Visions of the enlightenment: Johann Christoph Woellner and Prussia's edict on religion of 1788

Abstract

Prussia' s Edict on Religion of 1788 is generally understood as a conservative reaction, its promulgation on July 9th of that year marking the end of the Enlightenment in Prussia. This article argues, however, that the edict was a product of the same forces that produced the Prussian Enlightenment's most famous members. Whereas, Prussia's Enlightenment in religion and philosophy (i.e. Semler and Kant) flowered during Frederick Il's reign (1740-1786), other forms flourished as well. This article concentrates on what we may call the agricultural Enlightenment, which extended across Europe during the late eighteenth century. This Enlightenment emphasized rural agricultural reform as a way of increasing productivity. Johann Christoph Woellner, the edict's author, was Prussia's leading agricultural reformer, during Frederick II's administration. His experiences in rural Prussia and in working for the Prussian state made him both enlightened and politically conservative. The Edict on Religion represented, therefore, not the end of the Enlightenment in Prussia, but the end of Frederickian enlightened absolutism.

El Edicto Religioso de 1788 intentó controlar la práctica religiosa, y ha sido, por esa razón, identificado como el fin de la ilustración en Prusia. Sin embargo, este artículo argumenta que el edicto no representó el fin de la ilustración, sino la extensión del absolutismo ilustrado de Federico II a la práctica religiosa. Incluso desde los tiempos de Emmanuel Kant. se ha argumentado que la ilustración en Prusia estaba apoyada en la indiferencia religiosa de Federico II. Aun así, la Prusia de Federico II también produjo una tradición de estadistas ilustrados que enfatizaba el mantener la estabilidad a través de la reforma. El Edicto Religioso se originó de esta tradición y la tornó una extensión de las políticas de reforma absolutista a la esfera religiosa.