Eli’s Mind

(1) According to Deirdre McCloskey, some traditional explanations for Western prosperity fail because they focus too narrowly on material factors such as geography, resources, or institutions. McCloskey argues that the major, unique ingredient accounting for Western prosperity is a change in ideas or rhetoric about markets, innovation, and the role of entrepreneurs. She emphasizes the importance of a cultural shift towards embracing bourgeois virtues such as prudence, temperance, and enterprise, which she believes fostered an environment conducive to economic growth and prosperity.

(2) The major principles guiding the diplomats at the Congress of Vienna were balance of power, legitimacy, and restoration. The diplomats sought to establish a new European order that would maintain a balance of power among the major European states to prevent future conflicts. They also aimed to restore the legitimate monarchies that had been overthrown during the Napoleonic Wars, thereby reaffirming the principle of legitimacy, which emphasized the rights of legitimate rulers to their thrones.

(3) The Carlsbad Decrees were a series of reactionary laws enacted in 1819 by the German Confederation in response to the liberal and nationalist sentiments that emerged after the defeat of Napoleon. These decrees aimed to suppress liberal and nationalist movements by imposing censorship, restricting academic freedom, and increasing state surveillance of universities and student organizations. The Carlsbad Decrees were intended to maintain the conservative status quo and prevent any challenges to the authority of the German princes.