Unit 3: Absolutism and Constitutionalism

The combination of traditional folk beliefs and the social and economic hardships of war brought about a rise in accusations of witchcraft. A new definition of competition between sovereign states led to new relationships between the rulers and the governed, and changed patterns of diplomacy. New forms of warfare came about due to the invention and use of new weapons. The changing relationship of new economic elites to the traditional nobility was a major cause of the English Civil War and the rise of the Dutch Republic. In the Holy Roman Empire, the Peace of Westphalia ended the idea that only one form of Christianity could exist in Europe, while in England a new form of government was produced due to competition for power between monarch and Parliament. In France, Louis XIV and his finance minister Colbert established absolute monarchy while in Russia Peter the Great took more territory and "westernized" his society. Peasants were affected by increased taxation and the price revolution, as well as by the absolutist policies of rulers. Catholic monarchs promoted religion and their own power through Mannerists and Baroque Art, while the art preferred by Dutch elites valued home and family life.

Source: Western Civilization, Spielvogel, pg. 432

Key Concepts

2.1: Different models of political sovereignty affected the relationship among states and between states and individuals.
- 2.1.I: In much of Europe, absolute monarchy was established over the course of the 17th and 18th centuries.
- 2.1.II: Challenges to absolutism resulted in alternative political systems.
- 2.2.II: After 1648, dynastic and state interests, along with Europe’s expanding colonial empires, influenced the diplomacy of European states and frequently led to war.
2.2: The expansion of European commerce accelerated the growth of a worldwide economic network.
- 2.2.I: Early modern Europe developed a market economy that provided the foundation for its global role.

Guiding Questions

How did the nation-states of Spain, England, and France evolve during this time period?
What factors led to the rise of absolutism in France in the 17th century?
How did the monarchs of France and England address the competition for power in their respective countries?
How and why did the constitutional state triumph in England in the 17th century but not in France?
What were the economic, social, and political factors that led to the rise of absolutist states in 17th and 18th-century Eastern Europe?
How was the establishment of absolutism reflected in the art and literature?