1700 – 1750

Political & Diplomatic	Intellectual & Cultural	Social & Economic
1707 Union of England	Voltaire	Urban poverty becomes issue for first time.
Enlightened Despotism begins 1740	Montesquieu	Cottage Industry
1740-8 War of Austrian Succession	Rousseau (late in period)	Infanticide and foundling homes
1756-63 Seven Years’ War	Deism	John Newbery
Hanoverian Kings begin 1714—(1837)	Bach, Handel	“Turnip” Townsend
Walpole’s PM		Jethro Tull
Frederick I (Prussia)		Enclosure Acts
Peter the Great d1725		Agricultural Revolution
Maria Theresa ascends throne		Triangular Trade
Great Northern War		Capitalism takes hold
Frederick William I		Silesia
Frederick the Great ascends throne 1740
Pragmatic Sanction

During this age it became common for members of the middle class to exceed the nobles in wealth. Nobility carried “privileges” The “little Ice Age” ended around 1750. 80+% of European still worked on the land. Local village councils ran the lives of the peasants. Eastern European peasants had the hardest existence. New crops such as potatoes and corn were now taking hold. Families labored together to manage a living. In towns boys were apprenticed, girls entered domestic service. Family men were granted the “rule of thumb” which was the width of the stick thery were allowed to use to chastise wives and children (“spare the rod, spoil the child”) There is a rise I n interest in the Blood sports—boxing, bear-baiting, cock fighting among the lower classes