Chapter Notes - Enlightenment Era PDF

Chapter One - The Enlightenment ​ During the 1500-1600s (Age of Reason) ○​ Scientists such as Copernicus, Galileo, and Newton developed theories of an universe that was separate from God. ○​ During this period it was thought that you could apply the natural laws to...

Chapter One - The Enlightenment ​ During the 1500-1600s (Age of Reason) ○​ Scientists such as Copernicus, Galileo, and Newton developed theories of an universe that was separate from God. ○​ During this period it was thought that you could apply the natural laws to the organization of society. ​ Late 1600s to beginning of the 1700s ○​ Town and cities were growing in size ○​ Improvements in technology ○​ Peasant Lifestyle during the Enlightenment ​ Illiterate ​ Segregated from Upper Classes by Social Conventions ​ Unaware of Enlightenment Ideas ​ Little Belongings ​ Mostly ate bread ○​ Aristocrat Lifestyle during the Enlightenment ​ Life of excess clothes, food, and ect. ​ Very appearance based ○​ Enlightenment Ideas ​ John Locke ​ Two Treatises of Civil Government ○​ Human nature is good and we possess natural rights, such as individual liberty, property, and life. ○​ Society should be in a social contract with the leader, so that it has power as long as the people are happy and if the people are unhappy then they can rebel legally. ​ This Enlightenment idea lead to the Glorious Revolution ○​ The Glorious Revolution (1688–1689) was a peaceful overthrow of King James II of England, driven by fears of a Catholic dynasty and his attempts to bypass Parliament. Protestant leaders invited William of Orange, James’s son-in-law, to intervene, leading to James fleeing to France. William and his wife Mary II, James’s Protestant daughter, ascended the throne under conditions that limited royal authority, cementing Parliament's supremacy through the Bill of Rights (1689). This revolution marked the beginning of constitutional monarchy in Britain and set a precedent for democratic governance. ​ Essay Concerning Human Understanding  ○​ Human Mind is a blank slate at first which is shaped by experiences. Good experience = good morals and bad = bad. ○​ God’s ideas can be discovered by reasoning and following him leads to happiness ○​ Influence on French philosophes ​ French Philosophes challenged views of religions, government, economics, and human nature. Overall challenge the social structure. Changes applied to everyone, good for humanity ​ Ideas were discussed by aristocrats and bourgeoisie in salons ​ Denis Diderot ​ Encyclopedie ○​ Contained most enlightenment ideas of most of the famous philosophers like Voltaire, Rousseau, and Montesquieu. ○​ Contained arguments for reason and was critical of the Old Regime ○​ Many of the bourgeoisie bought the books ​ Montesquieu ​ The Spirit of the Laws ○​ Analysis of Government used nature to create social organization ○​ Government is connected to climate and geography ○​ Despotism is good for large hot areas because it could control distant areas of land where others would want to rule ○​ Republics would only work in small areas with cold climates because you need to assemble members ○​ Moderate areas by a limited monarchy with separations of power with different groups like parlements or church to have power ○​ Seperation of Power also into different branches executive, legislative, and judicial. Allows for balance in the government as the other branches check the other branches’ ​ Voltaire ​ Attacked the aristocracy ​ Letters on the English ○​ Individual liberties such as freedom of speech and religion.  ○​ It would only be possible if people were tolerate ​ Candide ○​ Story on an innocent man that brings him to a corrupt place with political and religious abuse or the Old Regime ​ Rousseau ​ The Social Contract ○​ Believed that every man is born free and everything is chained because the nature of social organization inhibits individuals and robs them of freedom. Ownership of private property introduces inequality and hardship for those who do not have it. Those who have property ruin it for everyone else, as they would be constantly wanting more and those who did not have property would be slaves. ○​ Idea of Noble savages those who live free and innocent in nature but are corrupted by society, they should create a society that prevents corruption by everyone surrendering to the community. Social contract where society would follow the General Will of the people. ​ Emile ○​ An education program that allows the person to develop all parts of themselves by experiencing nature. Would not learn certain stuff until they are mature enough to develop both mind and body. ​ Adam Smith ​ An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations ○​ Laissez-Faire economics ○​ Based on individual freedoms and people operating out of self-interests, the individual would contribute to the wealth of the community, people would try to make the product possible because there would be competition, prices