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Peter the Great was followed by six weak successors who were put in power then dethroned by the palace guard. After these, Peter III ruled but was murdered by a group of nobles, Catherine the Great emerged as ruler of all Russians.
~ One of the great European states by the beginning of 18th century. ~ Difficult to rule because composed of many different nationalities, languages, religions, and cultures.
Frederick II of Prussia (Frederick the Great) 1740-1786 ~ Best educated and most cultured monarchs in 18th century. ~ Well versed in ideas of Enlightenment. ~ Invited Voltaire to live at his court for several years. ~ Enlarged Prussian army and kept a strict watch over bureaucracy. ~ Willing to make enlightened reforms: abolished use of torture, except treason and murder cases, granted limited freedom of speech and press, as well as greater religious toleration. ~ Kept Prussia’s serfdom and rigid social structure intact and avoided any additional reforms.
Joseph II of Austria 1765-1790 ~ Maria Theresa's Son. ~ Believed in the need to sweep away anything standing in the path of reason. ~ Reform program included: abolished serfdom, eliminated death penalty, established principle of equality of all before law, and enacted religious reforms. ~ Serfs unhappy because they could not make sense of drastic changes. ~Successors undid almost all of Joseph's reforms.
Enlightened Absolutism New type of monarchy where rulers tried to govern by Enlightenment principles while maintaining royal powers.
Catherine II Continued ~ Favored landed nobility which led to worse conditions and eventually to rebellion by peasants. ~ Rebellion spread across southern Russia but soon collapsed. ~ Took stronger measures against peasants; all rural reform halted, and serfdom expanded into newer parts of empire. ~ Under rule, Russia spread southward to Black Sea by defeating Turks and to the west, Russia gained about 50% of Poland's territory.
Catherine II (Catherine the Great) 1762-1796 ~ Peter III's German wife. ~ Intelligent and familiar with works of philosophes and enlightened reforms. ~ Invited Denis Diderot to Russia and urged him to speak of a program of political and financial reforms, but she was skeptical about what she heard. ~ Stated that Diderot's theories "would have turned everything in my kingdom upside down." ~ Considered idea of a new law code (would recognize equality for all before law). ~ In end, she did nothing; she knew success depended on support of Russian nobility.
Philosophes believed in natural rights for all people which included: equality before law; freedom of religious worship, speech, press; and right to assemble, hold property, and pursue happiness. Most philosophes believed that people needed to be governed by enlightened rulers.
The Impact of the Enlightenment: Enlightenment and Enlightened Absolutism & War of the Austrian Succession
Prussia : Army and Bureaucracy
Frederick William I of Prussia 1713-1740 ~ Strove to maintain a higher bureaucracy of civil workers: obedience, honor, and service to king. ~ Concern was the army. ~ At end of reign in 1740, army’s size had doubled. to become fourth largest army. ~ Had one of the best armies in Europe.
The Austrian Empire
Empress Maria Theresa of Austria 1740-1780 ~ Worked to centralize Austrian Empire and strengthen power of the state. ~ Not open to philosophes' calls for reform. ~ Worked hard to make the condition of serfs more bearable.
Enlightened Absolutism?
~ Of these rulers, Joseph II only truly looked for radical changes based on Enlightenment ideas. ~ Frederick II and Catherine II liked talking about enlightened reforms and even attempted some, but their interest in strengthening the state and maintaining the existing system took priority. ~ All three rulers were guided by a concern for power and well-being of their states. ~ Heightened power wasn't used to assume enlightened reforms, but was used to collect more taxes to create armies, to wage wars, and to gain more power.
~ After seven years, all parties were exhausted and agreed to the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle in 1748. ~ The treaty guaranteed the return of all occupied territories except Silesia to their original owners. ~ Prussia's refusal to return Silesia meant another war between Prussia and Austria.
~ Philosophes believed war was a foolish waste of life and resources. ~ 18th century monarchs were concerned with the balance of power, the idea that states should have equal power in order to prevent any one from dominating the others. ~ Did not mean peace; large armies were created to defend a state's security were used to conquer lands also.
Russia under Catherine the Great
~ Major war that broke out in connection with the succession to the Austrian throne. ~ King Frederick II of Prussia took advantage of the succession of Maria Theresa to the throne. ~ France entered the war against Austria. ~ Maria Theresa made an alliance with Great Britain. ~ King Frederick II invaded Austrian Silesia.
~ War was fought in three areas of the world. ~ In Europe, Prussia seized Silesia while France occupied the Austrian Netherlands. ~ In the Far East, France took Madras in India from the British. ~ In North America, the British captured the French fortress of Louisbourg at the entrance to the St. Lawrence River.
War of the Austrian Succession (1740-1748)
