1. THE TRANSFORMATION
OF THE ANCIEN RÉGIME

2. The 18th century: the Early
Modern and Modern Ages

3. The 18th century: the Early
Modern and Modern Ages
Read the text and look for the answers
to the following questions:
Voltaire
1.- What is the importance of the 18th century?
2.- What happened during this period?
3.- What was one of the main developments in the 18th century?
4.- What did the supporters of the Enlightenment want?
5.- What was the consequence of the ideas of the Enlightenment?

4. The 18th century: the Early
Modern and Modern Ages
•
Transformation of the basic structures of the Ancien Régime:

5. The Enlightenment:
a change in thinking.

6. The Enlightenment
Read the text and answer the following questions:
Voltaire
1. What was Enlightenment?
2. What was Enlightenment thinkers´ opinion about the Ancien
Régime?
3. What did Enlightenment thinkers want?
4. Name the main principles of Enlightenment thought.
5. What did Enlightenment thinkers say about reason?
6. What did Enlightenment thinkers say about learning and
thinking?
7. What did Enlightenment thinkers say about equality and
liberty?
8. How were enlighted ideas spread?
9. Where did Enlightenment thinkers organised meetings?
10. Describe the picture on page 53.
11. What did the intellectuals D´Alembert and Diderot do?
12. What was the importance of the Encyclopaedia?

7. Enlightenment
Principles of Enlightenment
Reason
versus
tradition
or
superstition
Learning
and
teaching
Educate
and
«enlighten»
society.
Natural
rights of
the
human
being:
power
can´t
eliminate
individual
freedom
and
property.
Tolerance
to coexist
in society.
Social
equality:
- Oposition to
the estates of
the realm.
- Every
person could
progress in
society
thanks to
his/her
abilities, in
stead of the
economic
privilegies of
noble
families.
Equality
and
liberty
under
the law:
All people
should
enjoy the
same
legal
rights and
freedoms.

8. Enlightenment
•
The salon of Madame Geoffrin in Paris gathered wise men, politicians,
soldiers, nobles, philosophers and aristocrats.

9. Enlightenment
•
The Encyclopaedia
o It summarised knowledge from
many areas of study, including
science, philosophy, art and grammar.

10. Enlightenment criticisms
and proposals.
Montesquieu
He argued for the
separation of
powers.
The three branches of
power should be
separated from one
another (not in the
same person or
institution).
Voltaire
He supported the
existence of
parliaments.
Rousseau
He introduced the
idea of popular
sovereignty.
Citizens establish a treaty with the
State in the Constitution:
- Citizens allow the State to govern
in their name.
- The power is not the monarch´s
but the citizens´.
- The king is just a representative
of the nation.

11. Enlightenment criticisms
and proposals.
•
•
•
Phsiocracy versus Mercantilism
A nation should reach the
full agricultural production
to be rich.
Phisiocrats argued that agriculture was the
true source of wealth of a country.
o Industry just transformed the agricultural
products.
o Trade just exchanged them.
They proposed to eliminate the lands of the
Church and the Nobility which weren´t
exploded.
Some ministers such as Turgot in France and
Jovellanos in Spain tried to carry out this policies but
they didn´t succed because of the oposition of the
privileged people.
The phisiocrat Quesnay

12. Enlightenment criticisms
and proposals.
•
Enlightenment thinkers criticised the social inequalities of the estates
system:
o No group should have special privileges under the law.

13. The Enlightenment
in Spain
•
Spanish Enlightenment thinkers
Spain had
declined during
the reigns of the
Lesser
Hapsburgs.
Jovellanos
We wanted to use Enlightenment
ideas to improve economic, social
and cultural conditions in Spain.
The count of Floridablanca

14. The Enlightenment
in Spain
•
To communicate Enlightenment ideas:
We published
scientific and
literary papers.
We established schools, academies
and special associations known as
sociedades económicas de
amigos del país in Madrid.
Ruta por el
Madrid de los
Borbones
Imágenes del
Madrid de los
Borbones.
Jovellanos
The Count of Floridablanca

15. Enlightenment politics in
Europe, America and Spain

16. ENLIGHTENED DESPOTISM
• Who is a despot?

17. ENLIGHTENED DESPOTISM
Definition
It was a new form of government that developed
in some European countries in the 18th century.
Objective
Charles III of Spain
To improve quality of life
by combining:
To modernise the country
Absolute monarchy
Enlightened ideas
They are despots (absolute monarchs) who use the
enlightened ideas to improve society but imposing
their laws to the people without asking.

18. ENLIGHTENED DESPOTISM
Characteristics
How did absolute monarchs introduced the Enlightenment
to their politics?
Centralised governements
To consolidate their power
Enlightened thinkers as ministers
To promote reform
Making changes pacefully, through
education and law
To avoid challegnes to their power
This system didn´t succeed as a form of government because it
maintained the privileges of the estates system.

19. Which monarchs in Europe
were Enlightened despots?
These monarchs implemented
various enlightened reforms,
such as:
Unification of the legal system.
Carlos III
Catherine the Great of
Russia
Modernisation of the army.
Promotion of agriculture, industry,
education and culture.
Joseph II of Austria
Frederick II of Prusia

20. Enlightened despotism
•
Famous sentences that summarize the Enlightened despotism:
Everything for
the people,
nothing by the
people.
Holy Roman Emperor Joseph II
Argue as much as you
will and about
whatever you will,
but obey!
Frederick II of Prusia