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Summary All notes and readings history of the modern world since 1750
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All notes and readings of history of the modern world since 1750 (Hismow)
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HismowLectures
Lecture 1
Enlightenment as historical concept
Immanuel Kant, enlightened thinker, but also sometimes critical of.
Conceptualization of enlightenment:
Reality is knowable and determined by natural forces, not supranatural. Some think god
created and took a step back. Rational, experimental and empirical. Modernity changed is
not history as something that repeats itself, more like an arrow working towards something:
a society that can improve through education etc.
Fundamental shift in thinking. We can improve life, age of reason. Nature and society can be
controlled and engineered by applying our knowledge. We can attain higher degree of
perfection.
Enlightenment as intellectual/societal phenomenon
Change from middle ages.
Descartes
Mathematician, thinking about scientific methods. Systemic doubt of observation and ideas.
Mathematics as logical reasoning
Deducation;
Francis bacon
Inductive way of arguing, but more systemic. Observation, experimentation, empirical
methods. Understanding and controlling nature. Utopian world les by scientists. Clear belief
in ability to improve by using science rather than religion.
Diderot
L’encyclopedie. People became more literate, encyclopedia also published in French, so
accessible to a larger group. not only in Latin.
Deism
Watchmaker theory, almighty intelligence. There has to be an all-knowing intelligence that
created everything, but is not actively changing things or doing things that change people’s
lives.
Voltaire: Christianity is the most ridiculous bloody religion that has ever infected the world.
Voltaire dismissive of organized religion. Religion/church should not have the power to get in
the way of the freedom of thought and politics.
,Culture of salons, point where enlightened thinkers discussed things. Houses opened by
women.
Censorship depends on the country, in Netherlands not too much.
Natural law and enlightened political ideas
Natural law: concept you can understand through logical reasoning. There are things that are
fundamentally right or wrong, universally applicable. Enlightened political thinking.
Nuremberg trials, fundamentally wrong. Cannot hide behind national legislation. Certain
things cannot be made right through legislation.
Hobbes
State of nature and natural law, monopoly of power, absolutism. Answer to state of nature: a
leviathan, a central authority, an absolute sovereign. All power in hands of one person.
Absolute monarchy.
People had to give up their rights in order to be able to have a leviathan. Trade off, you get
order and safety.
John Locke
Personal liberties
Not against monarchy, but consent of the governed to bet something good in return, order.
Representation also important. But most important: protection of property. Liberals liked
Locke. State has to protect certain things but in the end it is the people themselves.
Religious toleration, but critical of Catholics because of their dual loyalty. Country they live
in, as well as the church, the pope. Inconsistencies in his thinking, tension between
individuals rights and right of property.
Jean Jacques Rousseau
Economic inequality as foundational fro general inequality.
The social contract and his critique of the French hierarchical society.
The general will.
He starts being very optimistic about the state of nature. Cultural and political progress lead
to corruption and people cultivating their bad characteristics. Later on he does see the
added value of a modern society. He has a different view on how society should function.
Montesquieu
Trias politica, division and balance of power. Clear responsibilities and roles within
governments. Aim to protect liberty in society as well as class. His ideas were not considered
radical. Huge impact on American constitution. Executive, legislative and judicial. Judicial
being the most independent one. American division of power is most radical and clear.
System of checks and balances.
Condorcet
Scientist in politics. Someone who clearly believed in scientific methods to create a better
society. Policy should be based on scientific and empirical proof.
,Rights of women
- Natural equality
- Differences man and women based on social norms, context and oppression.
Abolishing slavery
- Natural rights
- Utilitarianism
- Colonialism and enlightenment
Enlightened despotism
Secular perspective by hereditary rulers
- Curtailing medieval forces and customs
- Centralizing of government, taxes, infrastructure, laws
Driven by les philosopes and mikitary necessity.
Limits to the ability to reform hierarchical society.
Resurgent forces of church and nobility.
Catalyzing social unrest and problems.
Lecture 2
Revolutionary times
Industrial revolution Britain
French revolution
Industrial revolution in Britain.
Capital in hands of small number of people.
Factors: technological innovation and increase of scale. Spinning jenny, stean engine. Capital
to increase production.
Factor: disappearance of commons and open fields. Lands that were shared for common
use. Decreasing these common fields happened through an act of parliament. Around 1700
40-50% in common use, around 1800 it became a rarity.
Enclosure movement in England caused more private property. Ownership in agriculture.
Effect of technological innovation resulted in a greater production and profit motive. Profit
ended up in the pockets of a handful of private landowners.
Jethro tull enlarged his privately owned land though enclosure and invented the seed drill.
New scientific knowledge about the importance of hygiene. Use of soap improved hygiene
and decreased mortality rates. As well as the development of smallpox vaccine.
Huge increase population growth from 1800 onwards in western Europe.
Consequences of population growth, technological innovation private ownership and profit
motive = migration of excess labor from rural to urban areas (urbanization). Further increase
of production and scale, and an industrial working class.
, Laissez faire capitalism, factory labor and poverty.
Growth of urban population. Social misery of urban population. Fluctuation in supply and
demand of industrial products. Resulting in recurring unemployment for factory workers and
their children.
Adam smith’s invisible hand, the idea of an economic system that does not need
government intervention.
Social unrest and opposition to new technologies and its consequences.
Les luddites and their mythical leader ned ludd. Modern day luddites; concern for
technological innovation on self value. Afraid for societal impact of innovation.
French revolution
Inspiration of the rationalistic ideas of the enlightenment
Montesquieu trias politica, separation of powers.
Natural law and ideas on popular sovereignty. (inalienable rights)
The example of the American system of checks and balances.
American constitution also an inspiration.
Federalist papers have written discussions of what the American constitution should look
like. Centralization or decentralization.
Checks and balances against mob rule and tyranny:
- Senate and house of representatives
- President: electoral college
- Supreme court: appointed for life
- Personal liberties (bill of rights)
Census suffrage: white men and slave owners.
Causes of French revolution: de Tocqueville
Analysed democracy in America
Government is not all over time present, they fix things all the time. Resulting in a feeling of
community.
Meeting of the etats genereaux in Versailles
Representatives of each state together
Tennis court oath: national assembly and the vow to work towards a constitution. They met
at the tennis court “because it did not matter where they met, it was about what they did”.
Bastille as a symbol of tyranny. First act of violence within revolution, symbolic starting
point.
1st stage
Victory of the bourgeoisie
August decrees
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