european enlightenment
The Enlightenment was an era in human history in which thinkers and philosophers were convinced that they were rising from centuries of obscurity and unawareness into a new age made clear by reason and a respect for humanity. A number of thinkers and writers, mainly in England and France, believed that they were more educated and informed than their fellow citizens and intended to enlighten them. Society and humanity were seen as being in an inferior condition, and major changes were needed to improve the human condition. However, this belief in progress did not appear out of nowhere, it was instigated by two major historical events: the Protestant Reformation and the Scientific Revolution. Both of these key elements had major effects on the ideas and changes which appeared during the Enlightenment. The Protestant Reformation was a challenging of the Catholic churches' domination over the politics, economics, and culture of European society. The Scientific Revolution was an influential time during which, not only natural scientific and technological advances were made, but also changes in the structure of human thought were established. Both the Protestant Reformation and the Scientific Revolution were events which preceded and di
Some, like Joseph II, eliminated serfdom and increased the quality of life of peasants by giving them new rights such as: the right to learn skills, the right to marry, and the right to educate their own children. This lead to many conflicts over ideas of authority and religion, such as the Thirty Years War. The arguments revolved around the notions of order, authority, and rights. These changes are all attributed to the idea of a centralized and unified nation, which was due in great part to the religious wars which took place during Protestant Reformation. However, government and politics were not the only things affected by the Scientific Revolution and Protestant Reformation; religion, its beliefs and its place in society all came into question during the time of the Enlightenment. Therefore, according to Locke, a contract is made between the people to create a government, and then another between the people and the authority to uphold their civil liberties. Monarchs began to impose reforms to eliminate unfair treatment before the law and protect rights and property. This means that humanity could be improved by developing an understanding of the world that surrounds us and being able to manipulate it through technology; and by eliminating human cruelty through social improvements and government reforms. Frederick II abolished the serf system which tied tenant farmers to the land for life and replaced the powers of the nobility with a greatly extended system of government composed of skilled civil servants. Governments, under the influence of the philosophes, began to put religious institutions under stricter control, eliminating most of their authority. The 18th century was a time during which the emphasize was given to the development of humanity and human society. Many of the enlightened despots further centralized their government, creating a single code of law, rather than having laws differ from region to region. Although are world may not be much closer to perfection than it was in the 18th century, the ideas developed during that time have greatly improved modern society, and may someday help create a perfect world for all of humankind.
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