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Frederick the Great of Prussia and Joseph II of Austria adopted the newfound ideas of the Enlightenment to different extents with Frederick the Great advancing the ideas by implementing religious toleration, freedom of speech and press, and setting a single code of laws for all of his subjects and not advancing them by not abolishing serfdom for fear of upsetting the “Junkers”, or Prussian nobility; Joseph II advanced the ideas of the Enlightenment eagerly by completely abolishing serfdom paying no heed to what it could cause socially and politically and he didn’t advance these ideas in the end because his many reforms caused alienation of the church and nobility and radical changes in social hierarchy.
Frederick the Great of Prussia advanced the ideas of the Enlightenment by adapting them to his scenario politically and socially to propitiate his subjects after his father’s reign. He was rightly branded as the first “servant to the state” because of his firm belief that all of his decisions as a monarch should be to benefit his subjects not to force his subjects to benefit him. Some of his most important enlightened decisions include abolishing torture and requiring the death penalty to be used in only extreme cases, advocating general education, enforcing agricultural reforms, establishing complete religious toleration, the professional construction of buildings that housed the arts, and the removal of guilds. Agricultural reforms were necessary in order to feed the vast population of his empire. Enacting religious toleration was not hard for Frederick because he did not have a religion and it improved immigration giving him more men to place in his army. The buildings that housed the arts, such as the Opera House, were very imp...
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...lienated the church and nobility. Therefore, much more than half of Joseph’s empire was unemployed and confused of where to go next causing a great economic depression.
Overall, Joseph II was a much more enlightened thinker than Frederick the Great, but Frederick reached the goals of the Enlightenment while Joseph did not. Frederick more so clothed absolutism with the robes of the Enlightenment and consequently advanced the ideas of the Enlightenment successfully. Joseph II was more rushed in his applications of these new ideas on the unprepared society he ruled and therefore did not advance Enlightenment ideas.
Works Cited
"The Enlightened Despots." The Enlightened Despots. Web. 03 Dec. 2013.
Spielvogel, Jackson J. "Chapter 18." Western Civilization. 8th ed. Australia: Thomson/Wadsworth, 2009. 546-54. Print.
"Utilitarianism." Utilitarianism. Web. 03 Dec. 2013.
“Leslie Stephen described it (the eighteenth century) as ‘the century of cold common sense and growing toleration and of steady social and industrial improvement.’” Before the Enlightenment, the belief of the Divine Right of Kings was central to every nation. Kings were believed to be chosen by God and answerable to the divine alone, citizens could not question their King because in theory they would be questioning God. During the eighteenth century there was a shift in the public opinion of nobles and lords. Philosophes, or critics, began to openly object the way the government ran the people, even poking fun at the choices made. Kings were no longer feared. As people turned away from the restraints of government, a rise in individualism formed. ...
The Scientific Revolution consisted of a time period during which revolutionary ideas dramatically altered the thinking of people. It helped trigger the Enlightenment in which rulers acted in accordance with the advisement of philosophes who believed that everything should be thought of in a rational way that was based off of reason, not faith. Frederick the Great of Prussia and Joseph II of Austria were considered to be Enlightened rulers. By implementing modern changes that supported knowledge, education, and the arts for the betterment of the country and its society, Frederick the Great and Joseph II furthered the development of Enlightenment principles in contrast to the system that was previously enforced. However, they also created a hindrance due to the introduction of reforms that did not adhere to the morals of the Enlightenment such as believing that change occurred from the uppermost layers of a social structure.
He began his career as Richelieu’s closest friend, adviser, and negotiator in 1612. Although he aided Richelieu in domestic affairs including military action against rebellious Huguenots Father Joseph’s signal achievement was the successful implementation of Richelieu’s anti-Habsburg foreign policy. During the Thirty Years’ War, Father Joseph promoted Richelieu’s strategy of keeping the Protestant king of Sweden, Gustavus Adolphus, in the field against the Catholic Habsburgs. But for the Father Joseph the most compelling project was a pan-European crusade against the Turks.
Before Frederick took charge Prussia was not a country. It was broken into separate territories. France and England had become very powerful in the 1600's and Prussia felt endangered. Frederick's father Frederick the I was the elector of Prussia. When Frederick came to power his goal was to make Prussia a country. He believed that good government was rational but also authoritarian. Frederick was the first modern organizer. He put most of the country's wealth intro the military. He believed that the key to a country's wealth was through its military. 80% of Prussia's income went to the military. Prussia selected people for the military through the draft. Eventually Frederick died and left the kingdom to his son. Frederick the great was left with a 72,000 person military. This was a great deal of people for such a little country. Prussia only had 2,000,000 people.
