Chrichheim Enlightenment

The Chrichheim Enlightenment is an ongoing period in Imperial county of Chrichheim characterised by an outpouring of intellectual and scientific developments and increased funding for schools, colleges, and universities across the county. The period has also led to the development of what is being called 'Enlightenment culture,' which is based on close readings of new books and intense intellectual debate - particularly in universities.
Sharing in the rise of humanism and rationalism that is taking a hold across the Empire of Man's intellectual circles, the thinkers of the Chrichheim Benightment emphasise the importance of logic and the rejection of any authority that cannot be justified with said logic. In Chrichheim specifically, however, particular importance is placed on the idea of practicality and chief values include improvement, virtue, and practical benefit for both the individual and wider society.
Among the fields that have seen advance are philosophy, economics, engineering, medicine, zoology, law, and sociology.
== Background ==
Though many of the Empire's traditional power structures involve themselves in the new Enlightenment culture - the aristocrats, the churches, and the politicians primarily - it was from the newly formed middle-class that the Chrichheim Enlightenment was facilitated. This includes lawyers, professors, medical practitioners, and scientists. Though this economic growth for the middle-class certainly is a major factor in the Enlightenment's facilitation, it was still dependent on the educational changes and the intellectual climate of Chrichheim at this time.
The recently-implemented Common Education Programme, which has made the provision of a basic education to all Imperial citizens compulsory, has had a particularly revolutionary impact in Chrichheim. Before the act, a basic education was really only available to the sons of the nobility and other wealthy families. At around roughly the same time Chrichheim's historical universities and colleges adopted a new lecture-based curriculum that embraced economics and science, offering a comprehensive and high-quality education to those that proved either wealthy enough or knowledgeable enough to qualify. Together, these changes made education less expensive, more accessible, and more socially represented.
Whereas other places' intellectual lives are based in public places or private forums, Chrichheim's intellectual life is oriented towards books. Indeed, Chrichheim is a somewhat underrated haven for literature and, indeed, all major cities have at least one or two printing houses. Intellectual life in Chrichheim also involves clubs and societies, such as The Blackjack Society. It is believed that this interconnected web of intellectual infrastructure and mutually supporting institutions is what allowed the Enlightenment to spread as fast as it has. A large part of this also likely lies with the highly-literate culture of Chrichheim's religious organisations, many of which were offering free lessons in reading and writing even before the Common Education Plan. 
Though many areas of intellectual study have been impacted by the Enlightenment, some of the more notable ones include philosophy, literature, economics, sociology, mathematics, and medicine.
== Significance ==
Though the Enlightenment is still ongoing, and it's true significance likely won't be known for decades yet, there are still some major impacts that it has had so far. Most notably, perhaps, is it's cultural influence. The Enlightenment has seen Chrichheim flourish in terms of architecture, music, and art. This cultural renaissance has even spread across county borders and into nearby lands. Chrichheim society, to, has been largely changed. A new middle-class exists in a position of influence and prominence. Even regular working people are on a more even playing field than times past, in part due to the availability of education.
Though it's full impact is yet to be seen, it cannot be denied that the Enlightenment has irreversibly shaped Chrichheim's identity as a county - and will likely continue to do so.