Key Concepts Shaping the Modern World

Old Regime

• Agriculture: Continues with feudalism. Land is the basis. Problem: growing population.
• Craftsmanship: Controlled by guilds and follows steps to produce.
• Foreign Trade: Controlled by the state and monopolized (king has all power).
• Innovations: Domestic system.
• Social Structure: Three Estates system - privileged and non-privileged.
• Politics: From modern state to absolutism, increasing king's power.
• Culture: Religion justifies society and politics.

Enlightenment

Small changes in the Old Regime: keep monarchy but remove absolute power.

• Thinkers: Bourgeoisie and nobles.
• Context: In France and America in the 18th century.

Ideas

• Everything based on reason.
• Follow experiments.
• Progress and constant improvements.
• Follow happiness.

Thinkers

• Locke: Natural rights (life, property, liberty).
• Montesquieu: Division of powers.
• Voltaire: Criticized fanaticism and defended tolerance.
• Rousseau: Popular sovereignty.

Agricultural Revolution

England, 18th century.

Technological Changes

• Removal of fallow method (50% increase).
• Replaced by crop rotation (100% increase).
• Livestock manure used as fertilizer.
• Introduction of American products (tomato, potato, corn).
• New tools and mechanization (iron for wood, seed drill for manual sowing).

Legal Changes

• "Enclosure Acts".
• Elimination of open fields to enclosed fields (fields with fences) = individual property.

Absolutism

Political system where the king has all power.

• King's power comes from God (religious justification).
• Centralization of power.
• Permanent army and royal treasuries.
• No division of power.

Parliamentarism

Only in England.

• Institutions and laws limit the monarchy.

How

• Civil War.
• Parliamentarians win, elect William of Orange.
• He must accept the Bill of Rights.

Enlightened Despotism

Absolutism + Enlightenment (second part of 18th century).

• Monarchy becomes more rational.
• Income increases (expand transport, agriculture improve, free trade).
• Religion separated from government (Regalism).

Industrial Revolution

Transition from agrarian to industrial economy.

Industrial Society

• People needed for production.
• From natural sources to coal.
• Self-supply to mass production.
• Population and wealth increase.
• Two social groups: working class and industrial bourgeoisie.

First Industrial Revolution

Mid-18th century, England.

Technological Advances

• Mechanization of production.
• Spatial concentration in factories = cheaper and abundant products.

Steam Engine

• Coal burns, heats water, steam moves wheels and creates motion.

Agrarian Revolution

• Rural exodus.
• Invested farm profits into factories.

British Marine Power

• Sea routes + access to foreign territories + urban growth = increased demand.

Textile Industry

• Raw material from wool to cotton.
• Technological advances (mechanical loom).

Steel Industry

• Iron demand increases.
• Production progress and quality of iron for smelting advances.

Political Liberalism

Confronts the Old Regime with Enlightenment ideas.

Bases

• Legal equality (end of Three Estates system).
• Perennial rights (three main rights) - Constitution.
• Division of power.
• Secularism.
• Parliament represents the nation's sovereignty.
• From servant to citizen.

Economic Liberalism

Changes the economy with Enlightenment ideas.

• Last quarter of 18th century, by Adam Smith.
• Freedom to trade and produce.
• Privileges to produce, buy, sell abolished.
• State helps solve conflicts.
• Law of supply and demand.