ABSOLUTISM IN EASTERN EUROPE: Austria

Transcription

1 CC8.RH.2: Determine the central ideas of a primary source ABSOLUTISM IN EASTERN EUROPE: Austria In many respects the rise of absolutism was a natural response to the chaos of the religious wars. Absolute monarchs already had a foundation on which to build, the New Monarchs of Europe had created larger territorial states, which required a new, more effective forof government. Ironically philosopher Thomas Hobbes, a strong proponent of absolutism, developed his ideas in England, the least absolute state in Europe! He proposed in his Leviathan (1651) that an absolute monarch could have prevented the chaos of the English Civil War. Hobbes said that life was, solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short. He went on to suggest that people would only listen if they did not fear the consequences. Therefore, individuals entered into a contract with the ruler surrendering their rights for protection. French philosopher Jacques Bossuet went even further, claiming that rulers had authority from God. It is important here to note that these rulers were absolute rulers and not arbitrary. When they acted, they often did so out of a feeling of responsibility for the masses. They realized that they, and they alone were responsible for the needs of the people. Yet this is where eastern and western absolutism diverge. Western monarchs understood the necessity of working with advisors such as parliaments in France, Cortes in Spain, or Parliament in Britain. Before analyzing the individual countries and the role of the monarchy, perhaps one would be best served to find the characteristics that are common in absolutism. All absolute states benefited from extensive tenure by one dynasty. Such dynastic rule facilitated obvious advantages such as continuance of policies, avoidance of internal competition, increased significance of treaties and marriage alliances. The strength of the absolute state could be seen in the large centralized bureaucracy and the ability to maintain a large standing army to expand policies at home and abroad. Eastern Absolutism The rulers of Central and Eastern Europe shared many of the same structures. Each had a strong ruler who maintained ties with the nobility through dispensing concessions. The concessions granted to the nobility gave them far more autonomy than in the west. Consequently, the peasants suffered significantly more in eastern Europe than in the west because of enforced serfdom. In eastern Europe during the seventeenth century the rights of the peasants were taken away. As a labor shortage swept eastern Europe workers became a necessity and as a result the movement of peasants was restricted. Peasants lost their land and were forced into more obligations for their lords. Between 1500 and 1650 conditions worsened and serfs could be killed for nothing. Political factors accounted for the new serfdom, weaker kings were forced to give more freedom to landlords, landlords sold directly to foreign capitalists and abolished the need for a middle class, and war and the threat of war aided the absolute monarchies. Would-be absolutists gained power in 3 areas: a) imposed and collected permanent taxes without consent b) maintained permanent armies c) conducted relations with other states as they pleased Austria

2 The Habsburgs were exhausted after the Thirty Years War, but they still remained emperors of the Holy Roman Empire. The real power lay with 300 varying political entities that shared a geographic region, but had very little else in common. In 1683 the Ottomans laid siege to Vienna. After two months the Turks were eventually forced back by fresh troops who had come to the aid of the Austrians. Pushing forward against the Ottomans, the Habsburg troops captured Budapest in 1686 and acquired nearly all of Hungary in the Treaty of Karlowitz (1699). The Habsburg troops were led by Prince Eugene of Savoy, whom would go on to play a prominent role in the War of Spanish Succession. The Habsburgs then turned to fight the Ottomans, who under Suleyman the Magnificant ruled the most powerful empire in the world The Habsburg state had 3 parts: a) Austria b) kingdom of Bohemia c) kingdom of Hungary The Hungarians resisted because many wanted to remain Protestant. Hungary allied to Turkey. During the War of Spanish Succession the Hungarians led by Prince Francis Rakoczy rebelled. Rakoczy was defeated but it led to a compromise: a) Hungary accepted Habsburg rule b) Charles VI restored the rights of the aristocracy of Hungary By Austrian law women were not allowed the claim the throne of Austria. In 1711 Holy Roman Emperor and Austrian monarch Charles VI issued the Pragmatic Sanction (1713) which persuaded Europe s rulers to accept a female monarch and to never divide the Habsburg lands. Maria Theresa became queen of Austria. She took local control away from the regional diets, made German the language of the empire, created a large bureaucracy, taxed the nobility and the clergy and took control of the Roman Catholic Church Frederick II became king of Prussia, rejected the Pragmatic Sanction and invaded the Austrian province of Silesia. This started the War of Austrian Succession ( ). Great Britain, and the Dutch supported Austria; France and Spain supported Austria. In 1748 the war ended with the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle. The Austrians could not stop the Bourbons from gaining control of the Spanish throne, Frederick kept Silesia and Austria received the Spanish Netherlands (Belgium) as compensation. Joseph II succeeded his mother in 1780 and as an enlightened despot he initiated sweeping reforms. Personally, he was against serfdom and abolished the robot in 1789, the year of the French Revolution. However, these reforms came too fast and many peasants took advantage of the situation and revolted. Leopold II followed Joseph and repealed most of the reforms to pacify the nobility. He reintroduced serfdom and the robot, which remained in existence until the revolution of DIRECTIONS: 1) Read the excerpt above in one minute. As you read complete the following tasks:

