AAQ said: “Everyone was “frum” in Lita contrary to Germany – until suddenly everyone stopped.”
YYA: Ever heard of the “Haskalah” movement?
this was not out of nowhere, haskala was already in western Europe. Were Litvaks ready? no. Alter rebbe tried to slow down its arrival by helping the Czar fight Napoleon, at least he understood what was going to happen … But it is very shortsighted to blame maskilim – their appearance was natural consequence of the progress in science & technology – to which, at the time, neither Jews nor goyim had a good answer. Now, we do. But, at the time, our answer was inadequate. These are not only my thoughts. Similarly, R Soloveitchik asks – what if Jews at the Roman times came up with something like Spanish-time philosophical works – this, more timely, response, would have let the world understand Jewish ideas better at the time they were absorbing some of them into a new religion.