The Struggle for Wealth and Empire

1715 - 1789

Characteristics of the 18th Century • Political

• Monarchy remained the most prevalent form of government.

• Divine – right monarchy evolved into enlightened despotism in eastern Europe

• Aristocrats regained much influence. Powerful nobles and wealthy merchants influenced and sometimes dominated inept monarchs.

• International Relations• The great powers of Europe included Britain,

France, Austria, Prussia and Russia. • Spain, Holland, Poland, Sweden and the

Ottoman empire were no longer considered great powers.

• The great powers fought limited wars:− Professional armies fought wars based on

maneuver and strategy− Rulers fought for specific territory− There were no religious wars

• Three distinct periods• A period of peace and prosperity from

1715 – 1740• A period of warfare from 1740-1763• A period of enlightened despotism

from 1763-1789

Peace and Prosperity 1715 - 1740• Growing Prosperity

• Great Britain emerged as Europe’s leading commercial nation.

• The upper classes benefited the most from the rising tide of commercial prosperity.

• The labor of African slaves and eastern Europeans serfs supported key commodities:

− African slaves/ sugar plantations in Caribbean − Serfs/ rich grain regions of Europe

• England under Walpole• The first two Hanoverians monarchs spoke little

English and exercised little real power.• A ruling aristocracy of landed gentry and wealthy

merchants dominated Parliament.• Robert Walpole emerged as England’s first prime

minister. Walpole led the Whig party in Parliament ans was the government’s leading minister Horrible Histories- George I- Doesn't Understand English.. - YouTube

• France under Louis XV• Reigned from 17-15-1774 and was a weak

leader who was dominated by his royal mistresses and court favorites.

• The nobles regained much of the power and privileges lost during the reign of Louis XIV

• Although France was a prosperous and potentially powerful country, government debt continued to mount.

The Bubbles

• Background• Britain, to fund the war of Spanish

succession they chartered companies and gave them monopolies and in return received cash reserves as loan to pay for the war.

• Debt was held by the Bank of England, East India Co. and the South Sea co.

• Background:• For France, the Bank of France set up a Mississippi

Co. which founded New Orleans. It received a monopoly of colonial trade and assumed the entire French National debt.

• Share in both French and British Co, rose sharply and quickly ( thus the bubbles)

• Confidence was lost resulting in crash which discredited both countries. Allowing Cardinal Fleury and Walpole to rise in power.

• Results:• Bank of France was ended and growth of capitalism

was retarded a century. The government took on most of the debt/ reducing faith in government.

• Britain, Walpole saved the principle institutions, created a sinking fund and ultimately paid all debts. Neither Walpole or Fleury made waves allowing the middle class to flourish.

• Walpole rigged parliament to stay in power. Set the principle the cabinet should be responsible to the majority in parliament.

Warfare, 1740-1763

• Great Power Rivalries• The Hohenzollerns of Prussia and the

Habsburgs of Austria vied for power in central Europe.

• The British and the French vied for trade in North America, the west indies and India.

• The War of Austrian Succession, 1740-48• The Austrian-Prussian rivalry

• The Pragmatic Sanction gave Maria Theresa the right to the Habsburg throne and territory

• Frederick the Great ignored the PS and took Silesia…adding 1 million people and resources

• This was supported by France.

• The Anglo-French rivalry• Europe- the French supported Prussia

and the English supported Austria• Canada- American colonists captured

the French fortress of Louisbourg• India- the French seized Madras from

the British.

• The Treaty of Aix-la-Chappelle• Frederick retained control of Silesia,

thus confirming Prussia’s role as a great power and rival of Austrian affairs.

• The English restored Louisbourg to France and the French gave Madras back to England

• The Diplomatic Revolution• The Austrian chancellor, Count Kaunitz, vowed to

recover Silesia• Kaunitz successfully formed a coalition that included

France, Austria and Russia. One consequence of this new alliance was the of Marie Antoinette, daughter of Maria Theresa, to the future Louis XIV of France

• England formed an alliance with Prussia to implement its policy of maintaining a balance of power.

• The DR did not change any rivalries

• The Seven Years’ War 1756-63• The Colonial war

• Canada-the British defeated the French and took Quebec

• West Indies- British gained control of sugar islands

• India- British took control of French trading posts. The Seven Years War: Crash Course World History #26 - YouTube

• The Seven Years’ War 1756-63• War on the Continent

• Anti-Prussian alliance achieved a series of victories that threatened to crush Prussia

• Prussia was saved from defeat when Russia’s new tsar, Peter III, who admired Frederick the Great dropped out of the war.

• The Treaty of Paris• The British acquired French Canada

and land between the Appalachian Mts. And Mississippi R.

• French retained her Caribbean sugar islands and a few posts in India

• Prussia retained Silesia

• Test Tip:• It is important to remember that

through all of this, Prussia kept Silesia and the British strengthened their global empire

Enlightened Despotism 1763-89• The Concept of Enlightened Despotism

• The philosophes urged Europe’s absolute rulers to use their power for the good of the people.

• Enlightened despots would combat ignorance and superstition by elininating irrational customs, promoting religious toleration, reforming legal codes and education

• It is important to note that the philosophes did not support democracy. Like Hobbes, they believed that the people could not be trusted with self-government.

• George III of England and Louis XV had little or no interest in either the philosophes or the concept of enlightened despotism.

• Catherine the Great/Russia, Frederick the Great/Prussia and Joseph II/Austria were Europe's best known enlightened despots.

Catherine the Great 1762-96• Enlightened reforms

• Corresponded with Voltaire and invited Denise Diderot to visit

• Supported Russia's first private printing presses

• Restricted the practice of torture• Allowed limited religious toleration to Jews• Tried to pass an enlightened law

code/nobles wanted nothing to with it.

• Pugachev’s Rebellion• From 1773-75 a Cossack soldier, Emelian

Pugachev led a dangerous uprising of serfs living along the Volga R. The rebellion ended when Pugachev was captured, tortured and executed.

• This marked an end to Catherine's reforms.• To prevent future serf rebellions, Catherine

gave nobles absolute power over estates and serfs.

• Territorial Expansion• Catherine ignored the arguments against

war, Russia gained territory at the expense of the Ottoman empire and Poland

• Took control of the Crimean Peninsula and most of the Black sea

• Russia along with Prussia and Austria, annexed Poland in a series of partitions, 1772, 93 and 95. As a result Poland disappeared as an independent nation.

Frederick the Great

• Enlightened reforms• “The first servant of the state”• Invited Voltaire to Potsdam• Supported scientific agriculture• Prepared a unified national code of law• Abolished torture/except for treason and

murder • Encourage Calvinists an Jews to immigrate

to Prussia

• The Junkers and serfs• A firm believer in social order,

strengthened the Junkers privileges• The Junkers retained full control over

their serfs.• Frederick the Great was a lot like

Peter the Great in reforms.

Joseph II 1780-90

• Enlightened reforms• Abolished serfdom and feudal dues• Abolished the system of forced labor known

as the robot• Proclaimed religious toleration for all

Christians and Jews• Reduced the influence of the church• Reformed the judicial system• Abolished torture and the death penalty

• Protest and reactions• The nobles hated him• Following Joseph’s death, Leopold

placated to the Nobles and repealed many of the reforms.

• Serfdom and the robot remained until 1848

• Test Tip:• The enlightened despots have a

significant number of multiple choice and free response questions.

• Be familiar with Catherine, Frederick and Joseph – successes and failures as enlightened despots