AP Euro: Unit 7 - The Enlightenment (1715-1789, 18th Century)

The Enlightenment and Spread of Enlightenment Ideas

• the enlightenment:
  • scientific revolution was catalyst
  • movement of intellectuals that 'dared to know' and used reason and intellect
  • applied scientific method to all aspects of life --> discovery of natural laws (ex: gravity, magnetism, etc.) which governed the natural world
  • reason could also be used to reshape society's functions
  • Enlightenment intellectuals believed new scientific discoveries warranted new approaches to social and cultural issues
• popularization of science:
  • enlightenment thinkers were called philosophes (although the term was French, not all philosophes were French)
  • made possible by the printing press
  • concepts of scientific revolution were hard to grasp for everyday people
  • Bernard de Fontenelle:
    • wrote Plurality of Worlds which synthesized astronomical work through an imaginary conversation between lovers
  • Madame Geoffrin:
    • hosted gatherings of philosophes at her home in France
    • put like-minded people together
    • famous
• salons:
  • enlightenment philosophes, skeptics, and economists shared views at solons (formal gatherings in the homes of elites)
  • could share perspectives that were unwelcome at courts of kings and other high-ranking nobles
  • as hostesses, women gained a new outlet to voice opinions
    • they could formally exercise influence on political and social matters
• skepticism: 
  • key figures of the scientific revolution (like Galileo, Kepler, and Newton) were religious but their work was discovering nature's truths not questioning the Church
  • philosophes of the enlightenment were alienated by religious wars and intolerance so they began to analyze Christianity
  • majority of philosophes became skeptics of Christianity (ex: people fight wars and kill others to force people to convert and that's wrong)
• impact of travel and literature:
  • more travel led to more exposure of different cultures
  • philosophes viewed native cultures as closer to the existence of 'natural man' and were happier than Europeans
    • this sparked a debate about nations and cultures once regarded as inferior
• cultural relativism: 
  • some Europeans preached cultural relativism:
    • you shouldn't judge another society by standards of another/your society
• freedom to express ideas:
  • publication of radical ideas led to the seizure of property and imprisonment for authors, publishers, and sellers of philosophe literature
  • government censorship:
    • govt chooses what literature is legal to be read and sold
    • actually made literature more popular
  • philosophes adopted pseudonyms, used terms/phrases with double meaning, used satire, and/or published in countries with no censorship (ex: Holland)
• Aristotle (classical):
  • from Greece
  • believed humans reach highest potential when in an ordered society
  • favored small societies with educated citizens who participated in the govt
  • believed kings should rule with the guidance of philosophes
• Plato (classical):
  • from Greece
  • believed talent determines each person's role in society, democracy was mob rule, and a philosophe king should be chosen for intelligence
• Elizabeth I of England:
  • from England
  • believed in divine right to rule but shared power with parliament
  • believed each person was born in their proper place in society
  • 'caring mother' to her people
• Louis XIV:
  • from Paris/Versailles
  • monarch
  • believed in divine right absolute monarchy and that it was the most successful govt
• Mary Wollstonecraft:
  • from England
  • wrote Vindication for Rights of Women where she argued women should participate equally with men in home and civic life, education, business, etc.
• Thomas Hobbes: 
  • from England
  • believed people were naturally evil, greedy, and selfish so they needed a strong govt to protect them from themselves
• John Locke:
  • from England
  • believed people were a product of their environment and should have natural, unalienable rights (life, liberty, and property)
  • believed people have the ability to reason and make good decisions if given proper influence
• Baron de Montesquieu:
  • from France
  • believed successful govts share power between 3 separate, equal branches so no one could wield all the power
• Jean Jacques Rousseau:
  • from Switzerland/France
  • believed govt and governed enter into a social contact where govt provides for the benefit and security of the people, and in return, people give up some freedoms, and if govt can't protect/provide for the people, the people don't need to follow it
• Voltaire:
  • from Paris
  • believed govt and religion should be separate; mixing = disasters (wars, inquisitions, etc.)
• deism:
  • Voltaire was crucial in founding it
  • God created universe and natural laws but plays no part in human affairs (same ideas as Newtonian World Machine)
• Adam Smith:
  • from Scotland/UK
  • believed in laissez-faire economics; govt shouldn't interfere with people's decisions
    • if a country can supply another with cheaper goods, then you should be able to buy those goods tariff-free
  • believed govt should only protect from invasion, defend against oppression, and maintain infrastructure
  • believed labor is a country's wealth (not material wealth)

