During the high point of the 1700’s, there were many aspects about Western Europe that would change forever. These were the times of the Enlightenment. One of the weirdest of all facts that comes from the years of the Enlightenment is the story of the potato. Coming from the New World, the potato was believed to cause plagues. However, when the peasants of Europe needed something nutritious to eat, the potato seemed to do just the trick. With the widespread use of this crop, the food supply and agricultural efficiency improved greatly. During the times of the Enlightenment that took place in Western Europe, new ideas about the economic and political aspects of Europe rose up, a leap in commercial progress took place, and the newly found social course of Europe changed world history forever.
The cause for all of these new ideas on how people should be living came from the general wanting by the people to live better lives. Most of the time, the way these ideas spread was by the words and books of the great philosophers of the times. For example, Adam Smith, a leading philosopher of the Enlightenment wrote The Wealth of Nations. Upon reading this book, some European governments changed their entire economic policies. Politics were revised during this time in Western history as well. With the rise of the parliamentary monarchy, where kings were regularly checked by legislative powers, became a whole new way of monarchy rule that kicked out the old feudal monarchies for good.
With the development of new inventions in Western Europe, came a steady rise of commercial and agricultural progress. When the potato became a vital part in peasant lives, a great explosion of population occurred. With more people around, there was more than enough labor for things other than just agriculture. The first few hints of the Industrial Revolution showed themselves with John Kay’s flying shuttle invention. With that, just one weaver could do the work of two. When Western Europe during the Enlightenment started to experience commercialization, more and more people of the general population were moving out of the rural farm villages into the busy and entertaining cities. While living in these exciting cities, the jobs people had to make their living were primarily in manufacturing the raw materials that were shipped in from places like the New World and other countries.
Many social statuses of the people of Western Europe during the Enlightenment started to change for the better. When ordinary peoples’ lives started to drastically change, the radical change of how these people thought and acted changed next. With new rights and freedoms for men being made almost constantly, many women were beginning to argue that they should have these rights as well. Women all over Western Europe began writing journals and pamphlets to get their ideas out to other women. The idea that men were also to blame for women’s lowly status was very popular at this time. Women’s status over the years of the Enlightenment was never the same in Europe’s history ever again. Not only did women’s status change during this time in history, but the status of children did as well. Before the Enlightenment, children were seen as little sinners who needed to be kept in check by adults. However, this all changed and children were then thought of as innocent and capable beings.
The Enlightenment gave Western Europe new ideas on how to handle its political and economic institutions, commercial progress ran its course, and the reformed social statuses of women and children affected the course of world history forever. Western Europe’s political structure went a long way from a feudal monarchy to absolute parliamentary monarchies. The expanse of commercialization and agricultural progress paved the way for the great Industrial Revolution. Women wanted a better position in the world, and children were being treated in a much better fashion than before the Enlightenment. This was the time where it was evident that the Western world really became the top global power of the world.
The cause for all of these new ideas on how people should be living came from the general wanting by the people to live better lives. Most of the time, the way these ideas spread was by the words and books of the great philosophers of the times. For example, Adam Smith, a leading philosopher of the Enlightenment wrote The Wealth of Nations. Upon reading this book, some European governments changed their entire economic policies. Politics were revised during this time in Western history as well. With the rise of the parliamentary monarchy, where kings were regularly checked by legislative powers, became a whole new way of monarchy rule that kicked out the old feudal monarchies for good.
With the development of new inventions in Western Europe, came a steady rise of commercial and agricultural progress. When the potato became a vital part in peasant lives, a great explosion of population occurred. With more people around, there was more than enough labor for things other than just agriculture. The first few hints of the Industrial Revolution showed themselves with John Kay’s flying shuttle invention. With that, just one weaver could do the work of two. When Western Europe during the Enlightenment started to experience commercialization, more and more people of the general population were moving out of the rural farm villages into the busy and entertaining cities. While living in these exciting cities, the jobs people had to make their living were primarily in manufacturing the raw materials that were shipped in from places like the New World and other countries.
Many social statuses of the people of Western Europe during the Enlightenment started to change for the better. When ordinary peoples’ lives started to drastically change, the radical change of how these people thought and acted changed next. With new rights and freedoms for men being made almost constantly, many women were beginning to argue that they should have these rights as well. Women all over Western Europe began writing journals and pamphlets to get their ideas out to other women. The idea that men were also to blame for women’s lowly status was very popular at this time. Women’s status over the years of the Enlightenment was never the same in Europe’s history ever again. Not only did women’s status change during this time in history, but the status of children did as well. Before the Enlightenment, children were seen as little sinners who needed to be kept in check by adults. However, this all changed and children were then thought of as innocent and capable beings.
The Enlightenment gave Western Europe new ideas on how to handle its political and economic institutions, commercial progress ran its course, and the reformed social statuses of women and children affected the course of world history forever. Western Europe’s political structure went a long way from a feudal monarchy to absolute parliamentary monarchies. The expanse of commercialization and agricultural progress paved the way for the great Industrial Revolution. Women wanted a better position in the world, and children were being treated in a much better fashion than before the Enlightenment. This was the time where it was evident that the Western world really became the top global power of the world.
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