1. Enlightenment Ideas Spread 17-2

2. New Way of Thinking • Thinkers examine traditional beliefs and find many flaws – Changed the way of thinking about society • Ideas spread quickly through all classes • Reform = Just society

3. Middle Ages • Divine Right rule • Strict class system • Heavenly reward for suffering (Christianity)

4. Age of Reason • Middle Ages ideas unscientific and irrational • Just society = social justice and happiness

5. Censorship • Restricting of access to ideas or information • Church leaders and government want to defend old ways – God had set them up • Writers wrote fiction books to disguise their ideas • Voltaire and Montesquieu

6. Salons • Informal social gatherings • Literature, arts and science and philosophy is discussed

7. Enlightened Despots • Absolute rulers who adopted new enlightened concepts to bring about social and economic change • Frederick the Great • Reduced torture • Free press • Tolerated religious differences • Still wanted strong monarchy and more power for himself

8. Catherine the Great • Empress of Russia • Equality and liberty • Abolished torture and established religious tolerance • Nobles charter of rights, criticized serfdom

9. Lives Change • Culture of serfs and lower class slowly changed • 1700s ideas about social justice get into peasant villages • Sets stage for upheaval in peasant life during 1800s