Ap Euro Dbq Enlightenment

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Recommended: The influence of the Enlightenment

Introduction Context Th(re)esis The ideas of the Enlightenment influenced parts of Europe’s political landscape differently, roaming from areas with little to no actual progress, to governments that worked to abolish out of date and archaic laws, to places that actively began to value and create new laws and ideas to protect and work toward social liberty. Body 1 - old stuff that stayed (4, 6) While the Enlightenment is often viewed as an immense catalyst that shocked the political landscape of Europe, many rulers desired to continue their reigns as absolute monarchs and greatly protested change with their nations. This refusal to enact permanent political change can be seen in Documents 4 and 6. In Document 4, Catherine II of Russia is demonstrating her belief that peasants are less than human and should be treated as property, citing her own supreme sovereignty as reasoning. Catherine II …show more content…

This idea of absolutism directly opposes general Enlightenment ideas, which focus mainly on freedoms and rationality. Catherine II, being an absolute monarch of Russia, was rather skeptical toward engaging in a distribution of power, as it would take away from her authority. Document 6 was too written by an absolute monarch. While Frederick II, King of Prussia, advocated slightly for the humanization of rulers and equalization of basic laws and their applications to people, he too attacked others. Citing a less than human nature of the Jews as his defense, Frederick II attempted to expel Jews from the main areas of Prussia and contain them to the very borders. This refusal to accept and build toward religious toleration shows the archaic nature of Frederick II’s actions. Frederick II blatantly states that the only reason for keeping

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