that are contrary to principles of the enlightened government are, an sovereign is not elevated to his high position, supreme power has not been confined to him in order that he may live lazy luxury, enriching himself by the labor of the people. They have not been placed at the head of the state to keep around themselves a crowd of idle loafers whose uselessness drives them toward vice. One should not waste money of the people, the taxes which they have paid. A sovereign should not pervert the people in a bad
The Enlightenment had the most immediate impact on the founding fathers who were framers of the United States Constitution. Europeans often called the Enlightenment century as the Age of Reason. The Enlightenment is a period of uproar in America’s thirteen colonies in the early eighteenth century. It provoked a cry for a new government with a Constitution to assure liberty. It influenced the founding fathers because we needed structure such as human rights, civil rights and separation of church and state. The Enlightenment thinker’s affected the new nation. During this period, the Enlightenment began the revolution of change in thinking.
Catherine II, or more commonly known as Catherine the Great, reigned over Russia with the ideas of Enlightenment. These ideas are best seen in her attempt at a new law code, the Nakaz. From reading the Nakaz, someone can see that Catherine saw the Enlightenment ideas of natural law, freedom, and liberty as the most important. The new law code was created not only to enforce the enlightenment ideas, but also to have a more concise law code for the people of Russia. Catherine argued that a trend towards Enlightenment of government would help connect Russia with the West. The creation of the Nakaz served as a way for Catherine to try and incorporate an enlightened view into her ruling.
The lawyer and scholar believed that there should be one universal government ruling the people, this government would be a led by a mix of all three classes. He states how a monarchy would be the ideal rule, but is extremely unrealistic as all humans reason equally. By instating a mixed form of government, people would feel more of a connection with the laws and more of a personal responsibility to follow them if they had a part in creating them. Additionally, all people would be seen as equal before the law as all have equal capabilities and through effort, a common good can be achieved; the only thing differentiating humans is their variety of gifts, besides this, there is no variation. A person’s economic status by no means defines their ability to lead, by all groups participating in government, there are no idle citizens that are not a part of the
The Enlightenment political thought helped the Glorious Revolution of 1688 in England. James II wanted to strengthen his royal power alone and weaken the militia while raising his own army. The Enlightenment helped the English opponent to come forth and overthrow their king with the help of the Prince William of Orange and his wife Mary. They then reestablished the monarchy and accepted the Parliaments Bill of Rights. With the Enlightenment period, individuals helped get their words out and they learned to questions their ideals and beliefs. With the Glorious Revolution of 1688, the individuals were able to overthrown their king and establish the representative government and that a well-regulated militia under the locals control was best for everyone. The Enlightenment political thought helped the Glorious Revolution to establish a representative government and take control on what’s best for
Enlightened absolutism is a form of absolute monarchy inspired by the Enlightenment. During the 18th century, the Enlightenment was an intellectual movement that spread across Europe and beyond. The thinkers of the Enlightenment, known as philosophes, introduced ideas from the advances in science to change the way that people thought about government and society. Philosophes wanted to replace superstition, tyranny, and injustice with reason, tolerance, and legal equality. Many rulers in Europe and Russia used certain ideals of enlightened absolutism to govern their people and state. Although rulers agreed to some aspects of the ideals they were not true believers of the reforms. To maintain their power, they convinced society that they were
The Enlightenment was a major turning point in history. Multiple ideas that were established during the Enlightenment were eventually utilized in many government systems. Although some people known as “Enlightened Despots” did not accept the ideas developed by people such as John Locke, Baron de Montesquieu, and Jean-Jacques Rousseau. Ultimately, the Enlightenment ideas showed that they were more powerful and were more significant than the power of the army.
There are many different ways in which the Enlightenment affected the Declaration of Independence and the U.S Constitution. One way was the by the idea of a Social Contract; an agreement by which human beings are said to have abandoned the "state of nature" in order to form the society in which they now live. HOBBES, LOCKE, and J.J. ROUSSEAU each developed differing versions of the social contract, but all agreed that certain freedoms had been surrendered for society's protection and that the government has definite responsibilities to its citizens. Locke believed that governments were formed to protect the natural rights of men, and that overthrowing a government that did not protect these rights was not only a right, but also an obligation. His thoughts influenced many revolutionary pamphlets and documents, including the Virginia Constitution of 1776, and the Declaration of Independence. The Bill of Rights was created as a listing of the rights granted to citizens, the Bill of Rights serves to protect the people from a too powerful government. These civil rights granted to U.S. Citizens are included in the first 10 amendments to the U.S. Constitution. Additionally, Locke’s ideas about checks and balances and the division of church and state were later embodied in the U.S. Constitution as well. The Constitution replaced a more weakly organized system of government as outlined under the Articles of Confederation.
