The Struggle for Wealth and Empire 1715 - 1789

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The Struggle for Wealth and Empire1715 - 1789
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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.

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• 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

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• 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

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Peace and Prosperity 1715 - 1740

• Growing Prosperity
• Great Britain emerged as Europes 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

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• 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 Englands first prime
  minister. Walpole led the Whig party in
  Parliament ans was the governments leading
  minister Horrible Histories- George I- Doesn't
  Understand English.. - YouTube

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• 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.

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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.

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• 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.

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• 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.

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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.

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• 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
  Silesiaadding 1 million people and resources
• This was supported by France.

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• 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.

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• The Treaty of Aix-la-Chappelle
• Frederick retained control of Silesia, thus
  confirming Prussias role as a great power and
  rival of Austrian affairs.
• The English restored Louisbourg to France and the
  French gave Madras back to England

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• 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

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• 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

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• 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 Russias new
  tsar, Peter III, who admired Frederick the Great
  dropped out of the war.

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• 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

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• Test Tip
• It is important to remember that through all of
  this, Prussia kept Silesia and the British
  strengthened their global empire

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Enlightened Despotism 1763-89

• The Concept of Enlightened Despotism
• The philosophes urged Europes 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

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• 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.

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• 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.

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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.

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• Pugachevs 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.

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• 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.

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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

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• 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.

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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

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• Protest and reactions
• The nobles hated him
• Following Josephs death, Leopold placated to the
  Nobles and repealed many of the reforms.
• Serfdom and the robot remained until 1848

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• 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