Enlightenment thinkers believed that man could be perfected, rejecting the view that man was inherently corrupt and distanced from God. Corrupted social traditions and institutions of church and state, they asserted, were the source of problems.
Popular Culture Flourishing in Europe’s cultural centers, the Enlightenment saw an explosion of printing, libraries, salons, and book clubs. Satire, which often bordered on the pornographic, criticized institutions of church and state.
Challenges to Authority and Tradition Believing that men of all classes were equally endowed with reason and intelligence, Enlightenment thinkers pushed for a meritocratic system. Government should provide opportunities for all, not just elite classes.
Seeking Universal …show more content…
Naturally, by this standard “Europe” fared better than most other places, creating a Euro-centric view of the world. Ironically, absolutist governments found that certain Enlightenment views could be turned to their advantage and support absolutist ambitions.
Revolution soon spread, spearheaded by people of color in the lowest classes. Andean Indians rose up against Cuzco. Such energy prompted colonial elites to support their respective crowns in Iberia until the Napoleonic wars severed those ties. Elites suppressed revolution among the lower classes. Only in Haiti did slaves succeed.
Revolution in Saint-Domingue (Haiti) Following events in France, free people of color and white settlers disagreed as to who represented the French citizen. Civil war ensued. France abolished slavery, in an effort to regain control. Toussaint L’Ouverture led ex-slave forces against the Spanish and British, becoming French Governor General of the colony. Napoleon’s army, sent to restore slavery and order, arrested Toussaint, but his armies fought until Haiti gained independence. Most revolutionary nations, like the new United States, refused to recognize
Popular Culture Flourishing in Europe’s cultural centers, the Enlightenment saw an explosion of printing, libraries, salons, and book clubs. Satire, which often bordered on the pornographic, criticized institutions of church and state.
Challenges to Authority and Tradition Believing that men of all classes were equally endowed with reason and intelligence, Enlightenment thinkers pushed for a meritocratic system. Government should provide opportunities for all, not just elite classes.
Seeking Universal …show more content…
Naturally, by this standard “Europe” fared better than most other places, creating a Euro-centric view of the world. Ironically, absolutist governments found that certain Enlightenment views could be turned to their advantage and support absolutist ambitions.
Revolution soon spread, spearheaded by people of color in the lowest classes. Andean Indians rose up against Cuzco. Such energy prompted colonial elites to support their respective crowns in Iberia until the Napoleonic wars severed those ties. Elites suppressed revolution among the lower classes. Only in Haiti did slaves succeed.
Revolution in Saint-Domingue (Haiti) Following events in France, free people of color and white settlers disagreed as to who represented the French citizen. Civil war ensued. France abolished slavery, in an effort to regain control. Toussaint L’Ouverture led ex-slave forces against the Spanish and British, becoming French Governor General of the colony. Napoleon’s army, sent to restore slavery and order, arrested Toussaint, but his armies fought until Haiti gained independence. Most revolutionary nations, like the new United States, refused to recognize