Week 11 Notes

Adam Smith

1.He was the most influential advocate of laissez-fare economics 2.Like Newton, he combined the thought of his predecessors into a single system based upon the study and application of natural laws 3.He wrote "The Wealth of Nations" which was the book that gave birth to classical economic thought

Enlightened Despotism

1.Philosophes urged rulers to use their power for the good of the people. 2.Enlightened despots would combat ignorance and superstition by eliminating irrational customs, promoting religious toleration, reforming legal codes, and supporting educations. 3.Philosophes didn't support democracy, they agreed with Hobbes. 4.George III of England and Louis XV of France weren't interested in enlightened despotism. 5.Catherine the Great of Russia, Frederick the Great of Prussia, and Josep II of Austria were Europe's best known enlightened despots.

The French Physiocrats

1.The physiocrats were French economic reformers 2.They were the first to question mercantilistic principles 3.Led by Francois Quesnay 4.They argued that economic activities should be freed fom artificial restrictions. Governments should follow laissez- faire policy of noninterference with the economy

The Economic Policies of Jean-Baptiste Colbert vs Adam Smith

Colbert: 1.Believed that mercantilist policies were the best ways to increase French power and wealth. 2.Followed policies designed to give France a balance of trade. He promoted Caribbean sugar islands, colonization in Canada, and establishing slave stations in Africa 3.Wanted a very controlling government. Adam Smith: 1.Against government regulations 2.Wanted free trade and minimal government interference 3.Believed that self-interested individuals working in a free market would increase production and wealth.

Joseph II

Enlightened Reforms: 1.Abolished serfdom and feudal dues 2.Abolished the robot (forced system of labor) 3.Religious toleration for all Christians and Jews 4.Reduced the influence of the church 5.Reformed the judicial system 6.Abolished torture and ended the death penalty Protest and Reaction: 1.Nobles opposed all of his reforms 2.After his death, Leopoldo II repealed many of Joseph's reforms to please the nobles 3.Serfdom and the robot remained until 1848

Frederick the Great

Enlightened Reforms: 1.Called himself the "first servant of the state" 2.Invited Voltaire to live in his palace at Potsdam 3.Supported scientific agriculture 4.Prepared a unified national code of law 5.Abolished torture, except for treason and murder 6.Encouraged Huguenots and Jews from Poland to immigrate to Prussia

Catherine the Great

Enlightened Reforms: 1.Corresponded with Voltaire and invited Denis Diderot into her court. 2.Supported Russia's first private printing press. 3.Restricted torture 4.Limited religious toleration towards Jews 5.Convened a legislative commission to make a new enlightened law code. But the nobles refused to give up their privileges Pugachev's Rebellion: 1.From 1773 to 1775, Emelian Pugachev led an uprising of serfs living along the Volga River. The rebellion ended when Pugachev was captured, tortured, and executed. 2.Marked the end of Catherine's program of enlightened reforms 3.Catherine gave nobles additional privileges and absolute power over their estates and serfs in order to prevent another rebellion. Territorial Expansion: 1.Catherine ignored the philosophe's argument against war. Russia gained territory at the expense of Poland. 2.Defeated the Ottomans; gained the Crimean Peninsula and northern shore of Black Sea 3.Russia, Prussia, and Austria annexed Polish territory; it eventually disappeared as an independent nation

Peter the Great (Russia) vs Frederick the Great(Prussia)

Goals: 1.Both were determined to make their countries modern powers 2.Both imported Western ideas Policies: 1.Both waged war for strategic territory 2.Peter's victory over Sweden gave Russia warm water ports. Frederick's victory over Austria gave Prussia Silesia and made it a leading German power 3.Peter visited Western Europe. Frederick invited Voltaire to live in Prussia and had a program of enlightened despotism. 4.Both made changes that only affected higher class. Serfs in both Russia and Prussia were dominated by nobles and tied to the land.

Women in the Thought and Practice of the Enlightenment

Madame Geoffrin: 1.Women played a key role in hosting salons. Salons gave educated women a voice in cultural affairs. 2.Madame Geoffrin was the most influential salon hostess. Her patronage and dedication to both the philosophical Men of Letters and talented artists that frequented her house were emblematic of her role as guide and protector. Mary Wollstonecraft 1.British writer, philosopher, and feminist who wrote "A Vindication of the Rights of Women" 2.Argued that women aren't naturally inferior to men 3.Maintained that women deserve the same fundamental rights as men 1.The philosophes weren't strong feminists for the most part.

Jean-Jacques Rousseau

Natural Education: 1.Ideas presented in "Emile" 2.Children are naturally good and entitled to an education that emphasizes freedom and happiness 3.Education should be individualized since "every mind has its own form" 4.Children should be encouraged to draw their own conclusions from experience ( discovery learning ) The General Will: 1."The Social Contract", his book on politics, is one of the most influential books in European History 2.Hobbes and Locke argued that individuals entered a social contract with their ruler, whereas Rousseau argued that people entered a social contract with each other 3.The sovereign power in a state lies in the general will of the community, not the ruler 4.Rulers are servants of the community, and are replaceable 5.20th Century dictators justified their rule by claiming that they were embodying their nation's general will Rousseau and the Enlightenment: 1.He was committed to defending individual freedom and reform 2.Rousseau distrusted reason and science. He trusted emotions and spontaneous feeling more than logic 3.As a result, he foreshadowed the romantic reaction to the Enlightenment

Key Ideas in "The Wealth of Nations"

The Role of Government: 1.Governments shouldn't interfere with the market 2.Governments should limit their role to defending the state against foreign invasion. Protecting property, and enforcing contracts. Free Markets: 1.In a free market, the economic laws will create a self-regulating system 2.Regulations that hinder trade should be abolished Self Interest and the "Invisible Hand": 1.Smith maintained that humans are driven by self-interest 2.Competition and self-interest are socially beneficial

Baron de Montesquieu

The Spirit of the Laws: 1.He was a French nobleman and attorney who wanted to limit absolutism. 2.The Spirit of the Laws represented an attempt to create "social science" by applying natural sciences to the study of government Separation of Powers: 1.Montesquieu concluded that the ideal government separated powers among executive, legislative, and judicial branches 2.This way no branch would become to powerful 3.He had a significant influence on the American Constitution