3. Theory of Absolutism
These rulers wanted to be absolute monarchs, kings or
queens who held all of the power within their state’s
boundaries. Their goal was to control every aspect of
society. Absolute monarchs believe in divine right, the idea
that God created the monarchy and that the monarch acted
as God’s representative on earth. An absolute monarch
answered only to God, not to his/her subjects
4. What was the Old Regimen?
This is a term used by the French revolutionaries to
designate the political situation in place prior to the French
revolution (1789)
An absolutist political system
An agrarian economy
A stratified society
The great influence of religion on people, culture,
education and art
Later on, historians used this terms to designate the period
between 15th
and 18th
centuries
5. Social Pyramid: The Three States
Monarch: absolute power
FIRST ESTATE – High clergy. Catholic church: they
paid very few taxes and received tithes
SECOND ESTATE – Nobles. They paid very few
taxes. They had powers over their vassals. Manorialism
THIRD ESTATE – Varied group.
Peasants: they lived in great poverty
Urban workers (artisans)
Rich and well-educated people: bourgeoisie (merchants,
lawyers, bankers)
6. Population Growth
Little population growth during the Old Regimen: the birth
rate was high due to the absence of effective birth control
systems; mortality rate was high because of poor diet, the
backwardness of medicine and lack of hygiene
Decline in mortality:
Absence of epidemics
Decline in the numbers of wars
8. Triangular Trade
1. Guns and cloth were exported from Europe to Africa
2. The guns and cloth were exchanged for slaves, who had been
captured by rival tribes
3. The slaves were taken from Africa to America and were exchanged
for sugar, coffee, cotton and tobacco. These products were taken
back to Europe
9. Parliamentary monarchy in England
17th
century Britain went from being an absolute monarchy to
being a constitutional one
Charles I: ruled without consulting the Parliament Civil
War Oliver Cromwell (dictator) Restoration
James II: absolutist king the Parliament forced him to
abdicate
Mary and William of Orange, new kings: BILL OF
RIGHTS, which limited the power of the monarchs
KING
PARLIAMENT
HOUSE OF LORDS (Nobles)
HOUSE OF COMMONS (Representatives of towns and counties)
10. Independence of the USA
British 13 colonies: 1760s they rebelled against Britain
Britain increased the taxes to pay for wars in Europe
Colonies had no members of Parliament so they thought that the
Parliament didn’t represent them
The increase of taxes led to many protests: the British army killed 5 people in
Boston during a riot: Boston Massacre
The British decision to grant a monopoly on the sale of tea to a British
company caused a rebellion in Boston: Tea Party
Many colonists demanded greater independence and started boycotting goods
from Britain British army tried to stop the colonists American
Revolutionary War
4 july 1776 colonies declared their independence
1783: Britain recognised the colonies’ independence, and George
Washington became its first president (1789)
11. The United States Constitution
The first written constitution in the world that
ensured the separation of powers (executive, legislative
and judicial), establishing a republican government
headed by an elected president
LEGISLATIVE POWER
Congress (senate + house of representatives)
EXECUTIVE POWER
President (elected for 4 years; applies laws, controls the
army)
JUDICIAL POWER
Supreme Court, guarantor of the Constitutios (9 judges
appointed for life)
12. The Enlightenment versus the Old Regimen
17th
century: SCIENTIFIC REVOLUTION some
scientists argued that humans should use reason to
develop scientific knowledge
18th
century: ENLIGHTENMENT French political
thinkers said that humans could use reason to
solve political, social and economic problems
the Age of Reason
The Enlightenment was a period in the 1700s when European scientists and
philosophers began examining the world through reason, or human
intellect, rather than religious or spiritual faith. The Enlightenment’s leading
intellectuals included Isaac Newton, Montesquieu, Voltaire, Diderot and
Rousseau. They were inspired by 17th
century thinkers such as Locke, Francis
Bacon or Descartes. Their ideas touched many aspects of life including
politics, economics, science and religion
13. Enlightenment New Ideas
SOCIAL CHANGES: They opposed stratified society
and defended social mobility
ECONOMIC CHANGES:
They opposed Mercantilism and defended agriculture
and productive work as the source of national wealth:
Physiocracy (F. Quesnay)
They opposed state regulations and defended free
trade: Economic Liberalism (A. Smith)
POLITICAL CHANGES
Montesquieu: separation of powers (executive, legislative,
judicial)
Rousseau: social contract between the ruler and the
individual (constitution)
Voltaire: parliament
14. The Enlightenment Despotism
Some absolute monarchs introduced reforms based
on reason and science:
They invested in agriculture and manufacturing, and
introduced new crops
They supported the arts, sciences and education
They made the tax system fairer by reducing the privileges of
the Church and the nobles
They made the laws the same in the whole country
They increased religions tolerance
However, these monarchs rejected Enlightenment ideas like
equally, deism and the separation of powers
15. Spreading the new ideas of the Enlightenment
Scientific and technological progress
They believed that science and technology should work
together to help society to progress advances in medicine,
transport… Watt invented the steam engine
Spread of knowledge
18th
century was a time of ideas, knowledge and people.
