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E.D is a difficult term to define The fundamental difference between them
and absolutists like Louis XIV was they were ‘enlightened’
They didn’t believe in divine right They justified their authority by usefulness
to society ‘servants of the state’ vs ‘I am the state’
E. D. Was secular – claimed no mandate from heaven
It was also rational and reformist Reconstruct the state by use of reason
They were very suspicious of custom, which didn’t change anything
They wanted results, and acted quickly
Louis XV- a failure Ran into difficulty raising revenue Taille – paid mainly by the peasants –
nobility exempted Church land exempt from taxes French government chronically poor
The taxes that Louis XIV had created were widely evaded
No class wanted to pay direct taxes – elitist attitude
1740s- new tax created – called vingtieme 5% tax on property Paid by nobles and bourgeiosie
Government tried to raise them, but resisted by French parlement – cited Montesquieu, unconsitutional
Louis dropped the issue
1768 France strapped after 7 Years War Louis pushed the issue again He called Maupeou to Chancellorship Got rid of old parlements Limited the rights of members to reject bills This move was the opposite of enlightened
depotism
Louis died in 1774, next in line was his grandson Louis XVI
Not a good leader – didn’t want to offend anyone
Abolished Maupeou parlement, restored the old one
Louis XVI sought to pacify the privilidged classes
He did appoint Turgot as head of his ministry and he was good
Best idea was replacing the corvee, which required peasants to work on public roads, with a tax on all classes
But the parlements opposed him – he resigns
The Parlement of Paris would prevent Louis from making any significant changes in France
This would ultimately lead to revolution and Louis losing his head
Best enlightened despot “I must enlighten my people, cultivate their
manners and morals, and make them as happy as human beings can be.”
He simplified and codified many laws, made law courts cheaper, protected religious freedom, elementary education for all children
His main flaw, he wouldn’t consult with anyone – didn’t entrust anything to anyone less capable than himself
“if Newton had to consult with Descartes he would have never discover the Universal law of gravitation”
He didn’t train a successor, and by 1806, Prussia was basically destroyed by Napoleon
Peter the Great (1682-1725) Tsar, wanted to Westernize Russia Prior to him, serfdom in Russia very strict Strict laws against fugitive serfs (15 years) If a peasant is killed, just give him another Peasants couldn’t move Like slavery
Social revolution Built a huge army – taxed many things Hats, leather, cellars, coffins, right to marry ,
wear a beard Encouraged mercantilism Required all gentry to put thier sons in school Sent many abroad to study First newspaper Book of etiuette Don’t spit on floor, take off hat, outlawed
beards
Catherine the Great 1762 She was a reformer Legal codification, restrictions on the use of
torture, She wouldn’t budge on issue of serfdom
Lives still harsh – punished, sold, families broken up, exiling them to Siberia
1773-Rebellion by Emelian Pugachev He announced himself as true tsar, now
returned from travels Set up his own imperial family, courtiers He declared serfdom, taxes, and military
conscription illegal
Many serfs flocked to his banner It spread, priests, landlords killed Pugachev, betrayed by his men, was
brought to Moscow in an iron cage, executed by drawing and quatering
Consequence: one of the most violent uprisings in Euro history
Catherine’s response: gave more power to landlords
Serfdom became more rigid, not much different from American slavery
Advertisement: for sale, two plump coachmen, two girls 18 and 15, quick at manual work, two barbers, one knows how to read and write.
In each case, they all had limitations After enlightened Despotism, monarchy
became backward looking