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Lecture notes study book A History of Europe in the Modern World of Joel Colton, Lloyd Kramer, R. R. Palmer - ISBN: 9780077599607 (hismo notes)
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All notes and readings history of the modern world since 1750
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martedì 7 settembre 2021HisMo lectures
Relationship between history and political science
History can add contest to the political phenomenon, economic aspect…
Modernity: secularism, individualism, the idea of progress is possible and an option,
trust in the scienti c method. Critiques of the idea that something is just because
tradition says that a certain thing is in that way. Critical look at the world.
Enlightenment as an Historical Concept
Reality is knowable and determinate by natural forces and no by supernatural
forces, the rational, experimental and empirical scienti c method will be able to
answer all questions concerning nature and society.
nature and society can be controlled and engineered by the application of universal
knowledge
Human society con be raised and educated
Descartes 1596-1650
Dutch republic, systemic doubt of observation and ideas.
Mathematic as logical reasoning “Cogito ergo sum” I think therefore I am.
Deduction: starting from a general assumption to arrive to a speci c deduction
Not based on religious assumptions
Francis Bacon 1561-1626
Understand and controlling nature
Observation, experimentation and reasoning as method
Induction: is always possible to nd a countercheck to argue the idea of an absolute
truth
The new Atlantis (1627): iddillicc place where people use the scienti c method for
everything
L’Encyclopedie 1751-1772
Celebration of scienti c knowledge and the things you can discover with the
scienti c method, 17 volumes, Diderot.
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Deism- voltaire
“The watchmaker” or “almighty intelligence” = god, everything appears to being
designed so it must be a designer and cannot be everything left to the cause
(Rational religion).
Religion should have a personal relationship between god and the believer and
shouldn’t in uence peoples life so much.
Enlightenment as social and cultural phenomenon
Culture of salons: organised from women as gatekeepers (who decide who’s invited
in an event and how is not)
Republic of letters: metaphor phrase to describe this time and the struggle with the
censorship
Education rising large group of French society is able to read, impact of distribution
of knowledge, people start writing in di erent language from latin.
Censorship was useful to the powers so certain information wouldn’t arrive to most
people, Spain very strict censorship.
Natural Law and Enlightened Political Ideas
Declaration of independence of United States, declaration and then revolution
How to translate political ideas in to action, 2nd part of 18th century = revolution
Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679)
In uenced by the English civil war, he started writing at age of 60.
Absolute rules are necessary because are the only way to control a society, so is
needed to be create a system to avoid war between individuals-> contain freedom,
so people to live in peace must give away your freedom.
The State of nature and natural law p261 book (natural law: laws that existed before
humans created the positive laws - ex: every men is created equal - fundamental
rights belongs to human )
State of nature: what human society would look like in the state of nature-a place
without civilisation but very free - perpetual war of everyone against everyone
The monopoly of power
Absolute rule
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John Locke (1632-1704)
Personal liberties are relevant and needs to be some form of representation, kind of
contract between the government and how is governed. Defends the idea to own
capital and to use it without too much government interference.
The consent of the governed, it’s important what the governed think about who
govern them.
Parliament and representation
Property and labor
Thinking about the state of nature you should be happy about the evaluation and
civilisation
Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778)
Economic inequality as foundational for general inequality
The Social Contract and his critique of the French hierarchical society, the (social)
contract between the people and the government starts from a “political contract”
among the individuals.
The General Will: what is like? Very complicated idea that changes. Nowadays the
general will is used from populist politician that “knows that people wants” so there
is no need of new election every 4-5 years-> “the people” and “the general will”
Individual freedom in the state of nature was a good think and he would go back to
that
Baron de Montesquieu (1689-1755)
L’Esprit des Lois (1748)
The Trias Politica as political structure for a division of governmental functions and
powers: inspiration for the later American constitution, separation and balance of
powers (executive, legislative, judiciary)
Protecting liberty in society
Condorcet (1743-1794) and the triumph of Enlightenment
Intellectual in politics.
Rights of women:
- Natural equality
- Di erences between men and women are based on social norms, context and
oppression.
Abolishing slavery:
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- Natural rights
- Utilitarianism
- Colonialism and Enlightenment (he wasn’t against colonialism but against the idea
that a person could be a propriety of another person)
Enlightened Despotism
Despot: someone that doesn’t go with the general idea of the government
Secular perspective by hereditary rulers:
- Curtailing medieval forces and customs
- Centralising of government, taxes, infrastructure, laws
Driven by les philosophes and military necessity
Limits to the ability to reform hierarchical society.
Resurgent forces of church and nobility
Catalysing social unrest and problems
A conceptualisation of Romanticism
Reaction to and continuation of the Enlightenment
Against single sided rationality
Humanity can only liberate itself by also following its heart (next to its reason)
Nature is a living being and not a controllable machine
Human is more than his rational thoughts, is made of emotion that cannot explain, is
important to be aware of those emotions, values are quite more important than
speci c policy that could e ect them.
The dual revolution
English and French Revolution (Haitian rev as well)
Industrial revolution in England: The Increase of production in manufacture/industry
and agriculture was accelerated by technological innovation
(collaboration by entrepreneurs, technicians and scientists):James Hargreaves
spinning jenny (1764) James Watt’s improved steam engine (1777)
Factor: The gradual disappearance of Commons and Open Fields
Rising prices of wool, wheat and other agricultural goods motivated farmers to
invest in the enlargement of landownership to enable more e cient use of land
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