Enlightened Despotism Research Paper

The Enlightenment was a philosophical and intellectual movement which dominated the world of ideas in Europe in the 18th century. The main theme of the enlightenment was the transition of the 18th century society from a world dominated by the church and state into a more open to reason society, where science and philosophy become the centre of thought. And for that reason the Enlightenment could also be referred to as “The Age of Reason”.
The period is believed to have begun with the close of the thirty years war in 1648 and ended with the French revolution in 1789. One of the major contributing countries to the Enlightenment was England, with the explosion of intellectual publications believed to have begun when the Englishman , Francis Bacon …show more content…
It was the idea of John Locke, the English philosopher, that the separation of the church and the state and a social contract between the state and the people is essential for a democratic society and these set of principles are present in England’s political system until this very day. Ancient manuscripts of Ancient Greece on democracy have stimulated the Enlightenment thinkers. They argued that “enlightened despotism” was the best way to rule the people. “According to this theory, the people could not necessarily be trusted to govern themselves properly. Rather, a wise and cultured prince could best determine what their needs were and govern accordingly. Enlightened despotism, which is also called “enlightened absolutism,” assumes that the ruler is an absolute monarch. An enlightened despot was expected to cultivate freedom of speech and religious toleration, among other liberties” (The Saylor Foundation n.d.). The Enlightenment was the foundation of modern Western political and intellectual culture. In other words, the political system of the Western world was transitioning into a more recognisable system that we see today. Before the introduction of the scientific method the Church was the ultimate authority about how the world worked and what people should believe and what was so revolutionary about the scientific method was that it was essentially democratic. It advocated that …show more content…
Art and culture flourished during the enlightenment, emphasis on learning, art and music became more widespread, especially with the growing middle class. “The seventeenth and eighteenth centuries were both turbulent and polite; it was an age of virtuosos and pretenders; of libertinism and enlightenment, of reason and romanticism. It witnessed the rise of the novel, the birth of the modern encyclopaedia and the cult of sensibility.” (Royal Holloway University of London n.d.). The formulation and introduction of the Music Theory and the explosion of Opera and Classical music all took place during the Enlightenment. Musicians such as Hendel, Haydn and Bach entertained a London audience with public concerts, which signalled a sharp, growing taste for music in English society. “The fact that Hendel prospered here, that Haydn wrote some of his finest music for London audiences and that whole hosts of minor masters here J.C. Bach and Geminiani, for example surely tells us a good deal about the standards of taste pertaining among London audiences. In fact, concert in 18th century England as a whole had a variety and validity to which it would be hard to find a parallel. Not only were concerts held in the fashionable London salons, but in the ‘Great Rooms’ o taverns in villages which today are barely large enough to find a place on the map” ( Sadie

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Enlightened Despotism Research Paper

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