Illustrated DESPOTISM: most outstanding characteristics [ABSTRACT]

We are going to travel to the S. Europe XVIII to get into it Enlightened Despotism and analyze its most important characteristics. Enlightenment despotism was a system of government that occurred in some European monarchies (France, Spain, Russia, Austria or Prussia) of the Modern Age and which was characterized because, in this system, the principles of absolute monarchy converged, own of old regime, and the main precepts of the illustration (the reason). If you want to know more about the main characteristics of enlightened despotism, keep reading this lesson. In a PROFESSOR we explain everything to you!

During the second half of s. XVIII, the absolutist European monarchies began to assimilate that they had to adapt to the new reality of the moment and that it was necessary to change some aspects of the current system, the absolustism. For this reason, they began to look at some of the theses disclosed by the mainstream intellectual current, the enlightenment. Specifically, they paid attention to ideas disseminated by philosophers such as

Locke, Hobbes, Voltaire, Montesquieu or Rousseau. Authors who defended precepts such as:

• The need for the existence of a social contract between the rulers and the ruled.
• The royal power was not of divine origin.
• The secularization of society.
• Greater education of the population as the key to progress.
• Blind trust in human reason.

Finally, absolutism and enlightenment came together and what is known as the Enlightened Despotism or illustrated absolutism. Which, took some of the theses marked by the enlightened intellectuals and put them into practice, such as:

• The idea that reason was the basis of development.
• The promotion of philanthropic enterprises for the people.
• The rise of the educational system.
• A more tolerant policy.

Ultimately, everything was summarized under the famous slogan: "Everything for the people, but without the people”= The absolute monarch gives the people what they need, but without asking for an opinion.

We are already fully into knowing the most outstanding characteristics of enlightened despotism. They are as follows.

1. The absolutist king and philosopher

Through enlightened despotism, the monarchs carried out a series of measures aimed at strengthen your power and authority (he dictated and suppressed laws, appointed collaborators and administered everything). To do this, they were inspired by the idea that the monarch was the one who best knew the needs and interests of his subjects.

Now, following the premises set by the illustration, it was established that his power and his right to rule were not of divine origin, but the result of a social contract, according to which, all citizens are equal and the monarch has the obligation to favor everyone equally and from tolerance (respect for all ideas, suppression of torture or the death penalty).

On the other hand, this monarch model was also that of a philosopher monarch, that is, he was a leader who surrounded himself with enlightened advisers / philosophers to carry out his government and that it stands as the guarantor of culture, education and philosophy, the king himself being an intellectual. In fact, queens like Cristina of Sweden and Catherine II of Russia They were great intellectuals and maintained a close friendship with philosophers such as Discards and Voltaire.

2. Secularization and religious tolerance

From the enlightenment the idea of ​​religious tolerance and indifference was advocated, as well as, the rejection of divine revelation and criticism of superstitions. Thus, starting from all these premises, with enlightened despotism a separation of power was established between Church and State, measures began to be developed aimed at taking power away from the Church and fostering tolerance / acceptance of other religions.

Likewise, the great dogmatic religions began to lose power in the face of tol deism. A philosophical current that moves away from dogma, which believes in an undefined supreme deity, developed through reason and experience, creator of the laws of nature.

3. Rationalism

Rationalism is another of the main characteristics of enlightened despotism. There is a trust and blind faith in the unlimited reason of the human being, which stands as the only way to reach the truth. The human being is above all a rational being and, therefore, he must reason everything to discover the truth, acquire knowledge and progress. Progress which, in turn, occurs through the development of science, research and Cartesian method.

4. Universalism

Through universalism, it is established that there is a natural law valid and applicable for all individuals equally: all human beings are free and they have the right to pursue their happiness and no individual has received the natural right to rule over the rest (hence the idea of ​​the social contract). Similarly, under the idea of ​​universalism, anthropocentrism (man is the center of all things) it was established as the predominant doctrine against theocentrism.

"Freedom is a gift from heaven, and each individual of the same species has the right to enjoy it in the same way that he enjoys reason." Diderot

5. Physiocracy

It is an economic doctrine that was imposed in the S. XVIII, according to which: human laws should be in total harmony with natural laws, the individual had the natural freedom to choose in which he wanted to work, he had to control the power of the guilds and fomentar the natural law of the market= wealth comes from the land.

6. Enlightened despotism was not a revolution

Even though enlightened despotism supposed a change in the way of seeing realityIt was not a revolution that radically altered the socio-political order. Rather, it allowed to carry out applying new ideas, a political reformism and a calm, progressive and controlled change from the top of the social pyramid.

Thus, what takes place is that a philosophical current such as the Enlightenment managed to transform some social, economic and cultural aspects. All this, through the assimilation of many of its principles by some monarchs.

Now that we know the characteristics of enlightened despotism, we are going to mention the figures of various European monarchs, among which stood out:

1. The Prussia of Frederick II (1712-1786): He founded numerous schools to promote education, reformed the judicial system, modernized the administration, established religious philosophy, and promoted culture.
2. The Spain of Carlos III (1716-1788): She applied economic reforms in the American colonies, reformed education (expulsion of the Jesuits), limited the power of the mesta, liberalized the price of cereal, applied greater control over the Church and carried out the repopulation of Sierra Morena (Jaén).
3. Tsarist Russia with Catherine II, the Great (1762-1796): She carried out the secularization of Church property, fostered industrial development, culture, art and education in Russia. Thus, during his reign the Academy of the Russian Language or the first teaching center for women was founded.

`I want the law to be obeyed, but I don't want slaves. I intend to make the people, but without whims, without fantasy, without tyranny that can destroy that happiness ”. (Catalina, the Great)