Chapters 16 & 17Political

Welcome to the Beginning of the Modern Era!!!!!!!• Early Modern Era: 1450-1750• During this time frame:• Ottomans: 1453• Western Europe: 1434-1492• China: 1433

• This is a time of change and transition• No significant global change to gender

roles/relationships anywhere in the world

What’s going on in the West

• Renaissance• Reformation• Catholic (counter) reformation• Scientific Revolution• Absolutism• Enlightenment• Commercial Revolution

Renaissance

Italian Renaissance-Political• Niccolo Machiavelli’s The Prince—realistic

discussion of how to seize and maintain power

• Experimented with new ways to rule, not necessarily through divine right, but wanted to improve the general welfare

• Built more professional armies• 1st time diplomacy used in the West

through ambassadors

Renaissance moves North-Decreasing power of Italy• 1500 French & Spanish monarch invade Italy

reducing political independence• Atlantic trade routes reduce importance of the

Mediterranean portshurting Italy’s economy• $$increased ceremony with kings• Literature—Shakespeare & Cervantes• Ordinary people weren’t effected much by the

Renaissance• Peasants and artisans continued on as before

Reformation

The Protestant Reformation• 1517—Martin Luther,

German monk, nailed the 95 theses to the Wittenberg church door

• Protested– Selling indulgences, grants

of salvation– Only faith could gain

salvation, church sacraments were not the path

– Challenged the authority of the pope

– Monasticism was wrong, priests should marry

– Bible needed to be translated so ordinary people could have direct access to its teachings

The Protestant Reformation• Luther received wide support• German nationalist reaction because resented the authority and taxes of the pope• German princes saw it as an opportunity because the Holy Roman Emperor was Catholic• Princes ability to gain independence and seize church land• Luther suggested state control of the church as an alternative to papal authoritysounded good to the princes• Peasants saw the attack on authority as sanctioning their own rebellions against their landlords• If faith was the main way to salvation, then money-making was ok

The Protestant Reformation• Henry VIII in

England• Set up the Anglican church• Challenge the ability to divorce in attempt to produce a male heir • He ended up with 6 wives in all and executed 2 of themshowing the poor treatment of women in politics

The Protestant Reformation• Jean Calvin, French but base

support in Geneva• Believe in God’s predestination of

those who would be saved• Ministers became moral guardians and

preachers of God’s word• Sought the participation of all

believers in local church administrationpromoted wider access to government• Promoted education to read the Bible• Created a strong minority group and

with Puritans will bring it to North America in the 1600s

Catholic (Counter) Reformation

The End of Christian Unity in the West• Series of religious wars• In France—Calvinist vs Catholics• Edict of Nantes 1598—granting tolerance

• In Germany—the Thirty Years’ War 1618• German Protestants & Swedish Lutherans vs

the holy Roman emperor backed by Spain• Devastating to Germany; 60% population died• Treaty of Westphalia 1648• Granted tolerance and gave Protestant

Netherlands independence from Spain

The End of Christian Unity in the West• In England—English

Civil War 1640-1660• Religious issues• Claims of parliament to rights of control over royal actions• 1688-1689 limited toleration was granted to most Protestants, but not Catholics

Oliver Cromwell

King Charles II

The End of Christian Unity in the West• Religious wars led to limited acceptance of

religious pluralism, but Christian unity could not be restored• led some people to be suspect of religion—could there be

a dominant single truth

• Affected the balance of power• Changes in view of religion• Protestants resisted the idea of miracles• Promoted greater concentration on family life• Encouraged love between husband and wife• Protestants abolished conventsfewer options for women

other than marriage• Promoted growing literacy

Scientific Revolution

What is the scientific Revolution?

Before 1500 scholars referred only to

ancient Greek and Roman scholars or

the Bible

During the Renaissance and

Reformation scholars began

questioning those ideas

Scholars create new ideas and discover new

things based on observation and

logic

Absolutism

Absolutism: People & Events

• Oliver Cromwell & Charles I

• Louis XIV & Palace of Versailles

• Maria Theresa (Austria)• Frederick the Great

(Prussia)• Peter the Great (Russia)• 30 Years War & Peace of

Westphalia• English Civil War• War of Austrian

Succession• Seven Years War

What is Absolutism?

• Absolutism- kings or queens who believe all power within their state’s boundaries rested in their hands• Believed in divine right

• Why did the European Monarchy grow?• 17th century upheaval in Europe and monarchs respond by using power

to impose order• Decline in feudalism and rise in cities• Use of colonies to pay for ambitions

Louis XIV France

Louis XIV France

• Became king at the age of 4 ½ • His mother was regent over him

• Fell in love but married for political gain to Marie-Therese of Austria who was the daughter of the king of Spain

• As an Absolute Monarch he centralized the control of France• Promoted industrial growth• Reform taxation and borrowing of money• Reigned in the nobility and did things to keep them in

control

Versailles

Phillip II of Spain

• deeply religious- very Catholic and against Muslims and Protestants !

