Western Civilization II / Unit 6 WC2 0516 short lesson, about 20 seconds
Censorship, Pseudonyms, and the Muted Politics of the Philosophes
Captions available
The idea
Official censorship ran nearly everywhere, so philosophes used pseudonyms, illegal presses and smugglers, and salons as safe spaces and financiers. They attacked egregious injustices of kings and churches but, skeptical of commoners, advocated only a better monarchy and flattered enlightened monarchs.
In practice
Political implications, in the anchor's phrase, surprisingly muted.
Where people slip
Muted in intent; disruptive in effect, as 0527 shows.
Your place on the trail
Every lesson rests on earlier ones and opens later ones. Tap any to jump.
Unlocks
- 0517Beccaria, 1764: Crime, Punishment, and the End of Torture
- 0519The Radical Enlightenment: Freemasons, Smugglers, Pirated Books
- 0520Enlightened Despotism: Efficiency Without Surrendering Power
- 0527Why the Enlightenment Was Disruptive Despite Its Elites
- 0534Reason Against the Society of Orders: How the Enlightenment Undermined What It Did Not Attack
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