Unlike previous centuries, the eighteenth century was the dawn of a new age in Western Europe where intellectuals thrived, science was honored, and curiosity was encouraged; and the framework of how civil society was changed as a whole. From the dawn of the Enlightenment, Western European culture was changing due to the revolutionary new ideas that were changing. With the social change going on, political change was as evident as time went on. With these changes rooted in social change, the effects of the Enlightenment can be seen over 18th century Western Europe and beyond. Towards the late 1780s the late German Philosopher Immanuel Kant described the Enlightenment as, “Man leaving his self caused immaturity” ( Spiel Vogel 503).
The Enlightenment political thought helped the Glorious Revolution of 1688 in England. James II wanted to strengthen his royal power alone and weaken the militia while raising his own army. The Enlightenment helped the English opponent to come forth and overthrow their king with the help of the Prince William of Orange and his wife Mary. They then reestablished the monarchy and accepted the Parliaments Bill of Rights. With the Enlightenment period, individuals helped get their words out and they learned to questions their ideals and beliefs. With the Glorious Revolution of 1688, the individuals were able to overthrown their king and establish the representative government and that a well-regulated militia under the locals control was best for everyone. The Enlightenment political thought helped the Glorious Revolution to establish a representative government and take control on what’s best for
After becoming familiar with the ideals of enlightened absolutism, Joseph II was determined to bring power and efficiency to the state. He would do this with various reforms with his monarchical rule against the Church and nobility. Joseph II was mostly committed to reform the political system because he wanted the best for the people he ruled against. He also believed people should share their views freely, so he made it possible for society to publicly debate on issues. The press was uncensored, therefore, writers, journalist, scientists, and scholars were allowed to publish their own works. The purpose of Joseph's reforms was to do good for the common people. Little did he know that his attempt to please people made them alienate him. His radical reforms eventually brought about a revolt, bringing everyone against
The Enlightenment was a major turning point in history. Multiple ideas that were established during the Enlightenment were eventually utilized in many government systems. Although some people known as “Enlightened Despots” did not accept the ideas developed by people such as John Locke, Baron de Montesquieu, and Jean-Jacques Rousseau. Ultimately, the Enlightenment ideas showed that they were more powerful and were more significant than the power of the army.
Once Joseph arrived in Egypt, he endured much hardship, false accusations, and was quickly forgotten to those who he helped there. However, God used him in mighty ways and allowed him to move up the “corporate latter” several times to various positions regardless of opposition. Jesus too underwent
These principles affected Europe and the rest of the Western world for years. All actions taken must be well reasoned, and all financial, political, and military matters must flow toward strengthening the state and furthering its power. It improved women rights granting those increased educational opportunities, revolutionary economic theories, and plenty of literature and music. The reasoning and problem solving made the Enlightment era pivotal. However, it took some people time to get use to the principles of the Enlightenment but it made a beneficial effect on their daily lives. It made people form a single body and not abuse their authority of power. The advancement of the Enlightenment transformed the Western world into an intellectual and self-aware civilization. The Enlightened Absolutists were Frederick the Great of Prussia, Catherine the Great of Russia, and Joseph II of Austria. Catherine was Empress of Russia from 1762 until 1796, the country’s longest –ruling female leader. Joseph II was Holy Roman Emperor from 1765 to 1790 and ruler of the Habsburg lands from 1780 to
Having been enlightened by common philosophies of his time during his short reign of the Habsburg Empire in the late 1700s, the despot, Joseph II, having a clear vision of his empire as powerful and benevolent, employed his power to enact many long desired, Enlightenment-influenced reforms over his people. The Despot’s reigning ideas were characterized as modern and enlightened as they followed the rational thought presented by popular philosophes, including Voltaire, Father Hidalgo, and Thomas Jefferson. His opinions, representative of Enlightenment ideals, were rooted in the abolition of serfdom, religious tolerance, and educational reform, which made Joseph II an exemplary sovereign of the Enlightenment age.
...er civilizations, its use by Frederick II is what secured Prussian power and him the title of Frederick the Great.
The Enlightenment encouraged people to question divine right, the God-given authority rulers claimed to have (Enlightenment, Its Origins and the French Revolution 15). Finally, it made the third estate realize how the taxation was simply greed. It made their eyes open to the fact that they were paying taxes so the state, clergy, and nobles wouldn’t suffer financially.... ... middle of paper ...
During the Age of enlightenment people began to reform society using reason, challenge ideas of tyranny and of the Roman Catholic Curch. People for the first time started advancing knowledge through the use of the scientific method. Enlightenment type thinking has had a huge impact on the culture, politics, and g...
The question then was, why did areas of economic development and growth respond positively to a revolution in the Church?... ... middle of paper ... ... The only other source with the resources available to commit to this type of investment would have been the state, which would not necessarily have seen the need to invest in this manner when they already had possession of large quantities of wealth.