E the war which ended in 1713 with the peace of

e. The war, which ended in 1713 with the Peace of
Utrecht , checked France, finished Spain as a great
power, and expanded England’s overseas empire.
G. The Decline of Absolutist Spain in the Seventeenth
Century
1.
Spanish absolutism preceded that of the French. In the
1500s the kingdom of Castile developed the
characteristics of an absolute monarchy.
a. Gold and silver from the Americas were the basis
for Spanish power.
b. The lack of a middle class (due in part to the
expulsion of Moors and Jews), agricultural crisis,
population decline, and failure to invest in
productive enterprises meant that by 1715 Spain
was a second-rate power.
c. Spain extended itself in wars it could not afford in
the 1600s and the monarchy spent far more than it
could afford.
d. Conflicts with the French cost Spain many colonial
possessions and peace was finally reached with the Treaty of the Pyrenees in 1659 .
9
QUESTIONS:
My response to the lesson question:

AP EUROPEAN HISTORY
McKay, et. al., A History of Western Society 11e
Ch15: Absolutism and Constitutionalism (ca. 1589-1725)
Section 3: Absolutism in Austria and Prussia
Lesson question :
What were the social conditions of Eastern Europe, and how did the rulers of Austria and
Prussia transform their nations into powerful absolutist monarchies?
NOTES:
A. The 17 th century is a struggle between absolutism and
constitutionalism – in Eastern Europe, absolutism wins
the struggle.
1. Prussia, Russia, and Austria emerge as
absolutist powers that remain powerful until 1918
(the end of WWI).
a. They are created from the Ottoman Empire, Holy
Roman Empire, and Poland.
B. East versus West (ca.1650)
East
West
- powerful nobility -limits on power of nobility
- weak middle class -strong middle class
-oppressed peasantry/serfs -peasants generally free
1. After the disasters of the 14 th century (plague,
famines, decline in population), landlords in eastern
Europe reestablish serfdom.
a.Peasants bound to the land with harsh
punishments for leaving ( hereditary
subjection – bound to the
lord).
b. Lords take more of peasants’
land and require heavier
labor obligations (robot).
c.Lords are unrestricted in
treatment of serfs.
2. Why do western and Eastern
Europe take such different
directions?
a.Nobles and lords in the East are more powerful
due to the many wars which resulted in weak
kings who grant rights to nobles.
b. Kings are also landlords who want their own
agricultural interests protected.
c.Towns in Eastern Europe do not get the same
rights granted to them as in Western Europe.
QUESTIONS:
My response to the lesson question:

AP EUROPEAN HISTORY
McKay, et. al., A History of Western Society 11e
Ch15: Absolutism and Constitutionalism (ca. 1589-1725)
Section 3: Absolutism in Austria and Prussia
Lesson question :
What were the social conditions of Eastern Europe, and how did the rulers of Austria and
Prussia transform their nations into powerful absolutist monarchies?