Chapter+17

The Atlantic System and Its Consequences 1690-1740 (textbook p. 519-550)

Summary: Chapter 17 talks about the Enlightentment- famous figures, popular beliefs, and some of the effects it had on modern society.

Section 1:

Europeans began to notice Easterners drinking a strange black liquid called //kavah//. The growing prosperity was such that more people than ever before could afford nonessential goods, once the Dutch East India Company introduced the crop in Java and other Caribbean islands, coffee (<-- //kavah//) was a hit, as was tea. These two drinks led to a new kind of meeting place- a **coffeehouse**, where you could gather around a table with some friends, enjoy a mug or two, and gossip about the latest news. Soon, coffeehouses became a dime a dozen- they were all over the place. The European nations were forging worldwide links with other countries, bonds which were only thickened by the mass consumption of tea, coffee, chocolate, and other novelties. A large part of this was the **Atlantic system**: Europeans would buy slaves in West Africa, go sell them in the Caribbean to work on plantations, then take raw goods to European ports for refinement. But the extra money spread around by this boom did not go just towards coffee- middle-class people could afford to buy pieces of art, novels, to go to a musical or a recital, or even perhaps learn an instrument themselves //separately// from their job. Such prosperity was unheard of. While Europe was now recognized globally, most rulers still focused their attentions on their local rivalries. A coalition of countries suppressed France, and diplomatic power was evened. In Eastern Europe, Prussia and Austria had to survive the growing rule of Peter the Great in Russia. In Western Europe, the Dutch Republic and Spain declined, but weren't ready to stop contending for American colonies. The more balanced politics led to rulers becoming concerned with public health and welfare to encourage population growth and support.

After Louis XIV's revocation of the Edict of Nantes in 1685, a new highly intellectual movement known as the Enlightenment began to grow. The initial group of Enlightened authors and artists was composed of French Protestant refugees who wrote highly critical works about absolutism in political and religious settings. These ideas were fueled by the increased prosperity, the growth of the middle-class economically and intellectually, and the decline in warfare after Louis XIV's death. The Enlightenment, growing because of the popularization of science and growing interest in travel literature, encouraged great skepticism about religious and state authority. The movement would soon question nearly every aspect of life in Europe. It began in Western Europe in Britain, France, and the Dutch Republic, but would soon grow even larger.