| View videos free online at:
when on
the Annenberg site.
The Western Tradition
The Western Tradition Video Series: Programs 31-40 on the
Enlightenment
This program
features 52 half-hour video programs on Western civilization and
coordinated books. You can view the videos free online on the
Annenberg/CPB site; they are also available on DVD.
Covering the ancient world through the age of technology, this
illustrated lecture by Eugen Weber presents a tapestry of political and
social events woven with many strands — religion, industry, agriculture,
demography, government, economics, and art. A visual feast of over 2,700
images from the Metropolitan Museum of Art portrays key events that
shaped the development of Western thought, culture, and tradition. This
series is also valuable for teachers seeking to review the subject
matter. Produced by WGBH Boston.
Programs of special
interest to World Observer include the following for an
introduction to the 18th-century Enlightenment:
31. The Age of
Absolutism
Exhausted by war and civil strife, many Europeans exchanged earlier
liberties and anarchies for greater peace.
32. Absolutism
and the Social Contract
Arguments about the legitimate source of political power centered on
divine right versus natural law.
33. The
Enlightened Despots
Monarchs considered reforms in order to create more efficient societies,
but not at the expense of their own power.
34. The
Enlightenment
Intellectual theories about the nature of man and his potential came to
the fore.
35. The
Enlightenment and Society
Scientists and social reformers battled for universal human rights
during a peaceful and prosperous period.
36. The Modern
Philosophers
Freedom of thought and expression opened new vistas explored by French,
English, and American thinkers.
37. The American
Revolution
The British colonists created a society that tested Enlightenment ideas
and resisted restrictions imposed by England.
38. The American
Republic
A new republic, the compromise of radicals and conservatives, was
founded on universal freedoms.
39. The Death of
the Old Regime
In France the old order collapsed under revolutionaries' attacks and the
monarchy's own weakness.
40. The French
Revolution
Liberty, equality, and fraternity skidded into a reign of Terror.
Expanded outline of above:
Program 31. The Age of Absolutism
Program 32. Absolutism and the Social Contract
Some rulers, particularly in France, claim they are answerable to no
earthly authority, while in England some political theorists argue that
authority depends on the consent of the governed.
- The major characteristics
of political absolutism in the seventeenth century.
- Causes of political
weakness in France during the first sixty years of the seventeenth
century.
- Attempts by French
statesmen to end political disorder.
- The changing status of
French nobility during the seventeenth century.
- Ways in which art and
architecture reflected political authority.
- Moral and political
aspects of seventeenth-century French tragedy.
- The outcome of the
conflicts between Parliament and the English crown.
- Ways in which Hobbes and
Locke reflect the political events of their times.
Program 33. The Enlightened
Despots
Program 34. The Enlightenment
In Western Europe philosophers argue that the
dignity of man can best be raised through practical knowledge and
reforms.
- The relationship between
warfare and economic growth.
- The rise and decline of
major European powers.
- The relationship between
the enlightened despots and the French philosophers.
- The relationship between
the enlightened despots and their subjects.
- The ways in which the
rococo style was a reaction against the more ponderous style of
Louis XIV.
Program 35. The
Enlightenment and Society
Program 36. The Modern Philosophers
Many writers think of themselves as social
reformers and work to change society.
- The relationship between
economic growth on one hand, political and social ideas on the
other.
- Causes of economic growth
in the eighteenth century.
- The influence of science
on religious ideas.
- The development of
utilitarianism and the growth of laissez-faire economics.
- The growth of
intellectual relativism.
Program 37. The American
Revolution
Program 38. The American Republic
The American Revolution is examined as a test
case of Enlightenment ideals.
- European myths about
America and what they revel about European society.
- Patterns of European
settlement throughout North and South America.
- Ways in which the
American colonies became important factors in eighteenth century
international politics.
- Ways in which England's
imperialism created tensions with its North American colonies.
- Social and political
divisions in the new republic.
- Tensions between
political ideals and practice.
- The social and economic
conditions that gave rise to the political ideals in the United
States.
Program 39. The Death of
the Old Regime
Program 40. The French Revolution
As the kingdom of France collapses, the new
revolutionary state becomes an ideal for some Europeans, a terror for
others.
- Stabilizing factors in
the United States following the revolution.
- The fiscal weakness of
the French crown.
- The factors working for
and against French reform.
- The reforms of 1789.
- The transition from
reform to revolution.
- New styles of warfare.
- Creation of the French
Empire.
- The enduring legacy of
the revolution.
Bridging World History: Program 17 on the Enlightenment
Bridging World History web site
This series
includes 26 half-hour video programs, course guide, and Web site. A
portion of program 17 described below is of interest to this section of
World Observer. You can view this program free online on the
Annenberg/CPB web site.
Unit 17. Ideas Shape the World
How do ideas change the world? This unit traces the impact of European
Enlightenment ideals in the American and Haitian revolutions and in
South America.
|
WORLD OBSERVER
