The Enlightenment saw a clash between new philosophies and the old social system of Europe. This Social System saw the monarchy at its pinnacle with the various levels of royalty laying in a complex, stratified state just below it. At the very bottom were the common laborers and craftsmen. Closely linked to the elite royalty were the clergy, as most monarchs in this time claimed divine privilege; their power and riches being derived directly from god’s blessing. The elite lived opulent lives; they owned vast tracts of land, levied high taxes upon the peasantry, and had intricate social hierarchies amongst themselves. All of this was in stark contrast to the lowly lives of the common laborers. The great minds of this era often attacked this contrast through essays and novels that attempted to show how the corruption and opulence of the social elite was dragging society down with its injustice and arrogance.
John Locke, an English philosopher and writer railed against the despotic rule of the monarchy. In his paper “Treatises on Government” he put forth the idea of a social contract between the people and the governing elite. This called for the monarchy to act not in their own interest but in the interest of the people, which effectively called upon the despotic monarchy to only work for the good of the people and not just for their personal wealth. Another writer of this time, the uncompromising and argumentative Frenchman writing under the penname Voltaire, criticized the elite for using the power of the church to achieve their own aims. He called for a separation of church and state (Which would later be featured in the U.S. Constitution), and said that the peoples suffering was a result of their leaders lack of interest in things not pertaining to their own lavish social lives. Finally, a philosopher and writer named Rousseau criticized the seeming lack of interest of the monarchy in their dealings with the people. Two of his works, “Discussion on the Origin of Inequality,” and “Of the Social Contract,” (in which he famously wrote “Man is born free, and everywhere he is in chains,”), railed against the corruption of the elite ruling families and called for direct democracy, which he claimed was the only true and just system of government.
August Mawn, Tom Allen, Daniel Pon, Zachary Gershman
Great analysis! We just wanted to expand on this thought and perhaps get some more of your ideas. We completely agree with your description of the socioeconomic stratification of the Enlightenment Era - i.e. nothing changed much from the eras before it. There was still an elite that controlled virtually all of the wealth and the rest toiled for this elite. However, we also found in our research that there were several so-called "enlightened despots" that ruled countries such as Prussia, Russia, and Austria. These monarchs were actually quite liberal in their legislation and had notable Enlightenment thinkers as advisers, sometimes even on their court! We think that this is why the Renaissance was even allowed to explode into this full-scaled Enlightenment: precisely because it had so much support from the elite. We would love to hear your comments on this.
ReplyDeleteFedor, John, Justin, Charles.
Mrs. Wylie, Period 5, Team 1 (HAM!!!)