in world culture eighteenth century was marked by the Enlightenment which has left its deep imprint in history.It was at this time ends its existence such a direction as Baroque, Rococo replaced.In Europe, it begins a kind of conflict between the uneducated, but because of the books the active population and formed the government.
Born in England, thanks to the development of intellectual movement the main ideas of the philosophy of education gradually began to spread to Germany, France, Russia and other European countries.
particularly influential educators were from France - Diderot, Rousseau, d'Alembert, Helvetius, Voltaire, who called themselves "masters of doom."They believed that the atheist, rational way of thinking and knowledge able to shatter outdated order to change the moral and ethical principles, and it will accelerate over the coming historical process and social change.
The Art of the Enlightenment, promotes the greatness of reason, freedom and happiness, in fact, tried to reflect these ideas.That is why literature displays on top of the characters, which are the embodiment of an inquiring mind, a sense of justice, are able to withstand ignorance.
Literary Rococo offers the reader vividly described landscape, puns, ironic speech, seasoned with hints of frivolity and omissions.Particularly noticeable this style of Voltaire, Montesquieu, Lesanzha.
Enlightenment in Russia began with Peter the Great.By the end of his reign, thanks to the reforms Russian confidently walked to the "Europeanization" involved in the culture of the West.Formation of science, education went very fast.
Enlightenment in Russia has brought magazines, newspapers, portraiture.
By the 18th century Russian society, which is considered more or less formed, consisting only of representatives of the Moscow and St. Petersburg nobility, and from a very small intellectuals commoners.
For Europe, the benchmark was the French Enlightenment.Therefore, the era of enlightenment in Russia made it possible to expand cultural ties with France, especially after the second half of the eighteenth century.The nobles were given the opportunity to take up the art and literature during their trips abroad, and a decent command of the language of Voltaire, Diderot, and allows them to easily study the works of the Enlightenment.The educated Russian society was read such works as "Virgin of Orleans", "nun", "lame devil," "Immodest treasure", "Persian Letters" and many other masterpieces of educational trends, which describes "fleeting celebration, which was ruled by Venus and Bacchus".
However, the Enlightenment in Russia is very different from the European version, and its seeds "sprouted" on domestic soil, gave a slightly different result than in the West.
Russia of Peter's time, and later, during the reign of Catherine II, was very different from Voltaire France.Brilliant Empire, behind the facade of which was a vast country with a population of not lifting his head from the heavy peasant labor, had the third estate, which would be like the West, the king imposes its own requirements.
Enlightenment in Russia supported the autocracy and nobility, who used the new Western cultural influences to preserve existing serfdom.
Although after Peter's death continued his reformism Catherine ll, dreams of becoming "enlightened queen" genuine Russian educators were Dashkova, Golitsyn, Sumarokov, Novikov, Fonvizin and others who tried to modernize the Russian reality.
