H.M. Scott (Editor) Enlightened Absolutism : Reform and Reformers in Later Eighteenth-Century Europe , Ann Arbor, University of Michigan Press, 1990.

Illustrated by 2 Maps, 2 Tables. First Edition. Hard Cover. Very Good/Very Good. 8vo 0472101730 Dust jacket complete. Black cloth with bright gilt titling on spine. No ownership indcription. 402 pages clean and tight. 2 Maps, 2 Tables. One of the liveliest and most influential historical debates about eighteenth-century Europe has concerned "Enlightened Absolutism." This is the idea that, particularly after 1750, the theory and practice of government were strongly influenced by the ideas of the Enlightenment and were therefore sharply distinguished from what had gone before. Rulers such as Joseph II and Catherine the Great, together with their ministers and bureaucrats, embarked on a wide-ranging series of reforms. Government and law codes were modernized, religious toleration pioneered and state control over the Church extended, the provision of primary and secondary education dramatically increased, and efforts made to stimulate the economy and modernize agriculture. These initiatives, their success and their inspiration are reexamined in this collection by a team of distinguished historians. Particular attention is given to countries where little that is reliable or up to date is otherwise available in English, such as the ministry of Pombal in Portugal, the reign of Charles III in Spain, and the reform period in Denmark. The three major rulers of Central and Eastern Europe, Frederick the Great, Catherine the Great, and Joseph II, have always been central to the Enlightened Absolutism debate, and each receives detailed consideration. The wide-ranging importance of Italian reformist ideas and of German cameralism, as well as the French Enlightenment, as sources of reform are made clear. The whole collection is an important and timely reminder that the eighteenth century was not simply an extended prelude to the French Revolution and that, outside France, the "Ancien Regime" was not in terminal decline by the second half of the eighteenth century but was rather engaged in a remarkable and surprisingly successful attempt to improve the lives of all the people. (Book ref. 125453)  £65.00

The payment methods accepted by the seller, Charles Bossom , are shown in the right-hand column.

Click here to order

Back to search