Assignment: 1 • Critically examine the main features of Enlightened Despotism in 18th century Prussia. The Enlightenment refers to an important cultural and intellectual movement of the 18th century‚ whose goal was to establish knowledge based on an enlightened rationality. Enlightened Absolutism or Enlightened Despotism as it is more often called can be defined as a form of government strongly influenced by the wide propagation of ideas and the political philosophy of the Enlightenment. It is
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Enlightened despotism originated during the European Enlightenment‚ basically meaning that a ruler should rule with the characteristics of the Enlightenment. The most dominant of these characteristics was humanism‚ a trait evident in rulers such as Peter the Great and Catherine the Great. These rulers‚ along with Napoleon Bonaparte‚ all worked toward the betterment of society‚ at times using their absolute rule to enforce this system of improvement. Napoleon is the classic example of such a ruler
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Frederick the Great of Prussia and Joseph II of Austria both followed many enlightened policies while reforming but both of them did not utilize all of the enlightenment ideas. Both of the rulers were also similar in the ways they used enlightened ideas and how far they advanced these ideas. Frederick the Great of Prussia was a strong believer that the king was the first servant of the state. which meant he would do what is necessary for the long-term betterment of the state. The major thing he
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Louis - Unenlightened Tyrants in an Enlightened Age It is better to be feared than loved‚ if you cannot be both. -- Niccolo Machiavelli‚ - The Prince The Enlightenment is touted by modern historians as a time of intellectual and social advancement‚ an era of optimism and freedom unheard of in earlier times. The era of absolutism is seen as a time of mounting liberty that contributed to the rise of democracy in the Americas and elsewhere. In reality‚ the "Enlightened Despotism" of the absolutist leaders
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If it wasn’t for the great despots of the 18th century‚ The Enlightenment would have never happened. The despots included such great thinkers as Fredrick the II‚ Peter the Great‚ Katherine the II‚ and Maria Therea. These great minds inspired others to think in a different way. People began to question religion‚ governments‚ and economic fairness. Without them we would not have had the scientific method that has lead to many of the inventions that we have today. They not only had a huge impact on
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Thesis: The Enlightened Absolutists in Prussia‚ Russia‚ and Austria did all attempt to go along with the enlightenment era but didn’t always make the best decisions and ended up not following the enlightenment ways as best they could. Austria Extent 1711 HRE and Austrian monarch Charles VI issued the Pragmatic Sanction (1713 which persuaded Europe’s rulers to accept a female monarch and to never divide the Habsburg land) Maria Theresa became queen of Austria. She took local control away from
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and a consequence of the progressions made by previous influential thinkers. Applying this approach‚ Romanticism’s source can be traced back to the enlightened writers who fought censorship in the pursuit of truth and understanding‚ a cornerstone of Enlightenment thinking. For example‚ Bayle developed
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Jacob Morton Mrs. Easton English 1301-018 12 March 2013 An Enlightened Path How would the average person react if the electricity suddenly went off‚ and remained off? Would they hunt down a flashlight or light up the candles? Many people would simply stay in the dark waiting for the power to come back on. My desire to find solutions to problems would not allow me to sit still for long. A recent job loss forced
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Thesis The enlightened despots indicated a belief in the equality of men and natural rights. They thought the people should be able to prosper‚ yet these “enlightened rulers” ruled in a despotic fashion. They believed that they had absolute power and that they were the state. Their words went above everybody’s no matter what. In some kind of sense it was kind of like a parent to child relationship. The parent has the right to rule over the child to keep them in line. In the social order group
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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. Almost every ruler in history can be accused of having some kind of religious fanaticism
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