1.
Enlightened despots differed from absolutists
a.
Attitude
b.
Tempo
c.
Little claim to divine right to the throne
i.
Justified their authority on grounds of usefulness to society
d.
Secular
i.
Favored toleration in religion
ii.
Jesuits
1.
banned in nearly all Catholic countries
2.
dissolved in 1773 by the Pope
3.
Property was confiscated by the states
4.
restored as an order in 1814
e.
Rational and reformist
i.
Rule by the use of reason
ii.
Impatient with custom and tradition that prevented progress
iii.
Abrupt and in pursuit of quicker results
f.
Idea of the state is changing
i.
From estate: private
property of the king
ii.
To state: abstract
authority exercised by public officers and king is the highest: executive
g.
Rise of enlightened despots was helped by wars of the 1700s
i.
Needed taxes from new sources
ii.
Limited the power of the parliaments
iii.
Centralized their political systems
2.
The Failure of Enlightened Despotism in France
a.
Louis XV was somewhat indifferent to ruling
b.
Those around him were enlightened
i.
Saw the major problem within France was taxes
1.
Taille was a land tax paid by peasants
2.
Church was exempt
3.
Nobles were exempt
4.
Not enough money could be raised
ii.
The “twentieth” was passed but resisted by the parliaments
c.
1768 Maupeou
i.
Closed all parliaments and made new ones
ii.
Limited power of judges
iii.
Tried to make application of the law more uniform
d.
1774 Louis XVI comes to power
i.
Restore the old parliaments
ii.
Appointed Turgot to a ministry of reform
1.
Suppressed the guilds
2.
Replaced the corvee with a uniform tax on all
3.
In face of resistance Turgot resigns
e.
1778 France and England are at war
f.
1789 France is in revolution
3.
Austria: The Reforms of
Maria Theresa and of Joseph II
a.
War of the Austrian Succession showed how precarious a position
the empire was in
b.
Little common purpose or will existed
c.
Internal reform is started under the leadership of a diverse group
representing all parts of the empire
i.
Prevent dissolution of the monarchy by enlarging and guaranteeing
the flow of taxes and soldiers
1.
Free trade area
2.
Limited guilds
3.
consolidate the bureaucracy of much of the empire
d.
Serfdom
i.
Laws passed against the abuse of serfs
ii.
Regulation on labor obligations robot
e.
1780 Joseph II
i.
Not slow and patient
ii.
Moves abruptly
iii.
The state meant the greatest good for the greatest number
iv.
Abolishes serfdom
v.
Equalized taxes
vi.
Equality under the law
1.
Some punishments were made less cruel
vii.
Freedom of the press
viii.
Religious toleration
ix.
Equal rights to Jews
x.
Demanded increased power in the appointment of church officials
xi.
Suppressed monasteries
xii.
Makes German the official language
1.
Arouses nationalistic resistance
xiii.
Reforms the bureaucracy
xiv.
Created a secret police to monitor reform efforts
xv.
Few of his reforms prove lasting
1.
Showed the limitations of enlightened despots
2.
They could not really do as they pleased
f.
1790 Leopold gives way to resistance but manages to maintain some
reforms
g.
1792 Francis II gives in to the gathering conservative reaction
4.
Prussia under Frederick the Great
a.
Codified law
b.
Made the law courts cheaper, more expeditious, and more honest
c.
Gave religious freedom
d.
Decreed a modicum of education for all children
e.
Clear social divisions existed to support the military
i.
Peasants were used as soldiers and Junkers commanded the army
f.
Little reform was achieved for serfs (not as bad off as their
neighbors)
g.
Leadership was centralized around Frederick
i.
No one reasons, everyone executes!
ii.
Collapse of Prussia under Napoleon showed the weakness of
government by a mastermind