Ancien Régime and Enlightenment: 17th-18th Century Transformations

The Ancien Régime: 17th and 18th Century Transformations

The Ancien Régime, spanning the 17th and 18th centuries, witnessed significant political, economic, and social transformations:

• Monarchs became more powerful.
• Trade increased.
• The bourgeoisie grew more powerful and wealthier.
• Humanism developed.
• Advances occurred in science and philosophy.
• New artistic styles emerged.

Main Features of the Ancien Régime (16th-18th Centuries)

• Open Economy: Characterized by craft production and trade.
• Powerful Monarchs: Absolute monarchy predominated.
• Estates System: Nobility held social power, while the bourgeoisie gained economic power.
• Culture: Humanism was a key intellectual movement.

Politics in the Ancien Régime

In the 17th century, absolute monarchy came to dominate Western Europe.

Estates General: A political assembly in which all the estates of the realm were represented.

Economy and Society of the Ancien Régime

The Ancien Régime had the following economic and social characteristics:

Economic Characteristics

• Relevance of traditional agriculture.
• Survival of trades in craft production.
• Stagnant domestic trade.
• Foreign trade expanded through new routes.
• Mercantilism was imposed as an economic system.

Mercantilism: An economic system based on the idea that a country's wealth depended on its accumulation of gold and silver.

Social Characteristics

• Society continued to be stratified.
• The Third Estate paid taxes.
• The nobility and clergy did not pay taxes.

Key Definitions

• Rationalism and Empiricism: New ways of thinking that appeared in the 17th century.
• Scientific Method: A systematic approach by which knowledge in chemistry, medicine, and other sciences could be tested. It involves:
  1. Observation and measurement.
  2. The establishment of a hypothesis.
  3. The demonstration or refutation of the hypothesis.
  4. The presentation of conclusions.

The 18th Century: The Enlightenment

The Enlightenment was an intellectual movement and a new way of thinking that emerged in Europe in the 18th century.

Main Principles of Enlightenment Thought

• Emphasis on learning and teaching.
• Reason as the only true source of knowledge.
• Belief in technological and scientific progress.
• Advocacy for equality and liberty.

Enlightenment thinkers did not support absolute monarchy. They proposed measures to limit governmental powers, such as the separation of powers and popular sovereignty.

Popular Sovereignty: A political theory stating that power resides in the will of the people.