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The 18th century: The Enlightenment, image, image, image, image, image,…
The 18th century: The Enlightenmen
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Enlightenment
It criticised the political and social structures of the Acien Régime
The main principles
Science and technological progresses lead to economic growth and the improvement of people's wellbeing
Learning and teching
People must learn so they can share their knowledge with the society and educate them.
Liberty and equality
Thinkers believed that a better society would only be possible if all men were free and equal
Reason is believed to be the only source of knowledge
The Enlightenment was a new way of thinking that emerged in Europe in the 18th century
The academies, were people studied and shared knowledge were used to spread the ideas of the Enlightenment
The political ideas of the Enlightenment
Enlightenment thinkers wanted to abolish the states system
Enlightenment thinkers wanted to limite the monarch's powers and they proposed the separation of powers and popular sovereignty.
Montesquieu
He fought for the separation of powers (judicial, legislative, executive)
Voltaire
He favoured a strong monarchy
Rousseau
He introduced the idea of popular sovereignty and that politics should be based on agreement between the citizens and their government
Economic liberalism
Ecomic liberalism was a new economic doctrine based on the ideas of the thinker Adam Smith
It said that the state should not intervene in the processes of production or exchange of goods
The principles
Freedom of production for business owners
Free trade without any restrictions
Free competition
Economic ideas of Enlightenment
A new economic system was introduced : Physiocracy
Agriculture is the main source of wealth
Craftsmanship and trade are secondary activities
Wealth from its nation comes from natural resources
Absolute monarchs should not intervene in economy
Enlightenment ideas in Spain
The Enlightenment ideas in Spain were spread by a group of politicians and thinkers
This group of people wanted to reverse the decline Spain had under the Hapsburgs
They wanted to promote Spain's economic, scientific and cultural development.
How were the ideas spread
Through associations called sociedades económicas de amigos del país
Through scientific and literary journals
Through schools and academies
Through institutions
Although, these ideas didn't have the impact they should have had because of the encountered resistance from most of the nobility, the church and from the people who wanted to preserve their way of life
