Death of the Three Main Rulers of the 18th Century - Essay Example

Western History The eighteenth century saw significant shifts in the way the world was run. In the mid-century, three major rulers died, leaving their thrones to new monarchs, each anxious to make a name for themselves. These included Anne of Russia, Charles VI of Hapsburg and William Frederick I of Prussia. In their quest to cement their positions, those who filled these thrones toward the end of the century had also helped to shape a new approach for the foreseeable future. Their approach to leadership was largely based on the enlightenment ideals that were being spread by the social philosophers of the time. The idea of a social contract was in the process of being explored as Frederick took his throne and only continued to gain momentum as time progressed. While knowledge of these ideas was not widespread among the uneducated masses of the agricultural states, those with greater population density and/or literacy were actively examining what these ideas meant on a more personal level. Because of these enlightenment ideas brought in by younger and more open-minded monarchs, the eighteenth century became a time of tremendous political upheaval and shifts in power structures. Frederick II of Prussia was one of the more powerful world leaders of his time. He led his country from 1740-1786, a time period in which he first broke the crown’s social contract with its people and then rebuilt it on something stronger. The son of Frederick Wilhelm I, Frederick was expected to follow in his father’s military footsteps and received numerous beatings, including being forced to witness the execution of a friend who had tried to help him run away, throughout his childhood (Nosotro, 2003). However, it was this strong military education that enabled Frederick the Great to make a name for himself. Upon attaining his throne in 1740, King Charles VI of Hapsburg died suddenly, reportedly from eating poisoned mushrooms, and Frederick immediately attacked the old king’s territory, winning the Duchy of Silesia for his efforts (Browning, 1995). This effectively established him as both the new ruler of Prussia and a different sort of ruler from his father. The most significant war of his reign was the Seven Years War against France, Austria, Russia, Sweden and Saxony. The outcome of this war was that Frederick was able to almost double the size of his country (Nosotro, 2003). Rather than military brilliance, though, this outcome was determined, in part, by the death of Elizabeth of Russia, the woman who had inherited the throne from Empress Anna. In spite of this, Frederick earned the title ‘Great’ from the effect he had on his countrymen in forming a national identity. He dedicated his reign to his people and his country which gained him their love and respect in return. Never fully disclosing his religious beliefs, he encouraged greater religious choice, promoted expansion of the arts through his own love for music and focused on fair treatment of the people (Nosotro, 2003). He maintained open communication with his countrymen through a more professional approach to the press and brought enlightened ideas to his populace. As a political leader of the past, he has served as a shining example for a number of transformative ideals of the German state. Like Frederick, Catherine of Russia had a name to make upon her ascension to the throne. She had been hand-selected to be the wife of Peter III by Elizabeth herself. Although she went through all the motions to demonstrate herself dedicated to the ideals of Russia, including changing her name and her religion, Catherine did not share Elizabeth’s concepts of isolationism or her care for the imbecilic nature of the king. Nor did she share her husband’s adoration of Frederick II of Prussia. Shortly after Elizabeth’s death in 1761, Peter conceded the Seven Years War with Prussia, including lands that had been won by Russia, and Catherine had her husband deposed by 1762 (Rivera, 1999). However, Catherine did adopt the same type of approach to ruling that had been adopted by Frederick II before her. She realized at a deep level that she was only the Empress of Russia at the whim of her supporters and she worked consistently to keep them satisfied. Unlike Frederick, Catherine’s supporters were largely members of the elite class, causing her to support laws and cultural ideals that favored the wealthy (MNSU, 2010). She attempted to introduce a more formal code of laws, weakened the control of the church by secularizing many of the church properties, introduced education reform that encouraged the wealthier classes at least to pursue greater knowledge and tried to initiate greater medical research and awareness. She opened the country to Western influence by encouraging trade, relaxing censorship and encouraging modernization (Rivera, 1999). Like Frederick, military victories helped her to add territory to her realm, which also helped append the title “great” to her name. One of the common themes of these transformations is the introduction of enlightenment ideas to the general populace, or at least practiced by those in power. These ideas were conveyed through the major philosophers of the time. John Locke, one of the more influential writers of the time, devised a philosophical framework through his own thoughts concerning the concept of social contracts which was titled, “Natural Law” (Grant 2000). History finds that it was Locke’s theory in itself that moved those of Western thought into a new direction, as his philosophy emphasized a civic duty to obey the laws of society rather than from the body of authority alone. Locke’s philosophy proposed that since the social contract developed laws that were consented to by the bodies of the people in mutual agreement, then of course they were powers that should be naturally followed, such as a natural duty or as he termed it, “natural law” (Grant 2000). Because Locke defined people as being reasonable then his philosophy showed that if there were indeed reasonable people in the body of the society defined by the social contract then they would accordingly devise natural laws that would become redefined into natural duties due to the binds of the social contract. In other words, Locke was proposing that the social contract was indeed a universal duty that required citizens to act a certain way among one another because it was the logical way to ensure human rights on an individual basis and of which made and kept a rational society. Again, Locke’s philosophical reasoning was the key in shifting many societies’ mindsets about how contracts are birthed and the laws that are contained in them which exert a certain obligation onto the people who follow them in order to ensure justice and natural human rights for all (Grant 2000). These ideas interpreted by Catherine of Russia led her to attempt bringing education to her people even as the people of America and France began to interpret them as a call for greater equality. More than the individual leaders of a few major areas in central and eastern Europe, it was the enlightenment ideas brought forward and made popular by the great writers of the time that helped bring about the great changes that occurred during the eighteenth century. Younger rulers who had been influenced by these ideas were able to take charge of their countries and began making changes that reflected at least some of the elements of these ideas. This included reducing the importance of religion, increasing the importance of education and the arts and encouraging a greater sense of a shared social order. Countries such as France and America, in which the rulers failed to understand these philosophical concepts of enlightenment found themselves faced with riotous rebellion. Those who adopted these ideas, even to a small extent, were viewed as leading their nations to a brighter, more prosperous and integrated future. Works Cited Browning, Reed. The War of the Austrian Succession. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 1995. Grant, Robert. “The Social Contract and Human Rights.” The Humanist. Vol. 60, 2000. MNSU (Minnesota State University). “Catherine the Great.” EMuseum. August 16, 2010 Nosotro, Rit. “Frederick the Great.” HyperHistory.net. August 16, 2010 . Rivera, Nicki. “Catherine the Great.” WebChron: The Web Chronology Project. August 16, 2010 Read More