The World in 1750

​The World in 1750

By Miguel Angel Carrasco

• During the Middle Ages, world trade began shifting westward to Europe.

• This shift brought wealth to elites and merchants.

• Gap widened between the elite and commoners.

• Class tensions grew, setting the stage for future revolutions.

​The Changing World

• Most of the world was ruled by absolute monarchs.

• Absolutism: All power in the hands of a king or queen.

• Common in Europe, Asia, Africa, and in American colonies.

• Dynasties often changed through death or overthrow.

​Political World in 1750

Multiple Choice

What was absolutism?

• A government where all power belongs to a king or queen.

• A system where power is shared between people and rulers.

• A government run by merchants and nobles.

• A society without rulers.

• Monarchs claimed authority from God, not the people.

• In Europe → Divine Right of Kings.

• In China → Mandate of Heaven.

• Supported by nobles and religious leaders.

• Example: King James I (England) believed he ruled by divine right.

​Divine Right of Kings

Multiple Choice

What was the main reason monarchs claimed divine authority?

• To avoid paying taxes

• To justify their absolute power

• To give more rights to commoners

• To encourage revolutions

• Divine right did not protect kings from revolt.

• Example: King Charles I overthrown in 1649 in England.

• Afterward, monarchy power in England was limited.

• Elsewhere, absolutism lasted into the 18th and 19th centuries.

Limits to Divine Right

• Hierarchical societies: people were unequal.

• At the top: Monarchs, nobles, and religious leaders (3–5% of the population).

• At the bottom: 95% peasants/commoners, no middle class.

Society in 1750

Multiple Choice

What percentage of the population were elites in 1750?

• 10–15%

• 3-5%

• 20%

• 50%

Multiple Choice

What group made up the majority of the population in 1750?

• Nobles

• Merchants

• Lower-class farmers and laborers

• Monarchs

• Enjoyed special privileges and wealth.

• Privileges included:

  • Land ownership

  • Titles and tax rights

  • Religious authority

• Maintained power through inheritance and exclusivity.

• Feared losing privileges to merchants or peasants.

The Elite Class

• 95% of population: peasants, farmers, laborers, merchants.

• Most were subsistence farmers, working all day for survival.

• No middle class, little to no education, no political power.

• Dependent on agriculture and seasonal patterns.

Everyday Life of the Lower Classes

• Merchants could gain wealth, but lacked status and power.

• Even the richest merchant ranked below the poorest noble.

• This caused resentment, especially in Europe.

• These tensions fueled later revolutions.

Merchants and Resentment

• Class divisions, absolutism, and limited opportunities for lower classes created frustration.

• With no middle class, societies would remain unequal

• Revolutions in the late 1700s would challenge these old systems.

Merchants and Resentment