Age+of+Absolutism

What three states in Central Europe declined during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries? Why? Holy Roman Empire, Poland, and the Ottoman Empire. They declined because they had a weak central authority and a powerful nobility.

What three states rose in Central Europe in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries? Why? Austria, Prussia, and Russia. They had a strong central authority and subordinated the nobility from the central authority.

Evaluate the contributions of each of the following to early political development in Russia.
 * Ivan III-stopped recognizing Mongols as leaders of Russia, centralized authority, casted off Mongol Yoke, started to increase power of nobility, takes title of tsar (self-proclaimed)
 * Ivan IV-sets up a secret police force to take down nobles, takes title officially of tsar, his ownership of all the land, trade, and industry restricted economic development, transformed entire nobility into a service nobility, urban traders and artisans were bound to their towns and jobs so that the tsar could tax them more heavily.
 * Peter the Great- abolishes the patriarch of Orthodox Church, church subordinate to state, set up Table of Ranks, subordinated the nobles, enforced Mercantilism (economic system), economic activity controlled by state (generate revenue for the state), strengthened and "westernized" military, created a different calendar, improved status of women, started a government controlled newspaper, required education of noblemen (economic benefit and nobles need to be literate in order to run the government), defeated the Swedes, thus gaining the Baltic Sea (a warm water port for his navy and for trade exports/imports).
 * Table of Ranks-a system of merit, positions/rankings (14 of them) in military government, nobility can rise in status based on contributions to the state.
 * Great Northern War-Peter goes to war with the Turks and fails his attempt to conquer the Black Sea. Next, Peter goes to fight the Swedish (to conquer the Baltic Sea) and they fight over a period of 20 years. The first time Peter fights the Swedes he is embarrassingly defeated, and Peter goes back to Russia to "re-train" his military and westernize it some more. Then Peter goes back to war with the Swedes and defeats them, thus gaining the Baltic Sea.

Evaluate the contributions of each of the following to early political development in Prussia.
 * Frederick William, the Great Elector-started the process of consolidating power, helped elect the Holy Roman Emperor, began to take power away from nobility, to pay for the permanent standing army he forced the Estates to accept the introduction of permanent taxation without consent (the power of the Estates declined rapidly).
 * Frederick William I-built up military, neutralizes nobles (Junkers), requires their service in military-which serves the king-in return, nobles were given ultimate power/control over peasantry,

In what ways did each of the following help to establish the basis for a modern state in France?
 * Henry IV- converted from Protestantism to Catholicism, gave speech "Paris is worth a mass..." (political, pragmatic, $ + support of church), Edict of Nantes (allowed Huguenots [French Protestants] limited religious toleration- free to practice religion in some parts of France)
 * Cardinal Richelieu-Louis XIII's chief minister, 2 goals: consolidating monarchs power and stop Hapsburgs, 2 policies: Nobles-intendants and Huguenots- restricts provisions of Edict of Nantes, and established raison d'etat-> you can do unmoral things if it was for the benefit of the state.
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">Intendants- administer the district that they're in charge of, royal officers of the king, representative of king responsible for maintainting law and order, collecting taxes, administering justice, making sure king's laws were enforced.
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">the Fronde- Made Louis XIV realize that Cardinal Mazarin and Cardinal Richelieu's policies were a little too harsh on the nobles.
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">Louis XIV-abolished Huguenots, revoked Edict of Nantes (in order for political power to be absolute->needed religious unity), middle class chosen to be royal officers of king (he chose middle class because he knew they would be loyal).
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">Jean Baptiste Colbert-enforced mercantilism (feature of absolutism: govt. regulation of all commercial activity to create a balance of trade).
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">Versailles-Louis used the Versailles palace to domesticate the nobility by requiring nobles to stay at Versailles for at least part of the year. Versailles was a very expensive place to live, and when nobles stayed there, everything was so expensive that the nobility had no more money left to use towards politics and power.

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">What is the goal of mercantilism? <span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Create a balance of trade. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">Describe the policies that characterize a mercantile economy. Export more than you import, enforce tariffs/taxes on imports, subsidies, ensure movement of raw materials goes smoothy->built roads and canals <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">What is the role of colonies in mercantilism? Sell and trade with American colonies.

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">Explain the significance of each of the following:
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">Pragmatic Sanction-problem: Austria had 3 large distinct ethnic groups, resolution: pragmatic sanction->stated that Hapsburg lands couldn't be divided.
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">Great Northern War- problem: Russia had no warm water port for the navy, resolution: conquered the Baltic Sea
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">St. Petersburg-built by Peter the Great because of the Treaty of Nystadt which gave Russia significant territory in the Baltic. Peter referred St. Petersburg as his "window to the west."
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">War of Spanish Succession-problem: Charles II couldn't produce an heir, left power to grandson (French), but it wouldn't be good because SPAIN would have too much power because they would have France and Spain.