Universities and scientific academies were created;
coffee houses and private literary salons became more
widespread
Making the Encyclopedia
Enlightenment thinkers believed in improving society through
education. They therefore wrote a book called the
Encyclopedia which aimed to gather all the knowledge in the
world. It was edited by Diderot and included articles by
Voltaire, Rousseau and Montesquieu. In total there were 28
volumes with over 3,000 ilustrations and it took more than 20
years to complete the work.
16. The Bourbon monarchy in Spain
The War of Succession
Charles II died without a heir and it caused the Spanish
War of Succession: an internal conflict that became
international due to the pretenders to the throne:
Philip of Bourbon (Duke of Anjou), supported by Castile
and France
Charles of Habsburg, supported by some European powers
(Britain, the Dutch Republic, Portugal, the Austrian Empire)
When Charles inherited the German Empire, lost interest in
becoming king of Spain. His allies wanted to prevent the
possible union of Spain and Austria Treaty of Utrech
(1713) recognised Philip V as king in exchange for
territories in Europe and Spain
17. Philip V
Renounced his rights to the throne of France (his
grandfather was Louis XIV) and ceded the Spanish
possessions in Europe (Netherlands and Italy) to Austria,
the island of Sicily to Savoy and the island of Menorca
and Gibraltar, as well as certain commercial advantages
in America, to Great Britain
18. Territorial uniformity
Philip V’s aim was to be the absolute monarch of a centralised
and modern state.
Previously, Spanish monarchs had ruled over a number of
separate kingdoms, each with their own parliaments, laws and
customs. With the Nueva Planta Decrees, Philip turned
these kingdoms into a single country: Spain
He abolished special laws (fueros) of the Crown of Aragon
(Catalonia, Valencia, Aragon and Mallorca)
He introduced Castilian law in the whole Spain. The Council of
Castile also took decisions about the whole country
He made Madrid the capital city of the whole Spain
He made Castilian Spanish the official language of Spain
He created intendentes, who were powerful civil servants named
by the king, to control the local authorities, collected taxes and
introduced economic reforms
19. Enlightenment in Spain
The agrarian issue in Spain
Spain = large rural society, the most of the land was controlled by the
nobility and clergy
Spanish Enlightenment thinkers wanted the economic growth, the
reform of society, the improvement of education and the
modernisation of culture Sociedades Económicas de Amigos
del País
Spanish Enlightenment thinkers proposed reforms to stimulate
population growth and improve the standard of living
Enlightenment reformism
Charles III ruled as an Enlightened despotic monarch: he was an
absolute monarch but chose some Enlightenment thinkers as advisors
to undertook a series or reforms
The absence of an important bourgeoisie, conservatism and the
influence of the Catholic Church hindered the expansion of the
Enlightenment ideas in Spain
20. 18th
century growth
An increase in agricultural production: new crops, irrigation
and viticulture
Protection of manufacturing stimulated an increase in
production
Liberalisation of trade (1778) overseas expansion from
commercial companies and the end of the monopoly on trading
with America
No increase in industrial development Enlightenment thinkers
insisted on the need for land reforms to liberalise the ownership
of the land: JOVELLANOS
Abolish mortmain and communal land
Cultivate communal land and wasteland
Dissolve the Mesta and fence of the estates
Improve farmers’ lease contracts
Limit entailed estates