The Moral Citizen and the Good Official. The Image of the State Official during the Reign of Joseph II
Presentation Summary
The reign of Emperor Joseph II brought a series of reforms that marked the very end of the 18th century and also foreshadowed social transformations visible throughout the 19th century. The context of their creation should be sought in the interplay of Joseph’s worldviews and the challenges of real politics that the Emperor and his administration had to face.
Through the process of transforming morality from the private to the public sphere, Enlightenment thinkers created an image of a state whose task was to care for the general welfare, placing before the institutions of power the imperative of morality. Thus the image of the modern state official emerged, a representative of the state characterised by honour, loyalty, and patriotism.