would be based on supply and demand, consumer rules the economy ○​ No government regulation allows for competition and allows for the best interests of both producers and consumers. ○​ Role of the government to provide defence, protection of property, and public services ○​ Salon Society  ​ Increased literacy among the upper class led to many people discussing books. Salons were places where wealthy men and women regularly met. ​ Paris had a lot of salons and women dominated the scene and this allowed them to gain influence Chapter Two - Causes of the French Revolution ​ Read Pages 1-10 ​ Economic Conditions Leading up to the 1789 ○​ Complex and unequal form of taxation ○​ France has a lot of debt due to all the wars it’s been in and it has to fund the American War of Independence ○​ More economic hardships due to famine, failed harvests ○​ When Louis XVI went to throne he just wanted to be loved by his subjects ​ This lead him to restoring parlements giving power to the Aristocrats ○​ The first controller General was Necker ​ Rather than raising taxes to fund the war he decided to borrow all the money required, by publishing the Compte Rendu which was a budget and it showed how bad the finances were ​ He also hid some of the debt ○​ Second was Calonne ​ Who increased taxation and borrowed heavily ​ By 1786 France’s credit was used and there was no solution so he had to increases taxes and create a new taxation system. ​ The system put a land tax on everyone ​ Removed the Taille, corvee, and gabelle ​ Removal of tariffs internally between provinces ​ Establishment of provincial assemblies in all estates to have equal representation ​ To support the reforms the King and Calonne brought the idea to the Parlement of Paris and they did not support it, so they called the Assembly of Notables a handpicked group of people who supported the King. ​ They did not support the tax reform and and it lead to the meeting of the Estates general ○​ Third was Brienne ​ Also saw that France needed tax reforms ​ Wanted taxes on all three estates and Parlement refused ​ Lead to conflict between the Royal government and the parlements  ○​ The nobles believed that they could control the Estates General because it would most likely be vote by bloc so they could bully the third estate ○​ Third estate begins to gain more power, as Necker asks to double the representation of the third estate. Members of the Estates General were elected by people who were over 25 and had land, and paid tax of six livres. ○​ Bourgeois who were elected were very radical and sick of the king ○​ When estate generals met the third estate was blocked off and then they went to a tennis court and said that they would write the constitutions. National Assembly Chapter Three - The French Revolution ​ French Revolution was from 1789 - 1799 ​ Fall of the Bastille on July 14th 1789 ○​ Showed the Absolute Monarchy was gone ○​ 4 ​ Great Fear ○​ Revolutionary spirit spread to the rural areas ○​ Peasants demanded cheaper bread and less taxes ​ They began to attack the Aristocracy destroying feudal records and took grain ○​ Feudalism is abolished because the Aristocrats were fearful of their lives and ended feudal dues, and unequal taxations. Taxes out of servitude were still there ​ Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen ○​ Created by the National Constituent Assembly ○​ Contained many ideas on enlightenment ideas ○​ Showed political and social equality of all men ○​ Natural rights are given ○​ The DRMC removed the inequalities of the old regime ○​ King did not agree with it was given a limited veto ​ Bread Shortages ○​ Bread was the main food source for peasants ○​ Women of PAris came to the market to buy bread but there was none, they went to city hall to complain, began to march to Versailles to protest against the bread shortages, the mob grew and some revolutionists joined. Louis ordered the grain for the woman and accepted the conditions of the to have a limited veto power ​ Nationalization of Church Land ○​ Summer of 1789  ○​ Because there was no way for the National Assembly to get money from taxes, as they had no way to tax people. ○​ The government has to pay the National Guard ○​ In attempt to increase the revenue some old taxes like the salt tax were revived ○​ The argument since medieval times is that the Church got land in exchange for services. Critics argued that because the church didn’t do their job you could just take the land and just do the social services required. ○​ In December they create bonds that value was secured by church land, assignats. They were used as paper money. ○​ Eventually they printed more and inflation began and this led to them being worthless. ​ Civil Constitution of the Clergy ○​ Summer of 1790 ○​ After the nationalization of Church land the National Assembly passed the Civil Constitution of the Clergy, which brought religion under the control of the state, as clergy were paid by the state and were elected by the