Editing Enlightened absolutism (section)

== History ==
Enlightened absolutism is the theme of an essay by [[Frederick the Great]], who ruled [[Prussia]] from 1740 to 1786, defending this system of government.<ref name="Kramnick1995">Reprinted in {{cite book|author=Isaac Kramnick|title=The Portable Enlightenment Reader|url=https://archive.org/details/portableenlighte00isaa|url-access=registration|access-date=26 August 2013|year=1995|publisher=Penguin Books|isbn=978-0-14-024566-0}}</ref> When the prominent French Enlightenment philosopher [[Voltaire]] fell out of favor in [[Kingdom of France|France]], he eagerly accepted Frederick's invitation to live at his palace. He believed that an enlightened monarchy was the only real way for society to advance. Frederick was an enthusiast of French ideas. Frederick explained: "My principal occupation is to combat ignorance and prejudice ... to enlighten minds, cultivate morality, and to make people as happy as it suits human nature, and as the means at my disposal permit."<ref>Giles MacDonogh, ''Frederick the Great: A Life in Deed and Letters'' (2001) p. 341</ref>

Enlightened absolutists held that royal power emanated not from [[Divine right of kings|divine right]] but from a [[social contract]] whereby a despot was entrusted with the power to govern through a social contract in lieu of any other governments. The monarchs of enlightened absolutism strengthened their authority by improving the lives of their subjects. The monarch’s taking responsibility for his subjects precluded their political participation.

The difference between an [[Absolutism (European history)|absolutist]] and an ''enlightened'' absolutist is based on a broad analysis of the degree to which they embraced the Age of Enlightenment. Historians debate the actual implementation of enlightened absolutism. They distinguish between the "enlightenment" of the ruler personally, versus that of his regime. For example, Frederick the Great was tutored in the ideas of the French Enlightenment in his youth, and maintained those ideas in his private life as an adult, but in many ways was unable or unwilling to effect enlightened reforms in practice.<ref>[[H. M. Scott]], ed., ''Enlightened Absolutism: Reform and Reformers in Later Eighteenth-Century Europe'', (University of Michigan Press, 1990)</ref> Other rulers such as the [[Sebastião José de Carvalho e Melo, 1st Marquis of Pombal|Marquis of Pombal]], prime minister of [[Portugal]], used the ideas and practices of the Enlightenment not only to achieve reforms but also to enhance [[autocracy]], crush opposition, suppress criticism, advance colonial economic exploitation, and consolidate personal control and profit.{{citation needed|date=May 2019}}

The concept of enlightened absolutism was formally described by the German historian [[Wilhelm Georg Friedrich Roscher|Wilhelm Roscher]] in 1847<ref>A. Lentin (ed.), ''Enlightened Absolutism (1760–1790)'', Aveiro, 1985, p. ix.</ref> and remains controversial among scholars.<ref>Charles Ingrao, "The Problem of 'Enlightened Absolutism and the German States," ''Journal of Modern History'' Vol. 58, Supplement: Politics and Society in the Holy Roman Empire, 1500–1806 (Dec., 1986), pp. S161–S180 [https://www.jstor.org/stable/1880014 in JSTOR]</ref>

Centralized control necessitated centralized systematic information on the nation. A major renovation was the collection, use and interpretation of numerical and statistical data, ranging from trade statistics, harvest reports, death notices to population censuses. Starting in the 1760s, officials in France and Germany began increasingly to rely on quantitative data for systematic planning, especially regarding long-term economic growth. It combined the utilitarian agenda of "enlightened absolutism" with the new ideas being developed in  economics. In Germany and France, the trend was especially strong in [[Cameralism]] and [[Physiocracy]].<ref>Lars Behrisch, "Statistics and Politics in the 18th Century." ''Historical Social Research/Historische Sozialforschung'' (2016) 41#2: 238–257. [https://dspace.library.uu.nl/bitstream/handle/1874/357697/Statistics.pdf?sequence=1 online]</ref>