AP Euro free essay sample

In what ways and to what extent did absolutism affect the power and status of the European nobility in the period 1650 to 1750? Use examples from at least TWO countries. France: decreased nobility power, Louis XIV gave nobles very little power, made them his â€Å"lapdogs† at Versailles, result of the Fronde rebellion Russia: decreased nobility power, Peter the Great let ranking in armies be based on ability, giving lower class people the opportunity to move up, nobility did not like his reforms Louis XIV declared his goal was one king, one law, one faith. Analyze the methods the king used to achieve this objective and discuss the extent to which he was successful. One king: built Versailles, center of attention, established his absolute rule One law: gave nobles very little power, made them his â€Å"lapdogs† at Versailles, result of the Fronde One faith: tolerated Protestants but disliked them, revoked Edict of Nantes, Catholic unity Analyze the major ways through which Czar Peter the Great (1689-1725) sought to reform his society and its institutions in order to strengthen Russia and its position in Europe. We will write a custom essay sample on AP Euro or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Modernized Russia, window to the west, warm water port, serfdom, mercantilism, no more hereditary rule, required schooling, abolished old Russian traditions, reformed politics (reorganized admin, â€Å"senate† controlled by czar) and religion (head of Eastern Orthodox Church, replaced patriarch with Holy Synod) Analyze the military, political, and social factors that account for the rise of Prussia between 1640 and 1786. Military: Strong kings began to emerge in many lands in the course of the 17th century, war and the threat of war aided rulers greatly in their attempts to build absolute monarchies, endless struggle for power, as eastern rulers not only fought one another but also battled with armies of invaders from Asia, 1713-1740 was the growth of Prussian military, royal absolutism created in Prussia was stronger and more effective that that established in Austria, giving them a slight advantage in the struggle for power in east central Europe in the 18th century Political: In 1701 the English, Dutch, Austrians, and Prussians form the grand alliance against Louis XIV, claiming they were fighting to prevent France from becoming too strong in Europe, monarchs reduced the political power of the landlord nobility (Junkers) and they left the nobles the unchallenged masters of their peasants, the would-be absolutist monarchs of eastern. Europe gradually gained and monopolized political power in three key areas Social: great elector was determined to unify his 3 quite separate provinces and add to them by diplomacy and war, struggle between the great elector and the provincial estates was long, complicated and intense, after the 30 years war representatives of the nobility zealously reasserted the right of the estates to vote taxes, a right the Swedish armies of occupation had simply ignored; in Prussia in 1653, peasants were accused to be tied to their lords in hereditary subjugation (bound to their lords from one generation to the next as well as to the land; elector Frederick III â€Å"the ostentatious † who focused on imitating the style of Louis XIV, the tendency of luxury-loving, petty tyranny was reversed by Frederick William I â€Å"the soldiers king† (r. 1713-1740), who was the most talented reformer ever produced by the Hohenzollern family â€Å"Leadership determines the fate of a country. † Evaluate this quotation in reference to Spain’s experience under Philip II. Had many goals, wanted to consolidate + secure lands, expand royal powers, plunged Spain into debt, did nothing for Netherlands, adopted policy of repression, wouldn’t accept any other religion than Catholicism, didn’t use their taxes to help Netherlands (used it on Spain), decided to go against England w/ Spanish Armada w/out any plan, English had better and more weapons, manpower, and ships, lost Spain’s Netherlands, emptied treasury (bankrupted it w/ excessive expenditure for Armada), set up foundation for down spiraling Spain, made Spain great power=small power