Heimler's History: Unit 5 Overview

Introduction

• Unit Timeframe: 1750-1900
• Main Theme: Massive global changes due to the Industrial Revolution
• Focus: Enlightenment, an intellectual movement that triggered social and political changes necessary for the Industrial Revolution

The Enlightenment

• Definition: 18th-century intellectual movement advocating reason to reconsider accepted ideas and social institutions
• Influences:
  • Scientific Revolution + Humanism of the Renaissance
  • Emphasis on human reason applied to natural laws
• Shift in Understanding:
  • Moving from truth discerned through tradition/religion to understanding through natural laws and reason

Key Enlightenment Thinkers

• Francis Bacon (Empiricism):
  • Reality discerned through senses (sight, hearing, etc.)
  • Empiricism contrasts with knowing truth through revelation (e.g., the Bible)
• John Locke:
  • Critiqued divine right of kings; advocated natural rights: life, liberty, property
  • Introduced the idea of a social contract between people and government
  • If government violates rights, people have the right to change it

Political Impact

• Revolutions & Government Formations:
  • Enlightenment ideas led to revolutions
  • Rise of constitutional governments and nationalism
• Nationalism:
  • Strong identification with ethnic identity and language
  • Shift from loyalty to rulers to nations, challenging multi-ethnic empires

Economic Impact

• Adam Smith (The Wealth of Nations, 1776):
  • Critique of mercantilism; advocated laissez-faire economics
  • Idea: Individual economic choices benefit society through the 'invisible hand' of the market

Religious Impact

• Deism:
  • God as a non-intervening creator
  • Knowing God through contemplation of natural laws rather than divine intervention

Conservatism

• Definition: Belief in tradition, shunning ideology in favor of practical ideas
• Resistance: Conservatives resisted Enlightenment changes

Impact on Social Institutions

• Women:
  • Enlightenment ideals led women to demand equal rights
  • Mary Wollstonecraft: Advocated for women's education and rights
  • Seneca Falls Convention: Demanded women’s suffrage and property rights
  • Declaration of Sentiments: Modeled after the American Declaration of Independence
• Slavery and Serfdom:
  • Abolitionist Movement: Driven by Enlightenment ideals
  • United States: Slave trade banned in 1808, leading to Civil War and abolition
  • Russia: Emancipation of 23 million serfs

Conclusion

• Enlightenment significantly impacted political, economic, religious, and social structures
• Encouraged revolutions and reforms based on reason, equality, and natural rights
• Connected to both the Industrial Revolution and modern political thought

• Call to Action:
  • Engage by liking or supporting Heimler’s History on Patreon
  • Encouragement for voluntary economic contributions (Adam Smith reference)