Political Reforms and Enlightenment in 18th Century Europe
Political and Administrative Reforms in 18th Century Spain
Political and administrative reforms were achieved with the centralization of the state and its institutions. Felipe V abolished the privileges of Aragon and Valencia and imposed the Decree of Nueva Planta, a standard by which he unified and centralized the Spanish territory under the laws of Castile. The laws of Navarre and the Basque Country were respected for supporting Felipe V, the first Spanish Bourbon, in the War of Succession. A General Court of the Kingdom was created that operated at the will of the king. Secretaries of State (ministers) arose, who were the backbone of the administration.
- Finance: Taxation became widespread, and the Bank of San Carlos was created. Royal corregidores emerged.
- Economic Reforms: Ownership and trade in agriculture were liberalized. Deposits (barns) were released.
- Industrial Reforms: Large royal factories were set up, producing steel (craft) and textiles in Catalonia.
- Trade Reforms: Public works, roads, and canals were built, providing jobs and improving communications, which enhanced trade.
Demographic improvements did not work. Attempts were made to repopulate Sierra Morena.
- Religious Reforms: Gifts were given to the Church. The Jesuits did not accept these reforms and were expelled.
- Educational Reforms: Useful sciences were enhanced (language, history, fine arts). Economic Societies of Friends of the Country were created (meetings in which Enlightenment ideas were discussed).
- Social Reforms: Manual skills were upgraded. The flag and anthem were displayed.
Carlos II and III embellished Madrid with significant buildings and construction.
The 17th Century British Pioneers of Enlightenment
Thomas Hobbes, who defended absolute monarchy because power is indivisible and is weakened if split, and John Locke, who preferred a limited monarchy like that of Great Britain in the 17th century, were the authors of Leviathan. They stated that: Society was the result of a voluntary contract by people who sought welfare and happiness, relinquishing some of their freedom. The best political system would be one that guaranteed happiness, equality, and private property to as many people as possible.
The 18th Century French Enlightenment
The Enlightenment never progressed into a formal school. The Encyclopedia, led by Diderot and D’Alembert, served to disseminate its ideas.
- Montesquieu: In his major work, The Spirit of the Laws, he advocated for an aristocratic, constitutional monarchy where the monarch’s power is limited by a fundamental law or constitution and by certain institutions of the country. He believed in the separation of powers into three branches: legislative, executive, and judicial. He influenced the French Revolution (1791 Constitution) with his ideas of moderate liberalism.
- Rousseau: In his main work, The Social Contract, this son of a craftsman from Geneva proposed a democratic system with popular sovereignty. He believed that a Citizens’ Assembly should concentrate power (in municipalities and counties) and that there should be social equality. He influenced the French Revolution (Constitution of 1793, Jacobins, and grassroots groups) and 19th-century movements with his ideas of radical liberalism and democratic republicanism.
- Voltaire: He supported enlightened absolutism and was critical of society and the Church in the Old Regime. He defended limiting parliamentary power, a single tax system, and criticized the Church for being at fault for traditions. He was a bourgeois thinker.
The Rise of Liberalism
Liberalism is an ideology defending the rights and political liberties of individuals, including suffrage, sovereignty, separation of powers, and individual freedom.
Understanding Economic Liberalism
Economic liberalism is an economic system where work is the main source of wealth, and the value of a product is determined by the time that has been employed to work on it. It defends the pursuit of enrichment.