Culture and Society of the Enlightenment

• two worlds of culture:
  • high culture:
    • the literary, artistic, and social world of the educated men, women, and ruling classes
    • wrote and spoke Latin to prove they are cultured and learned
  • popular culture: 
    • written and oral lore of working class society
    • more crude
    • scoffed at but secretly loved by the wealthy class
• literature and printing:
  • printing and publishing took off:
    • 1730-1750 - over 500% increase in available titles to print
  • fiction literature (novels), compilations of human history, magazines and newspapers meant to bring philosophy to casual, public places like coffee shops
  • now possible to make a living out of writing without wealthy patrons
• education:
  • schools are still used to separate society into classes because most philosophes believed education was successful when you stayed in your social class
  • upper classes learned Greek and Latin, math, and science
  • middle class learned more practical skills such as bookkeeping, geography, and modern languages
  • lower class literacy rose to ~50% (men) and 15% (women)
• medicine:
  • hospitals were dangerous and a last resort
    • dirty equipment
    • unsanitary doctors, rooms, and procedures
    • reused bandages
    • majority of patients died due to infection after surgery
  • people with money called a doctor to their home
• popular culture:
  • carnival:
    • 40 days leading up to Lent, people did activities they would abstain from in Lent 
    • people drank, ate, had affairs, wore masks, and mixed with all social classes freely
    • songs 'unfit' for society were sung
    • physical and verbal assault was common
    • lots of alcohol (led to alcoholism in lower classes)
• religious tolerance:
  • most religious hatred was aimed at Jewish and Muslim minority groups
  • Jewish and Muslim groups would only survive at the whim of the local lord
  • open attacks on Jews led to ethnic massacres/pogroms
  • Jewish and Muslim groups were restricted from govt or high-ranking jobs
  • most enlightenment thinkers favored assimilating Jews into society only if they convert to Christianity
  • Austria - limited freedom and safety for Jews
• more profound experience:
  • pietism:
    • founded by Count Nikolaus von Zinzendorf who believed comprehending god with mind was atheism
    • developed among Catholic clergy
    • wanted more personal connection/experience with god
  • Methodism:
    • also experiencing deeper personal connection with god
    • founded by John Wesley
    • Protestant version of pietism

Art and Music in the Age of the Enlightenment

• new types of art:
  • rococo:
    • aristocrats enjoying leisure or parties
    • soft colors and lines
    • architecture and furniture - ornamental (ex: stuff at Versailles), curvy, accents to ceilings, roofs, and walls
  • neoclassicalism:
    • literally means new classical
    • inspired by enlightenment ideas - depicts people demonstrating those ideals
    • ditches religious undertones
    • uses classical scenes from Greek and Roman times (sometimes to raise awareness on issues in their own time without getting in trouble)
    • architecture - Greek/Roman designs such as columns
  • romanticism (at end of era): 
    • about imagination, freedom, and emotion
    • scenes of nature
    • also literary and musical movement (ex: 3 Musketeers)
    • development of a romantic hero:
      • misfit in society
      • based on Lord Byron
      • often hid a secret and have grim ends
      • usually mysterious
• music of the enlightenment:
  • classical (1730-1820):
    • some overlap with Romantic music
    • more piano and brass
    • less complex than Romantic pieces
    • lighter tone
    • less serious
  • romantic (1800-1900):
    • broader range of instruments - violins, woodwinds, choral arrangements
    • pieces focus on god and spiritual matters
    • composers acquire noble/royal patrons (like artists)
  • notable composers:
    • Mozart (classical)
    • Bach (romantic)
    • Frederick Handel (romantic)