3 Underline important information in the selection (For Example: dates, names, locations, etc.) 2) Now that you have finished reading and underlining, think about the following and if a blank appears, answer the question in the appropriate space: What is the main idea or central theme of the selection? Do the facts underlined illustrate the main idea of the selection that I just wrote down? What information that I underlined can I eliminate because it is really not necessary to understanding the basic point of the excerpt? Limit the number of words that you have underlined to 10 words. 3) Using those ten words as a framework, summarize the excerpt below: 4) Be ready to share your summary in a class discussion. CC8.RH.1: Cite textual evidence DIRECTIONS: Read the excerpt above. Based on information from your text, class discussion and what you just read, use evidence (quotes, key words, data, etc.) to support the following statements concerning this topic. I. Origins of Parliament and Civil liberties. In Britain, there is no written constitution to protect civil liberties and define the rules of the political game. Yet, several traditions, constitutional agreements and political conventions exist and constitute the pillars of the regime. One of those document is the Magna Carta (Great Charter) granted by King John in 1215 under the pressure of his aristocracy and clergy. This document excluded very early in English history the practice of political absolutism and excessive use of the royal prerogative). Moreover, after Magna Carta, no excessive demand for money could be made by the King without the consent of the aristocracy and clergy. British and American tradition of vote on taxation finds its origin in this event. Finally, concerning individual freedom, after Magna Carta, no arrest in prison or punishment could be performed on aristocrats and clergymen without a trial by similar kinds of people, according to the law of the land. It is the starting point of the notion of trial by peers. Later on, in 1265, Edward I was forced by his aristocracy to assemble (summon) the first Parliament in English history, which took the name of Model Parliament. The very notion of Parliament, from the French word "parler" implies a discussion on every legislative decision and therefore, the possibility for a diversity of opinions. English Parliament was the first to include representatives from outside the clergy and aristocracy. It was established in a very pragmatic way, simply for the King needed the support of the whole nation for his military campaigns against Wales, Scotland and France. Thus, it was necessary for him to raise money through taxation. So, before being a full legislative body where law is made, Parliament rests on the principle of no taxation without political representation. From its origin, the Parliament started to meet in two separate chambers located in the Palace of Westminster : The Upper House or House of Lords, organized according to the principle of heredity (by birth, not by elections). The Lower House or House of Commons, organized by elections and receiving the representatives of taxpayers and landowners (= the rich).

4 The Parliamentary institutions founded in the Middle Ages have a paradoxical nature. The Model Parliament was the first representative political body in Europe, England was called the Mother of Parliament but the right to vote (= the Franchise) and the right to be elected (= Eligibility) were defined as a privilege either of birth or property and money, not as a universal right. It took several centuries for England to reform this initial trend. II. The Glorious Revolution of 1688 In the first part of the 17 th century, abuse of authority from the King led to a re-statement of rights whose origins could be found in English story. At the end of the 17 th century, after a period of Civil War and a peaceful revolution, the tradition of parliamentary sovereignty became past of the legal framework of the English constitution. In 1628, the Parliament opposed a petition of rights to the King, claiming for political guarantees against money for Charles I s European and colonial wars. The King s refusal to renounce to this prerogative led to a civil war and to the King s execution in The principle of the petition re-emerged in the events of 1688, called the Glorious Revolution for it was bloodless. The current King James II was forced to leave the country and was replaced by his daughter Mary and her husband William on the condition that the two would accept a declaration of rights in exchange of the throne. The contract was instituted : political power against rights. After it was approved, the declaration was known as the Bill of Rights in 1689, which constituted the first constitutional monarchy in the world by stipulating once for all : 1. The King can t suspend a law voted in Parliament 2. The King can t raise taxes or maintain a permanent army in time of peace without a vote in Parliament. The new institution created the notion of Government by the leaders of the country s majority and led to the formation of two political parties alternating in power as the majority and the opposition. The name of the first party is the Whigs : they supported the new regime and represented the world of business and commerce. In the 19 th century, the Whigs became the Liberal Party. The second party was the Tories, who supported a more authoritarian definition of the monarchy. They represented the class of agricultural landowners. In the 19 th century, the Tories became the Conservative Party. STATEMENT OF CAUSATION ANALYSIS. The Glorious Revolution led to the British Bill of Rights of What statements in the above reading support this statement? 2. What is the main idea of each section? 2. Create a new statement that incorporates the main idea(s) of the article and includes the supporting evidence you found in the excerpt. 3. Create a new argument about this topic using information you learned in the textbook, in class discussions, etc., AND support it using other evidence found in the text above.