• expanded territory- took control of Portugal when Portuguese king died without an heir

• built a large army• Tried to control every aspect of

his empire’s affairs

Peter the Great of Russia

• Peter the Great because he was a good reformer • To force change on his people he increased his

power as an absolute ruler • Brought Russian orthodox church under state

control – Holy Synod – group to run the church • Reduced the power of the great landowners • Modernized the army using European trainers • Heavy taxes to pay for the army

Peter the Great of Russia

Westernizing Russia

• Introduced potatoes • Started first newspaper • Raised women’s status • Ordered the nobles to give up traditional clothes for

western fashion • Wanted a seaport to the west. Fought Sweden for 21

years and won St. Petersburg (named after his patron saint)

• Difficult to build St. Petersburg (many died). Ordered nobles to settle there later

• 1725 Peter died and Russia was a power to reckon with

Frederick the Great of Prussia

• 1640 Frederick William built a strong standing army

• Introduced permanent taxation to pay for the army

• Weakened representative assemblies• Junkers (landowning nobility) resisted these

moves but were given army officer positions and Prussia soon became military society

• Frederick II (son) followed many of his father’s policies but with a softer hand and became known as Frederick the Great

Frederick the Great of Prussia

Charles I of England

Maria Teresa of Austria-Hungary

• Ruler centralized government and created a standing army• Her father took

Hungary from Ottomans in 1699• Very Catholic- did not

allow any tolerance in her kingdom

Enlightenment

Enlightenment What was it all about?

The Scientific Revolution was about

using reason to explain science.

This prompted

people to use reason to

understand human

behavior.

The Age of Reason

Two Views on Government

Thomas Hobbes• People are naturally

selfish and governments are required to keep order. To escape a chaotic life people give up some of their rights in exchange for a strong ruler. The ruler needed total control. This is a Social Contract.

John Locke• People could learn

from experience and improve themselves. He favored the idea of self-government.

• Believed in 3 natural rights- life, liberty, and property and the purpose of government is to protect these

Philosophes- French philosophers

• Reason- truth through reason and logical thinking• Nature- what was natural was also good• Happiness- wanted well-being on earth and if you

lived by nature’s laws you would be happy• Progress – using the scientific approach society

can be perfected• Liberty – society could be set free

The Philosophes

• Voltaire – Francios Marie Arouet- over 70 books- often satirical- got him in jail and exiled to England. Fought for tolerance, freedom of religion, and freedom of speech

 • Montesquieu- studied political liberty- separation of powers • Rousseau- committed to individual freedom – believed

civilization corrupted people’s natural goodness. Only good government was one formed by freedom of the people

• Beccaria- laws exist to preserve social order not to avenge crimes Punishment should be based on the severity of the crime

• Mary Wollstonecraft- argued for women’s rights

Impacts of the Enlightenment

• Challenged long-held ideas about society • Belief in progress- through reason a better society

was possible • Rise of a more secular outlook- questioning the

church and their religious beliefs• Rise in individualism

Changing Ideas of Governance

A monarch’s

rule is justified by divine right

Rousseau

A government’s power comes

from the consent of the

governed

Monarch rules with absolute authority

Montesquieu

Separation of powers among

executive, legislative, and

judicial branches

Commercial Revolution

The Commercial Revolution

• Massive amounts of gold and silver from Spain’s colonies

• $$ in Europe & Americas led to increase demand inflation $$ being worth less led to merchants taking

out loans trading companies like the Dutch East Indies Company

The West

• Iberian Peninsula (Catholic) had firm control over most of South America

• Others• France: Crossed Atlantic first and explored the Great

Lakes Region and Canada• British: Really wanted to find the NW Passage.• Did some exploring in the Hudson Bay but started

colonizing North America• Dutch: Competed with Portugal in SE Asia• Established settlements in Southern Africa

Colonial Land Holdings

Colonization

• Why were colonizes so significant to the changing world?

• Effects:• “international inequality”• Slave trade/coercive labor• New social/ethnic classes

Gunpowder Empires• Who’s included?• Western Europe (Spain, Portugal, France, Great Britain)• Asia: (Ottomans, Mughals, Russians)

Core-Dependent System

The West by 1750Political Patterns

• Changes were less significant• English had a bloated parliament• Popular concern for great representation• Prussia had greater changes• Creating a military and bureaucratic organization• Greater religious freedom• Promoted better agriculture methods and the use of the

potato

Portugal and Spain• Prince Henry the Navigator• Motivated by a desire for:• Excitement• Missionary • Wealth

• Slowly moved down the west coast of Africa• Establishing factories

• Treaty of Tordecilla (1494)

• 1488 Cape of Good Hope• 1492 Columbus• 1497 Vasco da Gama reached India• 1500 reached Brazil• 1514 Port. Get to Brazil and China and

Indonesia• 1519 Magellan Circumnavigates the World• 1542 Port. Gets to Japan

• The British and Dutch began moving into the region and pushing out the Portuguese

Two big advantages:1) faster, cheaper and more powerful ships

2) efficient commercial organizations-joint stock companies

• Portuguese control over the Indian trade began to slip because they did not have the resources (ships, men) to keep control began to lose it in the late 16th century