citizens ○​ The pope disagreed with this decision ○​ They then made the Clergy swear an oath of allegiance to the Civil Constitution of the Clergy, but most of them refused. ​ First French Constitution ○​ The National Assembly began to write the first constitution ○​ It was a decentralized system of government where there were local councils. ○​ France was divided into 83 departments ○​ Intendants who were responsible to the King were removed and Parlements were abolished ○​ New provinces or departments were created that were approximately equal in size and wealth ○​ All officials of the courts were elected, all cases were tried in local courts. ○​ Court of Cassation in Paris was the final court of appeal. Did not hear based on cases and ruled on the legality of the findings. ○​ Juries were selected by people ○​ King Louis didn’t have much power ○​ Mirabeau is a dude who supported the king just know this incase  ○​ Legislative Assembly would be elected ​ 745 deputies Moderates had most of the seats, Jacobins sat in the left, Girondins sat to the right ​ King’s Escape to Varennes ○​ New changes to the constitution ​ If the King left the country for longer than two month he would no longer have his position ​ He also was no longer in control of the army and his veto was changed to four years. ​ France Goes to War Against Austria ○​ April 1792 ○​ Girondins convinced King Louis XVI could win against Austria. ○​ Prussia was Allied with Austria so they had to 2v1. ○​ France was usually defeated and the only reason they didn’t lose sooner was because Russia was also fighting them. ○​ Many people were mad at the Government because of the terrible job in the war matter, so in August 1792 Parisians they turned against the government ​ Fought the Swiss Guard ​ Took the King and Royal Family ​ Set up a revolutionary municipal government in Paris demanding a new constitution and a convention ​ Fight for male suffrage giving all men the ability to vote for electors who would choose the new government ​ September Massacre ○​ Fall of 1792, Rumors that 3000 prisoners held in Paris prisons were planning on staging an uprising. Parisians stormed the prison and over the next five days 1100 prisoners were killed the mob said they were preserving the republic. ​ National Convention ○​ The Legislative Assembly dissolved and was replaced with the National Convention, which abolished the monarchy. ○​ France was now a republic, a new second constitution was being drafted ○​ An aggressive foreign policy was created which encouraged international revolution. ○​ Now that the King was gone there were three main political parties: the Jacobins Robespierre Jean Paul Marat and Danton, the Girondins Brissot  and Roland. The Plain remained uncommitted on most issues and was usually on the moderate Girondins side. ○​ Jacobins wanted to kill the King, Girondins did not ○​ King was killed on January 1793 ○​ Girondins were outed as supporters of the King so Jacobins took control of the National convention ​ Committee of Public Safety ○​ France was at war with Britain and all European powers except Russia ○​ Twelve member executive with sweeping powers, as they mostly had all three branches power. ○​ Controlled both domestic and foreign policies of France. ○​ 20 000 people died ○​ Anyone suspected of military or political treason was executed ​ Republic of Virtue ○​ Patriotism inspired by the war effort was important for the success. ○​ Allowed third estate to be officers ○​ Social and cultural changes by the Jacobins removed all parts of the Old Regime calling the new society of the Public of Virtue. ○​ To destroy Christianity they introduced the cult of “Worship of the Supreme Being” ○​ New system of weights and measures metric system was more related to reason. ​ End of Terror ○​ Committee of Public system ○​ People were afraid because if three people reported you, you will be executed ○​ 40 000 people died during the Terror ○​ They brought a totalitarian system in the name of liberty and democracy ○​ Over the next year the government worked on a new constitution, in 1795, the National Convention was ended ​ Constitution of 1795 ○​ The lowest levels of society were denied the vote and no mention was made of social rights such as education and the right to work which had been considered so important during the National Convention time. ○​ Freedom and Equality were identified but responsibilities were emphasized ○​ Citizens were expected to obey the law and property  ○​ Constitution established two-house legislature or bicameral legislature ○​ Legislative Branch Council of 500 and then the Council of Elders 250 ○​ ⅓ people seek election each year ○​ Executive power would be given to Five Directors chosen by the Elders from the Council of 500 hundred ○​ This would be called the Directory ​ Directory ○​ Struggled to maintain order in economic and military pressures. Harvest failures ○​ Class conflicts ○​ Foundation being laid for the coup d’etat that Napoleon staged