The church’s robust grip on religious expression shattered as medieval society transitioned into a period known as the Reformation. Characterized by the rejection of common ideology, the Reformation sparked religious curiosity. Reformers such as John Calvin and Martin Luther offered interpretations of the Bible in direct opposition to the Catholic Church’s teachings, forcing Europeans to examine and formulate their own beliefs. This style of thinking was foreign to European society because up to this point in history Europeans were passive absorbers of Catholic Church ideology. Hence, it was natural that an era considered the Age of Enlightenment followed the period of rejection and questioning known as the Reformation. The Age of Enlightenment did not merely confine itself to religious expression, but spread throughout natural and social science. Thus, the Age of Enlightenment marked the beginning of academic and religious philosophy and allowed great minds to think free from restriction and condemnation of established institution. As the perception of natural
The enlightenment was a time of great learning throughout Europe during the eighteenth century. Although the period is significant for scientific and other scholastic advancements, it is most important because it allowed for the opening of great minds—such as that of Napoleon Bonaparte. Shortly after this enlightenment made its way through Europe, revolution and civil war ripped through France between 1879 and 1899. The unrest of the time called for a strong ruler. A man/woman with an open mind and an enlightened soul. France needed a child of the enlightenment to sew its tattered flag. Napoleon Bonaparte was a child of the enlightenment. This was displayed in both his attitudes and policies as a result of enlightened religious ideas, political genius, and social reforms.
Enlightenment had an enormous impact on educated, well to do people in Europe and America. It supplied them with a common vocabulary and a unified view of the world, one that insisted that the enlightened 18th century was better, and wiser, than all previous ages. It joined them in a common endeavor, the effort to make sense of God's orderly creation. Thus
The Enlightenment is a unique time in European history characterized by revolutions in science, philosophy, society, and politics. These revolutions put Europe in a transition from the medieval world-view to the modern western world. The traditional hierarchical political and social orders from the French monarchy and Catholic Church were destroyed and replaced by a political and social order from the Enlightenment ideals of freedom and equality(Bristow, 1). Many historians, such as Henry Steele Commager, Peter Gay, have studied the Enlightenment over the years and created their own views and opinions.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, absolute monarchies were dominating in European countries. National governments became more centralized and local power and autonomy became more powerful. This rise in power of the monarchy and national government was referred to as the Age of Absolutism. These absolute monarchies began to rise as a result of the violent wars of religion during the Reformation and the increase of power among kings. With the aristocracy dominating in the 17th century, it was difficult to administer the state without directly taking power out of their hands. The basis of absolutism included aristocracy, national churches in which kings had the divine right, bureaucracy, standing armies, and fancy ceremonies. At the expense of freedom, absolutism was able to establish order. Despite this, Niccolò Machiavelli, a well-known Italian historian, philosopher, politician, and author, defended absolutism. He argued for order executed by the prince in the best interest of the people. Machiavelli was influential during a time when political conditions were unstable, prompting him to come to the conclusion that people were naturally irrational and unreliable. Absolutism eventually declined in power when the Enlightenment was introduced. The Enlightenment formed as a result of the Renaissance, Reformation, and Scientific Revolution and undermined absolutism. Differing from the Age of Absolutism, people were regarded as rational and logical beings during this “Age of Reason.” As a result of the Enlightenment, two important philosophers emerged: John Locke and Karl Marx. John Locke, a political scientist and philosopher, was regarded as the founder of the Enlightenment. He advocated ideas of human rights and equality and challen...
The Prussia Army increased state power through economic and social policies under the leadership of Frederick the Great. His economic and social policies were ever changing thus leaving other states questioning how this unlikely king become one of Europe’s major powers. Parker stated, “ through both argument and naked military force, Frederick wrung concessions from his territories that allowed him to collect taxes from each to support a single army and to recruit that force in all his lands.” As a result, he began to conceptualize that economy as operating under its autonomous laws and saw individual enterprise as the deregulation of production as the key to the growth of his army. In addition to a tax system, Frederick “compelled his young aristocrats to serve as an officer, and once they joined the army, only debility or death could release them.” Through this action the officer corps was created with a male of royalty and rich inheritance, thus increasing the economic power of
...ased on their heritage as nobles or the virtues of their fathers. Burke states that “there is no qualification for government but virtue and wisdom,” (Burke 561).
Plato, Aristotle and Machiavelli have spent their lives in assertion of which form of government is good and who should be ruler, what type of ...