5 CC8.RH.2: Determine the central ideas of a primary source The British Bill of Rights officially titled An Act Declaring the Rights and Liberties of the Subject and Settling the Succession of the Crown is an act of the Parliament of England and one of the foundations on which British constitutional law was laid. After King James II abdicated his throne, following the Glorious Revolution, a statutory form of Declaration of Rights was presented to William and Mary in February 1689, by the Convention Parliament, inviting them to become joint sovereigns of the kingdoms of England and Scotland. King William III and his wife Mary II (daughter of King James II) were the only joint sovereigns in British history to have ruled with equal powers. In December 1689, the Bill of Rights was passed by the Britain Parliament. The Bill was prepared with the aim of ensuring certain rights to which citizens and permanent residents would be entitled to. It also included the right to bear arms for self defense and right to petition the monarchy. The Bill of Rights declared illegal certain acts enacted by James II, which were deemed unfit for the new constitution. Following are some of the basic rights and liberties specified in the Bill of Rights: Law British Bill of Rights 1689 That it is the right of the subjects to petition the king, and all commitments and prosecutions for such petitioning are illegal That the pretended power of suspending the laws or the execution of laws by regal authority without consent of Parliament is illegal. That the commission for erecting the late Court of Commissioners for Ecclesiastical Causes, and all other commissions and courts of like nature, are illegal and pernicious. That the raising or keeping a standing army within the kingdom in time of peace, unless it be with consent of Parliament, is against law. That levying money for or to the use of the Crown by pretense of prerogative, without grant of Parliament, for longer time, or in other manner than the same is or shall be granted, is illegal. That the subjects which are Protestants may have arms for their defense suitable to their conditions and as allowed by law. That excessive bail ought not to be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted. That all grants and promises of fines and forfeitures of particular persons before conviction are illegal and void. That election of members of Parliament ought to be free. That the freedom of speech and debates or proceedings in Parliament ought not to be impeached or questioned in any court or place out of Parliament. Explanation The right to petition (call upon) the monarchy. Freedom from the crown's interference with the law. The sovereign cannot unilaterally establish new courts, act as a judge or influence the independent jury. Freedom from a peace-time standing army, which meant, an agreement of parliament was mandatory before the army could be moved against citizens, when not at war. No taxes (existing and new) could be levied by the royal sovereign without the Parliaments approval and agreement. The right to bear arms (only protestants) for self defense, in accordance to its said law. Freedom from excessive bail, harsh, cruel and unusual punishments. Freedom from forfeiture and fines, without a trial. The right to democratically elect members of parliament without interference from the royalty. The right to free speech and debates for all citizens. The proceedings in parliament cannot be questioned in a court of law or by anybody outside the parliament itself. King John's Magna Carta and the British Bill of Rights, formed the basis of many other constitutional drafts such as the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the European Convention on Human Rights, the United States Bill of Rights and the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. The Bill of Rights also applies to each of the

6 jurisdictions of all 16 sovereign states within the realms of Commonwealth Nations. The bill underwent amendments over the years, but the basic tenets of securing and ensuring rights and liberties to all English citizens, remains the same till today. By Loveleena Rajeev Last Updated: 9/23/2011 DIRECTIONS: 1) Read the excerpt above in one minute. As you read complete the following tasks: Underline important information in the selection (For Example: dates, names, locations, etc.) 2) Now that you have finished reading and underlining, think about the following and if a blank appears, answer the question in the appropriate space: What is the main idea or central theme of the selection? Do the facts underlined illustrate the main idea of the selection that I just wrote down? What information that I underlined can I eliminate because it is really not necessary to understanding the basic point of the excerpt? Limit the number of words that you have underlined to 10 words. 3) Using those ten words as a framework, summarize the excerpt below: 4) Be ready to share your summary in a class discussion.