Johnson's Absolutism From 1689 To 1799 In Eastern Europe

Enlightenment Absolutism from 1689 to 1799 in Eastern Europe
Were enlightenment and absolutism ever compatible? Lonnie Johnson answered that question by stating “[they] may appear incompatible in theory, but they were compatible in practice” (Johnson, 98). Peter the Great, Maria Theresa, and Joseph II were the living proof of Johnson’s affirmation. From 1689 to 1799, Enlightened Despotism, also known as enlightenment from above, was enforced by these rulers with the main objective of obtaining more power by securing the economic and educational improvement of their subjects. In contrast with Joseph II, Maria Theresa and Peter the Great did not consider themselves enlightened rulers. Nevertheless, their reforms fit within the Enlightened Despotism
When Peter assumed the throne in 1689, he acknowledged that Russia was backward in compare to more successful Western European countries like Holland, Germany, and France (Israel 2006). He concluded that in order to improve the Russian Empire, he had to bring western influences. For the rest of his reign he made it imperative to learn about and apply to his holding the aspects he considered made those countries thrive like the language, military techniques, shipbuilding, and dressing code. Peter used to go in disguise to countries England, France and Holland to learn about shipbuilding and sent state servants (Israel, 298). One example was Dimitri Mikailovich Golitsyn (1663-1737) who in 1697 was sent to Venice to study naval techniques (Israel, 301). He also encouraged his officials to learn Dutch and he took that as a criteria of preference to employ military personnel. For example, Jonathan Israel mentioned that “George Pardon was Peter’s rear admiral because he spoke Dutch” (Israel, 298). Another example of westernization could be observed in the city of St. Petersburgh, founded in 1708 and declared as the Russian Empire capital 1712, to the point of being labeled the Window of the west in
Joseph became co-regent with his mother Maria Theresa in 1765 and from 1780 to 1790, the emperor of the Habsburg Empire. Joseph carried out a wide range of economic, social, and religious reforms that Johnson described as “radical experimentation” (Johnson, 116). In other words, he promulgated an average of 700 edicts per year in contrast with Maria Theresa’s 100 (Ingrao, 197). However, most of his decrees lacked the support of his minister and advisers. One of the promulgation that set the precedent for religious toleration was the Patent of Toleration in 1781 and 1782 (Emancipation of the Jews). He made this edict with the main focus of allowing Jews to be as productive as other people, so he allowed Jews to go to regular school and college, own businesses, and wear the same clothing as everybody