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The end of the 17th and the early part of the 18th centuries were a period of organizational state-building. Medieval state systems had been undermined by the increasingly international economy; the Reformation and the religiously inspired warfare that followed; and the Thirty Years’ War (1618-1648) and the Great Northern War (1700–1721). Beyond these political and economic factors lay the intellectual achievements of the Scientific Revolution, which profoundly altered views on how states could and should be governed. A range of internal reforms in key Western European states placed them on the road to modernity, whereas other states languished by the end of the century. England remained in the forefront of political and economic development, while in Brandenburg-Prussia (the future Germany) and the Russia of Tsar (Emperor) Peter the Great important steps were taken that would have far-reaching impact on both nations’ future development. In France, the absolutism so ruthlessly established in the previous century would be streamlined, and though corrupted, would remain well entrenched in the French system. At the same time, Spain and the Netherlands lost ground in the 18th century. The Hapsburg emperor of Austria, Charles VI, lacked a male successor to the throne, which weakened that ancient Catholic monarchy. This era also witnessed the decline of Sweden, Poland, and the Ottoman Empire. Notable also during this era was the increasing importance of overseas empires. The European stage was now set for a great power struggle in the period from 1750 through the age of Napoleon that ended in 1815. After reading this chapter you should understand:
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