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Towards a New World View.
1. The Intellectual Background since the Renaissance..
  1. Secularism, humanism and faith in the intellect.
  2. The rise of skepticism. See McKay, pg. 602
    1. Francis Bacon (1561-1626). What was revolutionary about his approach to knowledge?
    2. Descartes (1596-1650).
      1. Did he use Bacon's approach?
      2. Cartesian dualism. Inate ideas +sense perception --- mathematical analysis.
2. From astrology to astronomy and physics.
  1. Copernicus (1473-1543) What was his approach? Why revolutionary?
    1. Science
    2. Religion-Philosophy
  2. Brahe (1546-1601). How did he add to Copernican theory?
  3. Kepler (1571-1630) Why may his work be seen as approaching a breakthrough in knowledge?
  4. Galileo (1564-1642) What did he add to the inductive and deductive reasoning of his predecessors?
  5. Newton (1642-1727). Why may his contributions be considered a synthesis of the work of the past century with regard to astronomy and physics? What were the implications of his ideas for the world of human beings.
3. How did the Lisbon earthquake of 1. November 1755 illustrate the clash between the "old" and the "New World View"?
The Enlightenment ---- The Age of Reason and the philosophes.
1. Locke as a pre-cursor.
  1. Essay Concerning Human Understanding (1690). (Influence of Descartes & Hobbes). Sensation + Reason lead to ...
  2. FYI: Two Treatises on Government. (1690)
    1. "Tabla rasa" and sense perception.
    2. Simple ideas + reason=complex ideas.
    3. State of nature --- natural rights
    4. Social Contract = executive power of nature
    5. Reserved rights and the right of revolution
2. The central ideals of the Enlightenment. See McKay, 604
  1. Religion.
    1. Skepticism (see McKay, 606) and the cynicism of Voltaire in W-R-W, p. 82)
    2. Deism (see Voltaire in W-R-W, 77).
  2. Institutions ---- challenged by the criteria of reason.
  3. Happiness --- rooted in consonence with natural law.
  4. Progress --- e.g., Fontenelle (1657-1757), (McKay, 607) Condorcet, a precursor to Hegel, Marx, etc. (1743-1794) (McKay, 611-612)
3. Theories of Government.
  1. The Absolutists, e.g. Voltaire
    1. On government, See McKay, 609.
    2. On religion, See W-R-W, 81-82, McKay, 626-627.
  2. The Constitutionalists, e.g. Montesquieu. See McKay, 608.
  3. The Democrats, e.g. Rousseau. See McKay, 611.
    - "The Origins of Inequality among Men." See particularly, the first paragraph, then from three lines above "Property" to the end of the passage.
    - "The Social Contract" See particularly, Chapter vi "The Social Compact." and "Sovereignty" beginning with the sentence "Again, the Sovereign, ..."
Enlightened Absolutism ---- The Ancien Regime before Le Deluge
1. Varieties of modernization.
  1. Liberal modernization leads to Constitutionalism and ultimately, in the 20th century, representative democracy.
  2. The bourgeoisie-absolutist synthesis, e.g. France--- leads to revolution on behalf of rights and ultimately liberal modernization.
  3. The conservative-absolutist synthesis, e.g. Germany, Russia--- pursue conservative modernization which fail and result in Communist, fascist, et.al. modernization in the 20th century.,
2. Austria 1740-1792
  1. Maria Theresa 1740-1780
    1. Bureaucratic centralization
    2. Tax reform and limitation of serfdom
    3. Germanization
  2. Josef II (1765-1790)
    1. Equality of taxation, in effect liberation of serfs.
    2. Religious toleration, civil rights for all, equality of punishment for crimes.
    3. Economic expansion.
    4. Revolt of the peasants on religious grounds
    5. Revolt of the Magyar aristocracy
    6. Revolt of Belgium.
  3. Restoration under Leopold II, 1790-92)
3. Prussia under Frederick the Great (1740-1788) built on bureaucratic-military consolidation of his predecessors.
  1. "Great" because of territorial expansion.
    1. War of Austrian Succession. See Centennia, 1740 and 1748.
    2. "Diplomatic Revolution" and the Seven Years War. See Centennia, 1756-1763.
    3. Polish Partitions. See Centennia, 1772.4,
  2. First Servant of the State.
    1. Rechtsstaat
    2. Tightly defined society by class and function ---
    3. Religious toleration
4. Russia from under the Tsarinas (1725-1796)
  1. Stagnation 1725-1762
  2. Catherine 1762-1796
    1. "Great" because of territorial expansion. Claimed Peter's dream of expansion to the Black Sea.
      1. Achieved Pete's dream of expansion to the Black Sea ---Kuchuk-Kainardji 1774 and the right of intervention. See Centennia 1768-1783
        
        "New Lands" as a guarantee of her survival---
        
        Eextension of serfdom -- contradiction of her "enlightened" views.
      2. Polish Partitions, See Centennia: 1772, 1793, 1795
    2. "Enlightened"
      1. Influence of Voltaire and Montesquieu in justifying the nature of government.
      2. The Nakaz 1767-1768
      3. Pugachev Rebellion and its consequences. 1773-1775
      4. Charter of Nobility of 1785
5. France: Prelude to Revolution: The Last of the Louies 1715-1787
  1. Louis XV:
    1. The Regency of Philippe d' Orleans and the aristocratic resurgence (1715-1723)
  2. Louis XVI 1774--1792 ---- heavy national debt created a mounting crisis.
    1. Turgot (1774-1776) --- attempted tax reform foundered on the resistence of Parlement and provincial Estates.
    2. Necker (1776-1781)--- attempted tax reform foundered on resistence of Marie Antoinette
    3. Calonne (1783-1787)- attempted tax reform, forced to resign.

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